Vaping
Just when the practice of “smoking” has finally achieved the negative reaction it deserves, in walks E-cigarettes and the game is changed. Those who inhale on electronic (E-) cigarettes are quick to tell you that they are not as bad for you as cigarettes—and with that claim, I agree.
However, many of our youth, and even their parents, have been marketed to dishonestly when it comes to the FACT that E-cigarettes are indeed harmful to your health and to the health of bystanders who have no choice but to “vape” on your exhaled second-hand aerosol fumes.
An E-cigarette is comprised of a battery, a heating element, and a chamber which holds the liquid to be vaped (vaporized). Once the liquid is heated into an aerosol mist, it can be inhaled deeply into one’s lungs.
While it’s true most vaping liquids contain less nicotine than cigarettes, they still contain a significant amount nicotine, which is a highly addictive chemical. It’s also been found that people who vape tend to vape more than they would smoke, so the dosing of inhaled nicotine becomes more frequent. The most popular brand of vaping liquid cartridge, JUUL, has as much nicotine in it as a full pack of 20 cigarettes, according to its manufacturer.
So, what else, besides nicotine, is in vaping liquid? Well, it’s difficult to know for sure, as some liquids which are sold as “nicotine free” actually have been found to contain nicotine. That said, the “vape juice” contains flavoring—some of which has been linked to lung disease, small particulate matter, cancer-causing chemicals, and even dangerous heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead!
In a report the U.S. Surgeon General issued in 2016, nicotine had been found to “harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control” in adolescents. Additionally, the same report suggested that while some of the e-cigarette flavorings may be safe to eat, they may not be safe to inhale because the gut can safely process more substances than the lungs can.
Vaping pens have one more potential hazard—and this one isn’t ever encountered with cigarette use: They can blow up…right in your face. While explosions and fires with E-cigarettes are rare, this is not a risk I believe anyone should voluntarily subject themselves to.
The next time someone tries to convince you that E-cigarettes are harmless, don’t be so easily persuaded. In my opinion, humans should stick to inhaling only fresh air!