We must ban single-use vaping if we are to protect our children

The loss of adult smokers across the world led the tobacco industry to secretly fund the research into alternatives to smoking. This led in 2010 to the launch of e-cigarettes and vaping, mainly owned and heavily funded by the tobacco industry. They have conned not only the medical profession, but politicians too, into believing that these products are the best route out of addiction to cigarettes. Having followed this development since its inception, I have seen no reliable research confirming that vaping or e-cigs are any more successful in helping our most addicted smokers to quit. They may be a bit safer than cigarettes loaded with thousands of unknown chemicals, but cannot be declared health-enhancing.

Clearly we have all been well and truly conned. Yes, these products certainly are highly successful – at keeping our nicotine addicts sending billions of profit to the industry's shareholders.

It is illegal to sell these products to under-18s, yet every business that wants to can sell them with no legal controls. Our schools and streets are littered with the evidence of millions of single-use vaping products dumped by young and old.

To protect our children we must at the very least urgently change the laws to ban single-use vaping and reduce e-cigarette use to the minimum. We can only achieve this successfully if under no circumstances we allow this despicable industry to be sitting round the table to advise us how to achieve that. That approach only affords them the opportunity to spy on our plans to curb their business, so they can scheme to undermine our plans, and can continue to profit from the ill-health of our citizens.

Max Cruickshank, Glasgow.

Read more: We must tackle the time bomb that threatens Scotland's schools

A83 works are ever-more urgent

I WAS out gardening yesterday and was amazed at how dry the soil in my garden had become, particularly in shaded areas that were prone to moss. The hillside to the right as you climb the Rest and Be Thankful road must be not only tinder-dry on the surface, but the soil below will also be bone dry too. When the long-hoped-for downpours eventually arrive and soak the hillside, it will become very unstable and simply slide down onto the road below.

The long-awaited report, which now proposes covered shelters along a large stretch of the road, must be started as soon as possible, and the hillside adjacent to the long straight stretch of road before the Dunoon turn-off should be addressed too, before it becomes another issue on a very important trunk road.

George Dale, Beith.

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Why EVs must be restricted

IT is somewhat surprising that Glasgow City Council, by imposing Low Emission Zones for fossil-fuelled motor vehicles, is apparently ignoring the fire risk emissions posed by lithium-battery-powered electric vehicles.

Whilst the German government along with the EU is considering measures to reduce the risk of destructive and unextinguishable fires from the lithium batteries of electric vehicles, the UK and Scottish governments have seemingly ignored this issue.

Eminent city landmarks could be at risk, never mind numerous blocks of flats with underground car parks. Should a lithium-powered vehicle battery fire occur, it is not just inextinguishable; burning at 2000 degrees Celsius, it will penetrate concrete, and emit toxic fluoride fumes.

Why then, at the very least, is Glasgow City Council as the leading Scottish city council, in conjunction with Cosla, not discussing possible planning controls to prevent electric vehicles with lithium batteries using such vulnerable locations until some clearer guidance on safe practice is available?

Elizabeth Marshall, Edinburgh.

Menace of the pedestrians

I USE the same Sustrans path in Paisley as Gordon W Smith (Letters, July 10).

I use the nice red bell on my bike to alert pedestrians as I approach, especially those walking dogs tethered by extra-long retractable leads, which stretch across the path.

Many walkers are also listening to music or podcasts on headphones, or chatting on the phone, oblivious to fellow travellers.

It's nice to talk.

Allan McDougall, Neilston.

Ready for the wrath?

WITH his no-holds-barred résumé of the Bible as “a fantasy story containing scenes of violence, murder, rape, animal cruelty, quack cures, burning foliage, big daft beardies, confusing contradictions, pettiness, nastiness, warmongering and misleading claims about wine, loaves of bread and haddock” ("Send us censorious, Herald Magazine, June 10), I guess the fearless or misguided Rab McNeil can expect more than a few fervent brickbats along the lines of “And Judas went out and hanged himself. Go thee and do likewise”.

R Russell Smith, Largs.

Knuckling down

I READ with interest your article in which criminal law graduate Chloe Isaac states that she didn't pursue that as a career and instead opted for opening a "safe space" tattoo parlour in Carluke High Street ("‘Safe space’ tattoo parlour is looking for expansion", The Herald, June 12).

She explains that the full sleeve, of really small tattoos, that had been applied to her mother had had a significantly positive effect on her mother's mental health during three years of lockdown. When asked in the Q&A section of the article if she weren't in her current role which job she would fancy, she says that having "studied criminal justice at university it would probably be something in that field". It got me to thinking that maybe there was an opportunity to combine both careers and offer to tattoo the oft-favoured words "Love" and "Hate" on the knuckles of her clientele. But maybe that would not provide a sufficient challenge.

David G Will, Milngavie.