CALAMBA, Laguna: The Parents Against Vape (PAV) called on parents and guardians to take a strong stance against the plan of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) to make its heated tobacco product Bonds by IQOS be made available in sari-sari stores nationwide.Bonds by IQOS with its accompanying tobacco sticks, Blends, is a new product from IQOS. Bonds by IQOS is the PMI's heated tobacco product launched recently in the Philippines, intended for adults who would otherwise continue smoking or using other nicotine products.Both Bonds by IQOS and Blends are now available in Metro Manila as of November 2022, with more sari-sari stores expected to carry the product next year.'Nicotine, in any form, is harmful to our child's growing brain. We, as parents and others, should take efforts to reduce the exposure of our young children to e-cigarettes,' PAV said. 'Vaping is far from being safe.' Formally launched in 2019 in Davao City, Parents Against Vape is an association of parents working together to promote policies that protect children and youth against the harm caused by vapes and e-cigarettes. PAV added that vaping among youth is a serious public health issue.According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the brain keeps developing until about age 25. Using nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control.It added that each time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections — or synapses — are built between the brain cells.'Young people's brains build synapses faster than adult brains. Nicotine changes the way these synapses are formed. Using nicotine in adolescence may also increase the risk for future addiction to other drugs,' the US CDC stated.PAV also expressed worries about the impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs. The US CDC said vaping can fill the lungs with many aerosols, including nicotine and vitamin E acetate.
