Ibiza y Formentera Against Cancer warns young people about the risks of vaping through educational talks

Students from the Isidor Macabich and Algarb institutes were the first to participate in this initiative, highlighting the health and environmental risks of using these devices

In a pioneering initiative to raise awareness about the dangers associated with vaping, the Ibiza y Formentera Against Cancer Association (IFCC) has begun delivering a series of educational talks titled “Truths and Myths About Vaping” to students at various Secondary Education Centres in Ibiza. These preventative workshops kicked off this morning with students from Year 13 and Year 10 at Isidor Macabich Institute, and two Year 12 classes at Algarb Institute, both located in Ibiza.

The sessions, led by Xaqueline Perry, president of IFCC, and Berno Kiberd, vice-president, focused on debunking the perceived safety of using vapes and informing about the potential short and long-term effects on health and the environment. “Our goal is not to frighten about the effects of vaping but to raise awareness, inform, and make an impact on young people so they do not think it is harmless,” Perry emphasised.

During the talks, the IFCC representatives presented alarming data showing that, although vaping is often marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, it actually “carries significant health risks.” “80% of current lung cancer cases are linked to smoking tobacco, and it is estimated that, in the future, the same percentage of cases will be linked to vaping,” the local NGO warned.

IFCC also highlighted the environmental impact of regular vaping device use, as “they cannot be recycled due to the toxins they contain.” “These devices have an estimated degradation time of about a thousand years,” they underscored, reminding that, currently, “we are aware of the effects of tobacco and cigarette butts because we are familiar with their consequences, however, the effects of vaping are still unknown and we must remain vigilant.” “Vaping is following a similar path to tobacco, and we don’t need to wait a decade to realise it’s harmful to our health; the current evidence is already sufficient,” Berno Kiberd noted.

IFCC also pointed out that the marketing behind vaping often “hides these risks and manipulates,” especially targeting young people, presenting vaping as “a ‘cool’ option,” in the same way it was once done with tobacco, and they warned about the high price of these devices, suggesting that the money could be better spent on “travel, clothes, or hobbies, instead of on harmful substances.”

The main goal of Ibiza y Formentera Against Cancer (IFCC) is to continue these educational talks about the risks of vaping in all schools in Ibiza, and they invite schools interested in participating in this initiative to contact the Association to “extend the reach” of their preventive message and “raise awareness among the younger population.”