14 children were hospitalized last year due to complaints caused by vaping

At least 14 children were admitted to hospital last year with complaints that doctors believe were caused by vaping. Most were between 14 and 17 years old. They suffered from collapsed lungs and pulmonary hemorrhages from smoking electronic cigarettes. Lung damage was also seen on scans.

The Federatie Medisch Specialisten (FMS) confirmed this after the reports were initially reported by RTL Nieuws. The reports were made during the last year by doctors of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kindergeneeskunde, which is the Dutch Association for Pediatrics, which is also a member of FMS.

Vapes were the only notable factor amongst the 14 patients that doctors saw after they had already ruled out other reasons for the issues. The youngest patient that a report was made about was a two-year-old toddler. He arrived at the emergency room after drinking liquid from an electronic cigarette. It ended well, but if the child had ingested more, the doctor said it could have led to fatal poisoning.

Amongst the young patients was a 14-year-old girl who told doctors that she used a vape every five minutes and would even wake up at night to use it. The doctors do not have a complete overview of vape usage amongst young people in the reports. It is also still unclear what causes one child to become sick from vaping, while the other isn't.

The health risks of vapes have become increasingly clear in recent years, but there is still uncertainty about the consequences of long-term and structural use. According to the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), it is now a fact that the damaging substances in the dampness of the cigarette can damage and irritate the airways.

Just as is the case with “regular” smoking, users of vapes have an increased chance of being diagnosed with cancer. On the other hand, according to the RIVM, e-cigarettes are probably less harmful to a person’s health than normal cigarettes.