Contents
New trends and trends among young people are not always so entertaining and rosy. For example, vaping, or an electronic cigarette, can cause premature death, which happened in America. 11 such cases have been officially registered.
How can a “safe” e-cigarette kill?
It all started in America, where the number of patients with lung disease increased dramatically (up to 530 people). Unfortunately, no one can name the exact cause of these diseases, but all these patients are united by one factor – smoking electronic cigarettes containing tetrahydrocannabiol (THC) the day before. This element is a psychoactive substance that is obtained from the hemp plant. Some patients used it together with nicotine-containing substances or only with the latter. [1].
Vaping illness is notable for the sudden onset of symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, and some patients also experience fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Due to the similarity with the symptoms of pneumonia, this disease is mistakenly started to be treated with antibiotics, which is detrimental to the patient. Precious time to identify the diagnosis and rescue is gone at lightning speed. Such a disease and its accompanying changes in the lungs are not at all similar to the diseases caused by smoking ordinary cigarettes. If you feel any of these signs, you should contact your doctor immediately. At the same time, it is worth warning a specialist if you smoked a vape or an electronic cigarette.
In the treatment of the aforementioned patients, several lung diagnostic procedures were performed, which revealed neoplasms. Their nature is not yet fully understood, there are only guesses. It is possible that substances that are used in vaping, namely THC with an oily texture, glycerin, vitamin E acetate, or flavors, settle in the lungs after the liquid is heated by the device and provoke local inflammatory foci.
Unfortunately, today liquids and mixtures filled with special smoking devices are not controlled by any state body. Manufacturers do not have a specific recipe or recommendations about their composition. In addition, imported goods also cannot be qualified inspected. Thus, at your own peril and risk, the user decides whether to test unknown substances that can lead to unforeseen consequences, up to death.
Why do marketers let “steam” in the eye?
Unlike classic cigarettes, which are more popular among the middle-aged and above, the vape was almost tailor-made for the younger generation. The release of puffs of steam with a pleasant aroma attracted a large audience of young people.
Given the fact that production is not regulated in any way, manufacturers go all-in, mixing many substances to produce a more effective vapor. Vapers inhale substances that may not only be unsuitable for ingestion, but even dangerous. Some of the dead have experienced mixtures of several substances at the same time.
Quitting vaping is difficult, and not only at the physiological and psychological level, but also at the social level. Young people, having achieved a certain social status among those around them, especially resorting to outside help, do not want to lose it.
What is the attitude towards vaping in the world?
As mentioned above, the main audience for cigarette substitutes is young people, and more specifically teenagers in high school, and their numbers are enormous. Every year this statistic is growing, which cannot but cause concern among parents and the state, because. endangered the future of the nation.
In 2019, the administration of US President Donald Trump called for a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids to persons under 21 years of age. The US Food and Drug Administration sent letters to all manufacturers of these formulas banning the use of certain advertising language that attracts teenagers and violates advertising laws. [2].
However, JUUL from tobacco giant Altria has filed claims. They, along with other giants, conducted research and indicated in advertising campaigns that electronic cigarettes are a safer substitute for classic cigarettes. They argue that replacing tobacco-containing cigarettes with a special smoking device with liquid contributes to less combustion of harmful substances. The UK supports this fact, but this may be due to the fact that there has not been a single confirmed death associated with vaping in the country. [3]. At the same time, the World Health Organization declares an insignificant difference in smoking classic and electronic cigarettes, and calls to abandon both [4].
Conclusion
Vape, or electronic cigarette, is a substitute for classic cigarettes. According to WHO, no significant differences were found between them. If you choose a healthy lifestyle, it is best to avoid both types of smoking.
- Sources of
- ↑ Edition.cnn.com. – First vaping deaths in Florida and Georgia bring nationwide total to 11.
- ↑ Fda.gov. – Vaporizers, E-Cigarettes, and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).
- ↑ Gov.uk. – Vaping in England: an evidence update including mental health.
- ↑ Who.int. – E-cigarettes.