The Latrobe Valley is no longer the smoking capital of regional Victoria, but experts are concerned progress made might be lost with the rise of vaping, particularly among young people.
Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are electronic canisters filled with liquid flavouring and nicotine.
Vapes without nicotine can be bought over the counter of most service stations.
Quit Victoria director Sarah White said her organisation was proud of the Latrobe Valley community for bringing down rates of smoking.
In Victoria, 12 per cent of the population smoke cigarettes on a daily basis.
According to the Victorian Population Health Survey that was updated in February, 16 per cent of Latrobe Valley residents smoked daily.
While recording rates higher than the state average, the Latrobe Valley was no longer in the top tier of regional smoking capitals, which include the Central Goldfields (22 per cent), Moira Shire (21.4 per cent) and Yarriambiack (20.8 per cent).
Vaping could undo good work
Dr White said she was worried the vaping trend would overtake the good work service providers had done.
"Latrobe Valley was traditionally much higher than other parts of Victoria [for smoking], but what we're seeing is smoking rates in the Latrobe Valley go down," she said.
"It's a massive win for people both statewide and in Latrobe, who've been doing great work.
Disposable vapes containing enough liquid nicotine for 1,200 puffs, usually cost about $30 and though illegal, can be bought in some Gippsland shops over the counter.
Reusable vapes can also be freely bought and users often buy liquid nicotine refills online and have no trouble getting them over the border.
There are no safety standards holding e-cigarette companies to account and Dr White said labelling cannot be trusted.
'Like a windscreen shattering'
As vaping is a relatively new practice the long-term health ramifications are unknown, but so far medical practitioners are seeing people present with inflammations of the lungs and airways, known as lung injury.
"For some people, when you look at it on an X-ray, it looks like a windscreen shattering," Dr White said.
Vaping is harder to detect than smoking because it does not leave a lingering odour in the air or on people's clothes.
Dr White said this added to the risk because parents and adults might illegally vape around children and presume it was harmless.
"E-cigarettes can shed heavy metals and fine particulate matter from inside of the device, not to mention second-hand aerosols," she said.
"We think people are inhaling far more of these chemicals and fine particles in their lungs, because they're vaping continuously throughout the day."
'Under no illusions'
Dustin Hodge, 34, lives in Traralgon, east of Melbourne, and switched from cigarettes to vaping two years ago.
He believed it would help him to eventually give up tobacco smoking.
"I identified the cost wasn't sustainable, creeping up to the point where it was more than a mortgage, but I maintain a pretty active social life and I didn't want to quit before I could, I suppose," he said.
"[Vaping] provided an avenue where I didn't have to do the hard part yet, so to speak, and it's definitely something I'll be working towards in the future.
Mr Hodge uses a refillable device and sources liquid nicotine from New Zealand.
He said he knew it was illegal but was yet to see much of a crackdown.
"It doesn't so much feel that's being enforced as of yet, for one reason or another," Mr Hodge said.
He believed the low cost of the product was "the selling point" and the taste was attractive to young people.
"Teenagers can try it and don't screw up their face because it's yucky," Mr Hodge said.
Call for more regulation
Jonathan Fahey was instrumental in starting the Smoking Cessation Clinic at Latrobe Community Health Service — one of the service providers responsible for reducing rates of smoking in the Latrobe Valley.
He encouraged community members to write to their local members of parliament to call for more regulation of e-cigarettes.
Mr Fahey said parents educating their kids was the key.
"Don't get angry," he said.
"You want to maintain that relationship."
