The practice of vaping in South African schools is on the increase and detrimental to learners. That’s the submission of some health experts on the public hearings on Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill 2022 held this week.

Vaping is the practice of inhaling and exhaling vapour containing nicotine through electronic cigarette devices designed for the purpose of smoking.

The main aim of the bill is to ban the display of tobacco products at points of sale, as well as to require mandatory plain packaging, and the prohibition of tobacco products in vending machines.

Professor Richard Van Zyl-Smith, based at the Lung Infection and Immunity Unit at the University of Cape Town, told Parliament’s Health Committee that the impact of vaping in schools affects the health of learners.

“We have not seen this explosion in the usage of vaping previously. We know the use of tobacco has been present. There are estimates, although the numbers are very small from the 2016 South African Demographic Health Survey showing that vaping is there but not particularly high.”

He says vaping in schools has been identified to have serious effects on learners.