Toy-like electronic cigarettes are sold in a store near a primary school in Shandong province. (Photo/www.iqilu.com)
(ECNS) -- Primary school students in Qingdao City, East China's Shandong Province, are trying toy-like electronic cigarettes, a trend troubling parents concerned about their safety and health, news portal iqilu.com reported.
A man from Qingdao found out his son, a fifth grader, had recently tried an e-cigarette, which made him both angry and concerned.
Electronic cigarettes have the same shape, size and general appearance to their traditional equivalents. Some use a battery to vaporize a solution, creating an aerosol, while the tips of some e-cigarettes have a light that looks like burning ash, the report said.
"Children are apt to imitate," Wang said. "Many of my son's classmates buy and try these kind of electronic cigarettes."
Experts from Qingdao Municipal Hospital said e-cigarettes do not contain the thousands of other chemicals found in regular cigarettes, but they may contain the stimulant nicotine, the substance responsible for causing addiction to tobacco products, as well as other chemicals including flavorings.
Teens may find these products especially appealing because they are available in fruit, candy and dessert flavors, it was added.
Parents are concerned that e-cigarettes are being heavily promoted and marketed.
"Electronic cigarettes can be extremely hazardous to young children, and they might also develop bad habits," parents told the news portal.
