Dr. Desmond Fitzgerald (President of the University of Limerick; professor of molecular medicine and former chief academic officer for the Ireland East Hospital Group), is urging the Department of Education to ban Vaping across all Irish educational institutions.
Dr. Fitzgerald has warned that Vaping; latter the practice of inhaling and exhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device, is a real health risk and is being directly implicated in health crises and even deaths among those using the product.
Limerick University banned vaping and smoking on campus in 2018 and is currently the only University campus in Ireland to have initiated such a regulation.
Dr. Fitzgerald has critized ‘big business’ whom he correctly states are using aggressively marketing to push flavoured vaping products on young people, in particular. In calling for a ban, the professor strongly believes that we should waste no further time in mounting a robust challenge to these forces.
President of the International Society for Vascular Surgery, Professor Sherif Sultan, latter a leading heart consultant based in the Galway Clinic, has described e-cigarettes as “the disaster of the century” and the products are he claims “more dangerous than smoking and booze combined.”
Professor Sultan is now calling on the Health Minister Simon Harris to step in, before it’s too late, to ban the use of e-cigs with immediate effect.
Professor Sultan claims that “When Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil leader) brought in the smoking ban some 15 years ago, it was the best thing that ever happened to this country, and now the present Health Minister needs to act similarly. This is an epidemic that must stop immediately. E-cigarettes are like a fashion accessory to young people, who fail to realise the amount of toxins in e-cigarettes. We have to warn people because many are under the impression this habit is safe”.
Professor Sultan joins Dr. Desmond Fitzgerald in his stance, calling on the Minister for Education and Skills to immediately institute a ban on vaping and smoking in any institution which is in receipt of Exchequer funds.
Already, internationally, (A) New York and Michigan have introduced a ban on flavoured vaping products. The US Senator Mr Mitt Romney has published legislation to prohibit flavoured vaping products and to apply cigarette taxes to vaping devices.
(B) India has announced a ban on the production, importation and sale of electronic cigarettes.
“We are facing into unchartered territories and the Irish health system cannot cope”, Professor Sultan continued.
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