A recent study has highlighted the alarming truth about vaping, which may surprise you.
According to data from Gallup, around eight percent of adults in the United States have embraced vaping and e-cigarettes over the last year.
Many adults have turned to these alternatives to help them quit smoking. However, recent figures also indicate that young people, including high school students, who may have never smoked before, are beginning to vape.
There is no doubt that quitting cigarettes and tobacco is one of the most beneficial actions you can take for your health, as smoking adversely affects almost every organ in the body. It is linked to cancers, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and a long list of serious health issues impacting the brain, eyes, digestive system, and nearly every cell.
Giving up smoking permanently is notoriously challenging, which is why many individuals opt for vaping as a transitional aid.
Despite its appeal, a new study suggests vaping might not be the optimal solution. Although it is less harmful than smoking, vaping is not entirely risk-free.
E-cigarettes contain nicotine, along with various flavorings and chemicals that create the often fruity vapor for inhalation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2020 that there were 2,807 instances of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI), leading to nearly 70 deaths.
Michael Blaha, director of clinical research at the John Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, stated: “These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids.
“This is especially true for vaping products containing THC.”
A study conducted by John Hopkins University and published in October 2021 examined vape ingredients and found thousands of chemical components, some of which remain unidentified.
The study also indicates that vaping poses risks to heart and lung health, particularly due to nicotine, a toxic substance that elevates blood pressure, increases adrenaline levels, and consequently raises heart rates and the likelihood of a heart attack.
“People need to understand that e-cigarettes are potentially dangerous to your health,” Blaha added. “Emerging data suggests links to chronic lung disease and asthma, as well as associations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking with cardiovascular disease.
“You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe.”
This may include exposure to diacetyl, a chemical associated with ‘popcorn lung,’ a serious and irreversible lung disease identified during the manufacturing process of microwave popcorn.
The dangers came to light in 2020 when employees at a Missouri popcorn factory were diagnosed with the condition, revealing that those most affected had been mixing the flavoring chemical diacetyl with hot oil.
Although Cancer Research points out there have been ‘no confirmed cases of popcorn lung linked to e-cigarettes,’ the chemical has been banned in vaping products in the UK and EU, unlike in the US.
According to Vaping360.com, diacetyl is present in some e-liquids available on the market.
Moreover, vaping might not even assist in quitting smoking, as the study suggests it may merely replace one addiction with another.
Given that vaping products contain nicotine, they are just as addictive, if not more so. Blaha notes that some e-cigarettes may even contain higher nicotine levels than other tobacco products.
Blaha expresses concern over how vaping’s appeal extends to young people and individuals who might not have smoked otherwise.
The 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey revealed that over two million US middle and high school students have used vaping products.