In the last decade, we have seen a significant rise in the use of e-cigarettes. The reasons behind the rise of e-cigarettes are numerous. The most obvious contributor to the popularity is the idea that they are less harmful than regular tobacco cigarettes. Smoking e-cigarettes or more commonly known as vaping has become quite popular among the younger generation. The reason for its rise in popularity among youth is, their cartridges come in different flavors like apple, peach, watermelon, etc. It is also much cheaper and lasts longer than traditional cigarettes. They come in various shapes and sizes that are part of the appeal. Young people also seem to find vaping a cool thing to do. However, this new phenomenon is less harmful than smoking, is the question repeatedly asked.
Cigarette Smoke versus E-cigarette vapors:
Cigarettes kill that is just a fact. Half the smokers suffer and die from problems caused by tobacco. Cigarettes contain tobacco, and tobacco smoke contains around 7000 chemicals. Among which 250 are known to be very harmful to example ammonia, carbon mono-oxide. Among these 250 there is 69 such chemical which can cause cancer. Cigarettes probably are the most harmful legal product that is sold so openly.
E-cigarettes, on the other hand, contain a liquid base cartridge that heats up and produces nicotine vapors that are inhaled. Hence the condensed material that is exhaled isn’t smoke. Because e-cigarettes also contain nicotine which spikes blood pressure and increases adrenaline levels causing stress on the cardiovascular system, it can’t is be termed exactly harmless. That is considering if you are vaping non-flavored cartridge, flavored cartridges come with their own harmful and pretty much unknown set of chemicals. However, there is no way that vaping is half as much harmful as tobacco smoke.
The stance of the medical field on vaping:
In Australia, e-cigarettes are regarded as medical products for those who want to quit smoking. As they are considerably less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Medical examiners believe that if vaping is done with e-cigarettes that are licensed and known products and are approved by regulatory authorities than their effects are minimal. The problem arises when people start using unlicensed flavor cartridges. There is no knowledge about what kind of chemicals are being used in them. There is no information on what sort of harm these chemicals will inflict upon the consumers. No product that has not been checked by the authorities and the company hasn’t openly declared its contents and their effects should not be allowed to enter. If the consumer only vape nicotine and no other chemicals, then vaping is a much better option than smoking.
Both have nicotine:
The main ingredient of cigarettes is nicotine. E-cigarettes have it too. We know how tobacco cigarettes are harmful and what side-effects they have. However, the information on the side-effects of e-cigarettes is very limited. We do not know if there are any potential cancer-causing agents in them yet. What we do know that is nicotine is a harmful and addictive substance. If you stop having it there are withdrawal symptoms. Another thing we do know that nicotine raises your blood pressure and can cause heart diseases. Because nicotine also raises the levels of adrenaline from normal and it can cause a heart attack. Another thing about e-cigarettes is that in them there is a choice to load cartridges which have a much higher amount of concentrated nicotine than in traditional cigarettes. Nicotine is after all toxic substance so the nicotine-based damage is the same in both types of cigarettes if not more in vaping products.
Damages caused by Cigarettes vs E-cigarettes:
Traditional cigarettes are known to cause lung cancer, blood cancer, and breast cancer, cancer in the esophagus, lynx, your pancreas, and many other body organs. It also causes multiple types of heart diseases. It is observed by medical examiners that smokers are prone to develop pneumonia, tuberculosis and other respiratory disorders. Smokers are known to suffer from asthma, shortness of breath and lack of stamina. This happens because the lungs fill up with residual tar from smoking, and the function of alveoli is deeply damaged.
Vaping different flavored cartridges have also resulted in many asthmatic episodes in people. Doctors think there is a link between seizures and vaping in e-cigarette users. Doctors think as there is a lack of information on the chemicals used in the flavoring of nicotine cartridges of vaping devices there may be more harm caused by these things than recorded. There have been cases of lung inflammation directly related to vaping and other problems related to lungs in the consumers. All of this is yet directed towards the chemicals used in e-cigarettes on which information is minimal and there is no solid vetting system of these things.
It can be observed that smoking can be potentially fatal. They can kill and destroy your body not just your lungs. E-cigarettes are not as bad but they do come with their diseases.
Summation:
Lastly, Vaping can’t be termed as harmless nicotine fix. It comes with its problems and possible diseases. The data in the harmfulness of e-cigarette isn’t much. Furthermore, the propaganda machinery is continuously comparing it to smoking and siting is nearly as harmful as tobacco smoke. Which is just unreasonable and wrong. Vaping is nowhere as harmful as smoking, according to the Royal College of Physicians the effects of vaping only amount up to 5% of that of smoking.
However, at the time vaping is the best alternative for cigarette smokers looking to quit smoking and improve their health quality. Many people who try to quit smoking fall back into it because of withdrawal symptoms and craving. Vaping is a better option for them comparatively. They can receive their nicotine fix and don’t become a potential cancer patient. Vaping doesn’t cure the addiction and no smokers are known to quit nicotine when they switched from smoking to vaping however it still the lesser evil.
