No smoke, no fire: are aroma inhalers harmful for children?
In the Network actively discuss aroma-inhalers - devices that have become popular among schoolchildren. This is a box with paired "nasal pencils". It is claimed that aroma-inhalers help relieve chronic fatigue, increase efficiency, help in the fight against nasal congestion. However, their contents are not completely clear: the manufacturers do not disclose the composition officially and completely. The new "device" has already aroused suspicion among members of the State Duma, public figures, and Ozon and Wildberries remove them from sale. More about the new trend and the ban on it - in the material "Izvestia".
What are aroma-inhalers
In the fall and early winter, aroma-inhalers suddenly became very popular among schoolchildren. They buy devices in marketplaces for very little money - mostly from 80 to 300 rubles. However, experts are sounding the alarm - in particular, doctors from Invitro and Invitro North-West told Izvestia that these aroma-inhalers can have a significant impact on the body.
The device looks like a small box with two "pencils", which are convenient to bring to the nose. Inside there is a certain mixture of essential oils and flavorings, which should smell pleasant and supposedly have a beneficial effect on a person.
In marketplaces such aroma-inhalers are sometimes called energizers. The safety of the product is emphasized, marketers call it a reliable companion in everyday life. The composition is not fully disclosed, but the descriptions mention "menthol, essential oils and Thai plant extract" that "have a beneficial effect on well-being, offering a refreshing solution for runny and stuffy nose; useful for motion sickness, nausea, headache, fatigue, stress or preparation for sleep."
In response to direct questions from marketplace users , sellers name the following composition: menthol, xyliton, natural essential oils, flavorings. And emphasize that the inhaler is not an electronic device or medical device, but refers to "perfume and cosmetic products".
Users share the effect: "helps to break through nasal congestion", "very strongly breaks through the nose", "sniffed, and really did not want to sleep, but after 1-2 days you get used to it and nothing happens", "if you inhale strongly, the vigor is such that in the morning drowsiness as a hand removes." Enough and negative reviews: headache and nausea, smells terrible and becomes bad, does not work.
And some users ask the sellers: "Is there steam?". "There is no steam and smoke," - those answer.
Who has already banned aroma inhalers
Many people perceive aroma-inhalers in exactly the same way - as a replacement for vape devices banned for children. Concerned about the new habits and the public, and several deputies of the State Duma, who appeal to Rospotrebnadzor. In particular, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Control Committee Dmitry Gusev asked the service to check aroma-inhalers for the content of banned substances. According to him, children "buy up aroma-inhalers and get high at school," calling them brain fresheners.
Nina Ostanina, chairman of the State Duma committee on family protection, paternity, maternity and childhood issues , also appealed to Rospotrebnadzor. She hopes that the agency will find out whether the "inhalers" contain potentially dangerous substances, and at the same time check the quality of plastic used in the manufacture of the devices. The deputy asks to conduct a "monitoring purchase" of aroma inhalers with examination of goods and documents.
Rospotrebnadzor reported that they have identified problems with the documentation of aroma-inhalers for the nose. It turned out that the products are accompanied, apparently, fake declarations of conformity to the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union "On the safety of perfume and cosmetic products" (TR CU 009/2011).
"For example, the analysis of declarations in one of them revealed a reference to the protocol of laboratory tests of the Testing Laboratory Center of the FBUZ "Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Moscow". However, these studies in relation to these products were not conducted", - reported in the Department.
Marketplaces decided to act ahead of the curve and began to take measures on their own. So, in Wildberries reported to "Izvestia" that they conducted "an additional check of aromatic inhalers", and already in the afternoon of December 10 decided to block these products. Within a day, promised the marketplace, the goods will be removed from the showcase.
In the company Ozon also told "Izvestia" that they suspend the sale of these goods on the site: hid most of the cards from the showcase, and soon they will no longer be available for ordering. "Yandex Market" did not answer the question at the time of publication of the material.
Why aroma inhalers can be harmful
Assistant of the Department of Hospital Therapy of the Institute of Maternity and Childhood of Pirogov University Tatiana Kim said that these devices are unsafe for children and their parents, as they do not belong to medicines and do not go through the certification and registration procedure.
- "The effect is achieved from them instantly, as absorption occurs through the abundantly blood-supplied mucosa of the upper respiratory tract," she told Izvestiya. - And judging by this effect - vigor, a burst of energy - they may contain caffeine-like substances and possibly synthetic stimulants.
Therapist Nadezhda Chernyshova noted that such aroma-inhalers seem to often contain camphor, which is a strong enough agent with side effects that it should not be used on its own.
She emphasizes that in case of real diagnoses, it is better to consult a doctor rather than self-medicate. Such inhalers, however, can simply harm health, in particular, kill the ciliated epithelium in the nose.
- The nose - it is absolutely self-regulating, self-cleaning multifunctional system, which provides us with proper breathing and protection from harmful substances - said the therapist "Izvestia". - Essential oils that are administered too often can dry up the nasal mucosa. If we strongly irritate the mucosa, the ciliated epithelium can die, and then a person will have lifelong problems with stuffiness, severe dryness in the nose, and maybe even nosebleeds.
Andrey Pozdnyakov, Candidate of Medical Sciences, infectious disease doctor, chief doctor of clinical diagnostic laboratory of "Invitro Siberia" LLC, noted in his commentary to "Izvestia" that the key aspect is "the concentration of aroma inhaler and the duration of its use by a child": even a harmless substance in high concentrations can be dangerous.
It should be noted that the inhalers used by schoolchildren are very similar in function to pharmacy aroma pencils, which are used to combat nasal congestion and are essentially an analog of the Vietnamese "Zvezdochka", which used to be used for the same purpose. Tatyana Kim emphasizes that these medical products at least have a prescribed and understandable composition (although camphor is also there), and Nadezhda Chernyshova adds that the suspension of aromatic oils in aroma-inhalers penetrates deeper and has a stronger effect on the mucous membrane.
Why schoolchildren are attracted to aroma-inhalers
Ruslan Isayev, head of the psychiatric and narcological "Clinic of Dr. Isaev", noted that specialists in the field of psychiatry and narcology, the story with aroma-inhalers also causes serious concern, as these devices "may conceal potential threats to the health and psycho-emotional state of children".
- "It is alarming that aroma-inhalers often look like brightly colored gadgets, which makes them particularly attractive to children and teenagers," he told Izvestia. - We can't rule out that such devices could be part of the hidden PR of vape and e-cigarette manufacturers - or contribute to the formation of a stereotype in children regarding the consumption of substances through inhalation.
Psychologist Yana Vlasova notes that such behavior, when a child is constantly looking for some forbidden things: vapes, aroma-inhalers, etc., is typical of adolescence, the time of searching for one's own self. And since adolescence is a time of experimentation without developed critical thinking, kids take various risks.
According to her, in this way a child may try to earn respect in the community and be visible. This happens especially often if he experiences a lack of a sense of importance in his family.
The questions parents should ask themselves are: has the family had educational conversations about smoking, vapes, and dangerous substances in general, and how aware is the child of these issues?
- It is very important to talk a lot with teenagers, to be interested in their lives," said Yana Vlasova. - It is very important for a child at this age to realize that he or she is not forgotten, that he or she is interesting.
