Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 November 2023
218. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will launch a public awareness campaign addressing the risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes and related nicotine products during pregnancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51489/23]
View answerThe current focusis to reduce smoking and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in pregnancy as the medical evidence shows that smoking complicates pregnancy and leads to poor outcomes including impaired foetal growth and development, pre-term delivery, birth defects and sudden infant death. Health impacts continue past childhood and into later life, since children born to mothers who smoke have an increased likelihood of developing chronic disease as adults. Smoking rates in pregnancy, and therefore the burden of negative outcomes, are highest in the poorest socioeconomic groups.
Policy and action is guided primarily by the National Stop Smoking Clinical Guideline which contains specific and evidence-based guidance on best practice in supporting pregnant women to stop smoking. This includes recommending Nicotine Replacement Therapy during pregnancy and breastfeeding, following discussion with a healthcare provider in order to assist in preventing smoking. The Guideline does not recommend e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in either the general population or in pregnancy however it does include a framework for discussing the use of e-cigarettes in this context.
There is not sufficient evidence in relation to the risks of e-cigarettes or other nicotine products during pregnancy to warrant a targeted policy response beyond the framework of the Stop Smoking Clinical Guideline. My Department continues to monitor any emerging research in this regard.
