Smoking and use of any tobacco product including e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco or other nicotine containing product cause or worsen numerous diseases and conditions. If you think vaping is not same as smoking than you think wrong. Vaping and E-cigarette are not much different than our regular cigarettes.
What are E-cigarettes?
E-cigarettes are sometimes called e-cigs, vapes, e-hookahs, vape pens, and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
E-cigarettes were invented in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, who initially developed the device to serve as an alternative to conventional smoking.
A recent study found that most people who intended to use e-cigarettes to kick the nicotine habit ended up continuing to use traditional e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes have the same health effects as a cigarette, which includes causing cancer.
What is Vaping?
Inhaling the vapor created by an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is known as vaping. E-cigarettes heat a liquid called E-liquid (E-Juice ) to create an aerosol (vapor) that you inhale.
Most people wrongly believe that the vape produced is water vapor and therefore vaping is harmless.
But this is not true.
Vaping is not water vapor. Despite the name, vaping does not make water vapor. It creates an aerosol (or mist) that contains small particles of nicotine, metal, and other harmful substances.
What is in E-liquid (E-juice) contained in E-cigarettes?
E-liquid, also called, e-juice or vape juice, is what vaping devices use to make the vapor you breathe in. E-liquids aren’t just water. They usually contain:
- Flavoring. Each flavoring has its own set of ingredients.
- Nicotine, the addictive and harmful substance in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
- Propylene glycol and glycerin, are used to create vapor.
- E-liquids and flavorings sometimes have other ingredients, including:
- Chemicals that can cause cancer (carcinogens), like acetaldehyde and formaldehyde.
- Chemicals that are known to cause lung diseases, such as acrolein, diacetyl, and diethylene glycol.
- THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical in marijuana that gets you “high.”
- Vitamin E acetate, linked to lung injury caused by vaping.
- Heavy metals like nickel, tin, lead, and cadmium.
- Tiny (ultrafine) particles that can get deep into your lungs.
What is the difference between vaping and smoking?
Vaping and smoking both involve inhaling nicotine and other substances into your lungs. Cigars and E-cigarettes have the same health effects as a cigarette, which includes causing cancer.
Not just cigarettes, even hookah smoke has been shown to contain concentrations of toxins like tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, and heavy metals that are as high as or even greater than cigarette smoke. Besides nicotine, e-cigarette aerosol can contain substances that harm the body including cancer-causing chemicals and tiny particles that reach deep into the lungs.
E-cigarettes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine, which research suggests may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine.
Threats of Smoking E-cigarettes and Vaping.
Smoking, be it traditional cigarette or e-cigarettes harms every body system and leads to long-term health problems such as:
- heart disease
- lung disease
- stroke
- many types of cancer — including lung, throat, stomach, and bladder cancer.
Some severe diseases and health risks associated with Smoking, both cigarette or E-cigarette
- Asthma. Vaping can make you more likely to get asthma and other lung conditions. It can make your existing asthma worse.
- Lung scarring. Diacetyl, a chemical found in flavorings, can cause bronchiolitis obliterans (“popcorn lung”). Bronchiolitis obliterans causes permanent scarring in your lungs.
- Organ damage. In addition to your lungs, nicotine and other substances in e-liquid can hurt your heart and brain. We know nicotine can affect brain development, raise blood pressure and narrow the arteries.
- EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury). EVALI is serious lung condition that vaping causes. It causes widespread damage to the lungs. Common symptoms of Evali include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. EVALI can be fatal.
What is EVALI?
EVALI is short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury.
It’s a serious lung condition caused by vaping. Vitamin E acetate, found in some e-liquids, is a possible cause.
Thousands of people were hospitalized due to an spike in EVALI cases seen during 2019-2020. Most people affected were younger than 35years of age.
Symptoms of EVALI include:
- Cough.
- Shortness of breath.
- Chest pain.
- Fever.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Stomach pain.
- Fast heartbeat.
Can your lungs heal from vaping?
Some damage to your lungs from vaping can heal or get better with medications. Others, like lung scarring, are permanent. Over time, constant irritation to your lungs can lead to health problems (like asthma and COPD) that won’t go away.
Myths about E-cigarettes that you should know.
There are several myths regarding vaping and e-cigarettes that led to an increase in their craze and popularity. Some of them are :
- E-cigarettes do not contain nicotine. E-Cigarettes contain nicotine like traditional cigarette as well as other chemicals that cause cancer. Some vape product labels do not disclose that they contain nicotine, and some vape liquids marketed as 0% nicotine, have been found to contain nicotine
- Vaping is less harmful than smoking. Vaping is as harmful as smoking causing permanent lung diseases, damage, and, cancers.
- Vaping is just harmless water vapor. The vapor created while heating the E-liquid is aerosol from nicotine and other chemicals and not just plain water vapor
- Vaping will help to quit smoking. No, people who start vaping end up smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.
- Vaping is not addictive. Vape pens or e-cigarettes contain nicotine which is addictive
Why Is Vaping Unsafe for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?
Everyone thinks vaping is cool as it is in trend. Statistics show 23 % of Ottawa high school students in grades 9-12 have used a vape at least once. That is 77% short of everyone.
The Vape pens or E-cigarettes have cool and smart packaging and are advertised to convince the buyer of it being safe and non-addictive but fun as it consists of flavor. What may start as social experimentation leads to addiction.
Nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain. The brain keeps developing until about age 25. Using nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
Teenager and adolescents may resort to vaping to deal with stress or anxiety, creating a cycle of nicotine dependence. But nicotine addiction can be a source of stress. In young kids e-cigarette and cigarette use have been associated with mental health symptoms such as depression.
The most common reason kids or teenagers give for using an e-cigarette is “a friend used them.” or “I am feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed.”
E-cigarettes or vape devices look like everyday objects like pen or Usb device , therefore easier to hide. They come is fruity flavors masking the typical smell of nicotine. As a result parent often do not realize their kids are smoking or vaping until late.
What Should I do if my child vapes?
- Do not blame your child.
- Be supportive and give them the motivation to quit it.
- Clear out the myths and show them the reality and dangers of vaping.
- Be there for your child. There will be strong craving for nicotine, especially in the first few days after stopping. It also can lead to headaches; feeling tired, cranky, angry, or depressed; trouble concentrating or sleeping; hunger; and restlessness. These problems get better over the following days and weeks.
How to quit smoking?
Smoking has Higher Addiction Rate. The addiction rate for smoking is much higher than the addiction rate for alcohol, marijuana or the cocaine.
Nicotine is highly addictive. It causes changes in your brain so you want more and more nicotine. You might not be able to stop vaping if you want to or if it starts causing health problems.
When a person tries to quit smoking, the levels of nicotine drop drastically, making the smoker want more. The body becomes physically dependent on this drug, making it tough to stop smoking.
- Make goals, even if it includes reducing vaping gradually.
- Talk to a healthcare provider, therapist, or school counselor about quitting. They can help you make a plan that works for you and give you support in the process.
- Learn to relax with yoga, meditation, and deep or rhythmic breathing.
- Avoid temptations and triggers. Try to avoid situations where you normally vape or replace them with other activities.
- Chewing sugar-free gum or lollipops can help distract them from cravings.
To Sum it Up
Roughly, 1 out of 3 young smokers die prematurely from smoking-caused diseases. Every cigarette that one smokes reduces the expected life span by 11 minutes. So, IT is wise to stay away from Smoking and its different kinds.
