Stop the illegal sales of disposable, flavored e-cigarettes that drive up youth vaping

In Illinois and across the nation, the surge in youth vaping isn’t just a matter of experimentation; it’s a public health crisis that demands immediate attention. Children are exposing themselves to harmful chemicals like nicotine and formaldehyde, which jeopardizes their developing bodies and increases the likelihood of addiction not just to nicotine, but to other substances as well.

At the heart of this crisis lies disposable, flavored electronic cigarettes, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. While the Food and Drug Administration took a commendable step in 2020 by banning pod-based e-cigarettes, it neglected to impose restrictions on their disposable counterparts, creating a dangerous loophole. Consequently, more than 5,800 unique disposable products have flooded the market — a staggering 1,500% increase from early 2020. These products are designed to entice children with sweet, candy-like flavors, flashy packaging and aggressive marketing on social media. It’s no surprise that 85% of youth e-cigarette users prefer flavored products, with fruit and candy options topping the list.

The majority of these products are being sold illegally, blatantly violating FDA regulations. The FDA must move to approve each e-cigarette product before it can be sold. These flashy, kid-friendly flavored products that are helping drive up youth vaping rates should not be available, and the FDA must enforce existing regulations and crack down on their sale. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has been pressuring the FDA and we commend him for his work. Yet, we need more members of the community and elected officials to address this issue.

Kelly Nichols, senior manager of policy and advocacy, Respiratory Health Association

The Ford name in Chicago is not just related to cars

I enjoyed Neil Steinberg’s recent look at Ford’s history in Chicago.

Another chapter of Ford’s history here is when the architect behind the auto manufacturer’s factories designed a plant for the government on the Southwest Side to produce airplane engines for B-29 bombers during Word War II.

Located on 82 acres between Pulaski Road and Cicero Avenue, north of 79th Street, the factory was constructed in 1942, not long after Pearl Harbor, and it was considered to be the largest defense plant in the world at the time. It employed 30,000 workers and produced 18,000 B-29 engines for the war effort.

Decades ago, I talked with a man who was a machinist at the plant in World War II. He said that production was high with employees working round-the-clock shifts, and with quotas to build and ship out so many engines per week. The work was highly secretive and employees were warned not to discuss their work with anyone. Employees were surrounded by posters and had weekly talks from supervisors telling them not to share any details of the engines or their work, lest it be leaked and used by the enemy.

The machinist said he was so proud to work at the plant, which was later purchased by the Ford Motor Company. Like many employees there, he had sons in the military fighting the war, and this was his way to help support them and the country.

As Steinberg stated, it takes many workers and thousands of parts to build a car, and in this case, it took thousands of hands and millions of parts to build engines to win the war.

Today, the site of this large defense plant is the Ford City Mall.

Mary Jo Przygoda, Gurnee