Calls for a new crackdown on vapes in Australia trends now
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Vaping has become one of Australia's biggest public health issues, with children as young as 14 taking up e-cigarettes.
New research by the Australian National University is being used to back a call for a government crackdown on access to e-cigarettes.
Vaping is often framed as a 'better' alternative to smoking cigarettes but the report identified a multitude of risks, including unintentional poisoning.
'Our lungs are designed to breathe fresh air,' lead research Professor Emily Banks said.
'People using vapes are inhaling a complex cocktail of chemicals.'
More than 240 chemicals were found in toxicological analyses of non-nicotine e-cigarettes.
At least 38 of those chemicals were listed poisons and another 27 were associated with adverse health outcomes.
Users of nicotine e-cigarettes could also be poisoned by the nicotine itself, the report said.
Nicotine poisoning can cause seizures and respiratory depression, which can result in death, according to Cancer Council
