Vaping Dangers Compared To Smoking

How Can Vaping Risks Be Compared To Smoking Risks And What Are The Differences ?

With all the hype and controversy surrounding e-cigs and vaping for quite a while, it's best to stay up to date with the latest findings, which are of common interest to smokers and non-smokers alike. Recent research on vaping gives new light into this subject and, if you're considering to vape or are already doing it, you will find a couple of interesting facts in this article.

Smoking Kills, In a Nutshell

There is a long history of research that shows the numerous ways regular smoking can be harmful. Decades of studies have shown that smoking is among the prime culprits (if not the very first) of diseases like heart disease, stroke, aortic aneurysm, erectile dysfunction (ED), impotency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and several types of cancer (lung, breast, oropharyngeal, esophageal, etc). 

The reason is widely known as well; the heavy substances used to make cigarettes (like tar and cadmium) and the nicotine in them, which can cause severe addiction.

So... Vaping is better, right? Right?

With the availability of vaping liquids completely free of nicotine, vaping has been considered as a great, "clean" alternative to smoking and even a tool to quit it. However, there are three key aspects to have in mind before jumping onto the vape wagon face first:

•  is ''clearly unfair''. It has been found that the vast majority of vaping liquids contain substances called base compounds, such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin; these substances, when subjected to heat, can react forming substances like acrolein and formaldehyde, which are highly toxic when inhaled.
•  or not have shown inconsistent results at best; other surveys conducted on vapers suggest that the risk of becoming a nicotine consumer from vaping is fairly high.
• As of 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported more than 1000 cases of lung lesions caused by vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mostly unregulated and from clandestine vendors on the streets. This is why it is highly advised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to not tamper regulated vaping products by including THC or any other kind of oils in them, and acquire these products from legitimate sources.

The Untold Dangers of Vaping 

Most vapers, when talking about the reasoning behind their consumption, express things such as "it's flavorful unlike cigarettes', 'it's harmless', "it's popular/I look cool when doing it", which is to be expected knowing that, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, as of 2018 around 10 to 27% of teenagers ranging from 8th to 12th grade had used e-cigarettes at least once, and that 2 out of 10 young adults between 18 and 24 were vaping with vaporizers regularly across the United States. 

These age groups rely heavily on social standing and brand recognition, and most of them are poorly educated about the dangers of nicotine in general. In the words of Dr. Jaspers, previously mentioned, when you ask them, "Do you consume any tobacco or nicotine products?", they are going to answer "no" because that is not the language they use.

 They know they use [brand name]. Awareness is a great issue since these young people might not know whether they are consuming products with nicotine or not, they might not verify the source of these products and might not know the further complications that arise from vaping, like shortness of breath, asthma, lung lesions, which are derived from the base compounds and the flavor additives present in vaping liquids.