'Young lungs are not for testing': Birmingham Children's Hospital expert backs plain packs for vapes

"Young lungs are not for testing; children shouldn't be the experiment." That is the message from a lung specialist at Birmingham Children's Hospital, who has backed the government's plans to make vapes far less appealing to young people. Dr Prasad Nagakumar, a consultant respiratory paediatrician, says vaping now comes up regularly in his clinics, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust reports.

What the government is proposing

The proposed restrictions would introduce plain packaging for vapes, limit the flavour names that can be used, and require shops to keep vapes out of sight, to stop them being marketed to children.

The rules would also cover other nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, and vapes that contain no nicotine. And they would make it illegal for adults to buy products with the aim of giving them to children.

"Teenagers tell us that they can't stop"

Dr Nagakumar said: "Vaping now regularly comes up in our clinics, mostly with teenagers, but sometimes with younger children too. We see coughs that won't go away, wheezing, and asthma in young people that becomes harder to control, and we see addiction. Teenagers tell us that they can't stop. Vaping is now a routine question in every teenage consultation, just like smoking used to be."

"Vapes contain chemicals, including nicotine, which a young brain can get hooked on fast," he added. "Vaping is linked to coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks and can mean some go on to smoke cigarettes. Illegal vapes can contain heavy metals and far more nicotine than is allowed, which is harmful for a young person's lungs. We simply do not know the long-term effects of vaping on growing lungs."

"It's not candy"

He said the way vapes are designed and sold makes them especially attractive to children. "Vapes are made to look fun, they are brightly coloured and have many flavours like cotton candy and bubblegum and they are easy to get. They're all over social media, and we understand that kids pass them around. A lot of young people think that they're harmless. It's not candy, it contains harmful chemicals, but unfortunately, it can be packaged to look like candy."

"I welcome the new restrictions. Plain packaging worked for cigarettes, and research with British teenagers shows that plain packs make vapes less appealing to young people without putting off adult smokers who use them to quit. Out of sight means out of mind."

A clear message for adults and children

Dr Nagakumar was careful to draw a line between adult smokers and children. "If you smoke, switching to a vape helps," he said. "But if you're a child, don't vape. Sweet flavour leads to a bitter habit. It's not harmless, and it's not for children."

That distinction reflects NHS advice: vapes can help adult smokers quit, but they are not for children or people who have never smoked.

Advice for parents

Parents who are worried that a child is vaping can talk to their GP or school nurse, who can offer advice and support. Signs can include a persistent cough, wheezing or asthma that is harder to control, as Dr Nagakumar describes. Young people who want help to stop can also get support through NHS stop smoking services.

Birmingham Children's Hospital on Steelhouse Lane is one of the country's leading specialist children's hospitals, and its doctors see the effects of vaping on young lungs first hand.