In response to health problems related to vaping, Apple has just removed all applications dedicated to electronic cigarettes from its catalog.
For several years, the electronic cigarette has been presented as an alternative to the real cigarette. But, if it is true that turning to this device allows a priori to detach from tobacco, its effects on health, on the other hand, are beginning to worry.
There would, for example, be a link between the use of electronic cigarettes and an increased risk of heart problems. Some electronic cigarettes also contain bacterial toxins. Not to mention that, a few weeks ago, we learned that the use of e-cigarettes could damage blood vessels or affect the fertility of women.
We also recall that in the United States, more than2,000 people have been hospitalized in recent months due to lung damage related to the use of electronic cigarettes. As of November 13, 2019, 42 of these people have died .
In view of these results, important decisions have been made. India, for example, has just banned the sale and consumption of electronic cigarettes to its 1.3 billion inhabitants. China has also suspended the online sale of these devices. More recently, it was the American giant Apple that made arrangements.
From Axios magazine , in the face of growing concerns about electronic cigarettes, Apple has just removed 181 applications from its mobile App Store related to vaping. If the company has never authorized the sale of electronic e-cigarette cartridges through its catalog, some applications, on the other hand, encouraged or facilitated their use.
“We ensure the App Store is a trusted place for customers, especially young people, to download apps , an Apple spokesperson told the magazine. We are constantly reviewing the latest available health and wellness data. Recently, experts ranging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the American Heart Association linked e-cigarettes to a series of lung diseases and deaths. (…) We have therefore updated our instructions. (…) Applications encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are no longer allowed .
Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids was particularly pleased with this new measure. “Removing these apps will help reduce youth exposure to e-cigarette marketing and discourage use. Apple sets a good example .
Note that those who have already downloaded these applications before their removal from the catalog will still be able to use them.
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