The Proliferation Of New Products Like E-cigarettes Is Reshaping The Landscape Of The Tobacco Threat.

May 31, 2026 marks the 39th World No-Tobacco Day. The World Health Organization has set this year's theme as "Unveiling the Veil of Temptation - Combating Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction", directly targeting the "precise temptation" of electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products towards teenagers.
The reporter noticed that this year is also the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the World Health Organization's "Tobacco Control Framework Convention" (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention") in China. Over the past 20 years, China has continuously promoted the ban on smoking in public places and other work, and the public's awareness of the harm of tobacco has continuously improved. However, at the same time, the rapid development of electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products has also brought new challenges to global tobacco control.
How do electronic cigarettes target teenagers? Is the harm of tobacco and nicotine products underestimated by the public? Where is the key to future tobacco control? Cover News interviewed Martin Taylor, the World Health Organization's representative in China, exclusively.
◀
How do electronic cigarettes target teenagers?
▶
Cover News: This year's World No-Tobacco Day theme focuses on "Unveiling the Veil of Temptation - Combating Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction". What core message does the World Health Organization hope to convey through this theme to the world?
Martin Taylor: There is a very worrying trend globally. In all regions of the World Health Organization, the usage rate of electronic cigarettes among teenagers is higher than that among adults.
The tobacco and nicotine industry is constantly packaging itself - through deliberate product design, fashionable packaging, digital marketing, etc., to make the products seem highly technological, fashionable, and even harmless, constantly tempting the next generation, especially children and teenagers, to become users of their harmful products.
Through this year's No-Tobacco Day activities, we aim to achieve three goals: First, to enhance public awareness of these new products and strategies, understand their hazards, and see how the industry uses flavors, packaging, and social media to lure young people; second, to promote stronger policy actions, especially the prohibition of flavors and advertising promotions (including digital platforms and social media), and regulation of attractive product designs and packaging; third, to provide the public, especially teenagers, with knowledge and tools to help them resist industry manipulation and obtain evidence-based smoking cessation support.
◀
What are the harms of smoking?
▶
Cover News: When people mention the harm of tobacco, they often first think of lung cancer. But in fact, the harm of tobacco to health is far more than that. Could you introduce what other harms smoking and second-hand smoke can cause to the human body?
Martin Taylor: Lung cancer is just one item on the long list of tobacco hazards, and it may also be the most well-known one. But smoking and second-hand smoke cause harm far beyond this. They can lead to cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 20 types of cancers, almost damaging all organs of the human body.
Some neglected harms also deserve high attention. For example, the human brain usually does not mature until around 25 years old. Tobacco products and smoke in them can affect the development of teenagers' brains, causing learning disabilities and anxiety, and affecting academic performance. Second-hand smoke exposure during pregnancy may damage fetal neural development, increase the risk of attention deficit, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems.
In addition to the harm to organs and the nervous system, tobacco smoke is also an important source of indoor air pollution. A study by Tsinghua University shows that when a cigarette is lit in a room of about 40 square meters, the indoor PM2.5 concentration can reach up to 1800 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 6 to 8 times higher than the national standard daily limit, and the air quality is seriously exceeded. At the same time, tobacco combustion releases formaldehyde (about 2.4 milligrams per cigarette), and when people pay close attention to decoration pollution, they often overlook the formaldehyde in tobacco smoke.
In addition, tobacco smoke contains radioactive substances polonium-210 and lead-210. For someone who smokes one and a half packs of cigarettes a day, the annual radiation dose received is approximately equivalent to taking 300 chest X-rays.
Tobacco causes the death of over 7 million people every year, of which approximately 1.6 million are non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. These deaths should not have occurred.
◀
What are the challenges in global tobacco control efforts?
▶
Cover Story: What do you think are the worrying challenges in current global tobacco control efforts? What directions does the World Health Organization focus on?
Martin Taylor: The challenges are severe and interwoven. First, the tobacco industry's interference is increasing. Even though traditional cigarette consumption has declined in some markets, the tobacco industry still invests a huge amount of resources to oppose, delay, and weaken tobacco control policies - from lobbying to resist stronger regulation to funding pseudoscience to secure a more lenient regulatory environment for its new products.
In addition, the rapid proliferation of new products is reshaping the threat landscape. Electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches, and other new and emerging products are being marketed with misleadingly "healthier" or "safer choice" statements. These seemingly high-tech products not only dilute public concern about the dangers of traditional tobacco but also attract new users - at least 15 million teenagers aged 13 to 15 worldwide use electronic cigarettes.
The World Health Organization's position on electronic cigarettes is very clear: Electronic cigarettes are harmful to health. Their emissions typically contain nicotine and other toxic substances, and are harmful to both users and non-users exposed to second-hand aerosol. Electronic cigarettes are not a "healthier alternative" to traditional cigarettes; the safest option is to avoid both. Compared to the clean air of a smoke-free environment, the PM2.5 concentration in aerosols can be 6 to 86 times higher, the nicotine content is 10 to 115 times higher, and the formaldehyde content is 20% higher. Electronic cigarettes have not shown any smoking cessation effects at the population level and are not a scientifically effective smoking cessation tool; they also normalize the "smoking in public places" behavior, making it difficult to enforce smoke-free regulations.
The new products and strategies of the tobacco and nicotine industry seem to be constantly changing, but their core essence has not changed - to attract and retain more users to seek commercial benefits. The World Health Organization's response focus remains unwavering: to promote the full implementation of the "Tobacco Control Framework Convention" and ensure that all tobacco and nicotine products are subject to strict regulation.