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The use of electronic cigarettes, like that of their tobacco-containing cousins, should be banned in public indoor spaces, the World Health Organization recommends.
Users of electronic nicotine delivery systems devices (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes, should "be legally requested not to use ENDS indoors, especially where smoking is banned, until exhaled vapor is proved to be not harmful to bystanders and reasonable evidence exists that smoke-free policy enforcement is not undermined," according to a WHO report published Aug. 26.
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WHO officials said e-cigarette use should be banned in public indoor spaces.
The report is intended to provide a framework for governments to follow when developing regulations around e-cigarettes. It is on the agenda for the upcoming 6th Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Moscow Oct. 13-18.
The report recommends that manufacturers be prohibited from making any health claims related to ENDS, specifically identifying claims that e-cigarettes are smoking cessation products. The report notes that there is anecdotal evidence to suggest e-cigarettes have been effective in helping people quit smoking but "their efficacy has not been systematically evaluated yet." WHO recommends that approved and proven cessation products should be tried first, with e-cigarettes being a last resort. Recent guidelines from the American Heart Association echoed that sentiment.
The WHO guidance is in line with recent recommendations made to the Food and Drug Administration from various medical societies in advocating for strict oversight in marketing to ensure that children are not targeted. The FDA is considering broadening its tobacco oversight to include e-cigarettes.
