Vaping is a method of taking nicotine into the body without using electronic cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. There are well-documented instances of vaping devices exploding and causing injury – even death. But, while there are several harmful effects associated with vaping, there is also a lot of fear-mongering going on about vaping bordering on the edge of moral panic.
10 Vaping Facts
Lately, a lot of attention has been shone on the rumors that vaping can cause a myriad of health problems, such as susceptibility to drug addiction in teens, poor periodontal health, and diseases caused by the ingredients found in e-juice.
Here are 10 facts with proofs to know what is what.
- Vaping and Teens
- Nicotine’s Health Effects
- Nicotine Free E-Juice
- Nicotine Addiction
- Exploding Vapes
- Vaping, Smoking, and Heart Attacks
- Ingredients and Additives
- Vaping and Quitting Smoking
- Nicotine Poisoning
- Vaping and Oral Health
#1 Vaping Facts about Teen Health
A 2018 survey of high school students found that 37 percent of 12th graders vaped compared with 28 percent of them in 2017. Vaping can be harmful to teens in many ways. It can affect their brain development, making it harder for them to concentrate on their studies, and making it difficult for them to control their impulses when they become adults.
Also, becoming addicted to nicotine could make a teen more susceptible to addiction later in life due to the effect it has on the brain’s pathways. One of the reasons why teens are attracted to vapes is because of marketable technology and flavorings made by vaping companies.
#2 Nicotine is Unhealthy in Vapes and Tobacco
Nicotine is unhealthy no matter where it comes from. When regularly taken into the body, nicotine raises the blood pressure and adrenaline, resulting in an increased heart rate, which, in turn, makes the possibility of having a heart attack more likely.
#3 Nicotine Free E-Juice is Bad Too
Just because an e-juice does not have nicotine does not mean that it is not harmful to one’s health. Nicotine free e-juice can cause severe irritation in the airways due to the high amounts of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol found in it.
A 2018 in-vitro study found that nicotine-free e-juice can cause an inflammatory immune response in the throat and lungs. Exposure to nicotine-free e-juice leads to cell death in the lungs, which makes it harder for the body to fight off germs, allergens, and other toxins.
#4 Nicotine is Addictive in All Forms
It does not matter if someone gets nicotine from a vape or a cigarette; it is still highly addictive in all of its forms.
A nicotine habit is also tough to break. When it is taken into the body, it results in the release of dopamine into the system, which makes it feel good to use. When the body is not getting the dopamine, a person finds it harder to focus, and they can feel anxious and even depressed. These feelings are hard to overcome, making giving up nicotine very difficult. Vaping can bring on these problems just as well as can any cigarette.
#5 Vapes Can Explode
E-cigarettes sometimes explode if they are not charged correctly and for several other reasons. 195 vapes exploded from 2009 to 2016, causing severe injuries to those using them. Some people have even died.
William Brown was in the parking lot of a vape shop in Fort Worth, TX, when his vape pen exploded in his face. Debris from the pen lodged itself in his one of the arteries in his neck, and he died later that day.
Because vapes can explode, the US Navy decided to ban their use fleet-wide in 2017 due to several accidents involving sailors, marines, and their vapes. Exploding vapes caused injuries to personnel and damage to equipment, leading to the Navy banning them.
#6 Vaping while Smoking is Dangerous
A lot of people combine vaping and smoking, but by doing this, they take a deadly risk with their health. People who smoke and vape are significantly more likely to have a heart attack than people who only vape or who neither smoke or vape.
There is good news, though. According to Dr. Stanton Glantz, the person who found this out, once someone stops vaping and smoking, their chances of having a heart attack decrease by a significant amount.
#7 E-Juice Has Dangerous Ingredients and Additives
A lot of people think that vape juice is just flavored water, but this is not true. There are a lot of ingredients in e-juice that are dangerous to the human body.
Diacetyl, one of the ingredients found in e-juice, is known to cause bronchiolitis obliterans, or “popcorn lung.” This incurable condition is known to cause several debilitating symptoms, including coughing, shortness of breath, and chronic fatigue, making it more difficult to exercise or do manual labor.
#8 Vaping is Not the Best Smoking Cessation Tool
The US Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of e-cigarettes as a quit smoking aid. There is also little evidence to support the assertion that they can help someone quit smoking.
Before using e-cigarettes as a quit-smoking tool, consider other alternatives such as nicotine replacement therapy.
Anyone who wants to quit smoking should discuss their options with a qualified healthcare professional.
#9 They Can Poison Users, Children, and Pets
Nicotine poisoning is on the rise due to the use of e-cigarettes. In 2013 there was a 300 percent rise in poisonings resulting in hundreds of people having to be admitted to a hospital.
Nicotine can be highly toxic if it is swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Pets and small children are especially susceptible to nicotine poisoning because they like to chew on things. This is why e-juice bottles and vapes should be kept well out of the reach of children and pets and handled carefully.
#10 Vaping Facts about Teeth
Vaping is not only bad for lung health, but it also causes problems for the teeth and gums as well.
One study conducted in 2018 showed that several e-juices caused bacterial growth on the teeth, which led to users developing cavities. A review of several studies found that vaping leads to cell death, resulting in several health problems, like bone loss, tooth decay, and bad breath.
Vaping Facts and Myths
The facts about vaping have been widely distorted because of alarmism regarding teens using them. While they might be bad for one’s health, they are not evil, demon-possessed devices as the emoting schoolmarms who control our media and health institutions would have you believe. Even though there is research out there that suggests they have adverse health effects, there is still a lot more that needs to be learned about these devices.
Vapes Cause Depression and Anxiety
While there is a positive correlation between e-cigarette use and mental health problems like depression and anxiety, there is no proof that e-cigarettes can cause a person to develop a mental health disorder.
There are likely other stressors in the life of a person who uses vaping devices, and vaping is a good indication that someone has a mental illness, but there is no proof that they cause mental illness.
Vaping Causes Cancer
There is no definitive proof that vaping causes lung cancer or any other kind of cancer.
Most vapers are in their 20s and 30s, and if vaping does cause cancer, no one will know until these people reach retirement age.
It can take decades for the symptoms of cancer to manifest themselves, as it does with smokers, so this noise about vapes causing cancer is nothing more than alarmist rhetoric.
Vapes Explode All the Time
Vape explosions are sporadic.
According to Reuters, there are 10.8 million e-cigarette users in the United States, and according to the US Fire Administration, between January 2009 and December 2016, 195 e-cigarettes exploded.
That means the chances of a vaper’s Juul blowing up in his face is .00001805555 percent. Or, in layman’s terms, a vaper is more likely to get hit by a car or drown on his way to the vape shop than he will from it exploding in his mouth leaving it.
If a Child Vapes He or She Will Later do Drugs
The above statement is an example of the correlation/causation fallacy. Just because a teenager vapes does not mean he or she will later use drugs.
There are a lot of reasons why teenagers sometimes experiment with drugs. Little Timmy could be curious about the effects drugs might have on him, or he could be genetically predisposed toward addiction. Vapes are a gateway device to drugs, but just because Little Timmy uses one does not mean he is destined to be a homeless crack addict in five years.
Fun Vaping Facts
Aside from the facts about health risks and myths regarding vaping, there are a lot of exciting things one should know.
Many Strange Flavors
There are many original flavors people have developed, and there are ones that are quite odd. Among the characters that seem pretty mild are a sweet cream butter flavor and pizza flavored e-juice. Among the strange ones, there are black pepper, crab legs, and even tuna fish. But the weirdest one ever noted is alligator sperm vape juice.
There Are Vaping Competitions
One of the most interesting vaping facts is that people who think they can vape better than other e-cigarette users can consider going professional. People who vape professionally are known as “cloud chasers,” and they can compete against other vapers. Those believe they have what it takes to be the best cloud chasers can showcase their skills in a number of venues.
Interesting Vaping SM Influencers
There are a lot of social media personalities who promote vaping. Among the most popular are some very attractive women who help to promote e-cigarettes on Instagram.
Final Thoughts about These Vaping Health Facts
Vaping can have several bad effects on a person’s health, the most notable of which are nicotine addiction, increased risk of developing a serious lung illness, and bad teeth.
These health facts about vaping should give a person pause before they pick up a vape. But, there is still a lot more that needs to be learned about vaping before people in the media start demanding the laws be passed by legislators who do not know anything about e-cigarettes.
The bottom line is that e-cigarettes are probably harmful to a person’s health. Putting things in the body that should not be there – black pepper flavored e-juice vapor included – is probably going to have some negative health consequences. So what? If someone wants to inhale it, let them, so long as they are not underage. They are not bothering anyone save for a few shrieking busy body bureaucrats in the Centers for Disease Control who cannot stand seeing anyone enjoying themselves.
