Introduction
Vaping is very popular and widespread among young people nowadays. According to a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 37% of 12th graders reported vaping in 2018 (Shmerling, 2019). These numbers are quite alarming, as scientists do not know much about the potential short- and long-term effects of vaping. Moreover, some researches show that electronic cigarettes are not as safe as it is thought to be. During my presentation today I would like to discuss electronic cigarettes and focus on the disadvantages of vaping.
Harmful Effects of Vaping
In the past few years, it has become very popular among teenagers and young adults to use vaping instead of usual cigarettes. It is believed that electronic cigarettes help to give up smoking. Some people are even sure that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than usual ones. This opinion is extremely widespread, although it is not completely right. Let us have a closer look at the disadvantages of vaping.
The Risk of Lung Diseases
Smoking can lead to different consequences, the most dangerous among which are health problems. Although there is no incontrovertible evidence that vaping can be the direct cause of illnesses, many researchers corroborate this theory. According to the research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 200 users of electronic cigarettes “have developed severe lung disease in 22 states” (Shmerling, 2019, para. 1). Researchers believe that the main reason for the illness was smoking, which could cause an allergic or immune reaction or chemical irritation. The diseases are usually not linked with certain flavors or brands of electronic cigarettes, as all of them contain toxic components, although some flavors are considered to be worse for health.
The Risk of Other Diseases
Apart from lung diseases, vaping can cause other serious illnesses. It is thought that smoking electronic cigarettes that contain nicotine can affect the development of the brain (Shmerling, 2019). This makes smoking extremely dangerous for teenagers, whose brains are at the stage of growth. Moreover, researches are showing that using electronic cigarettes can cause an increased risk of cancer (Shmerling,2019). Vaping, as well as other types of smoking, is very dangerous for pregnant women and can harm the fetus.
Toxic Ingredients
The so-called “vape-juice” can contain nicotine or be nicotine-free, but it remains a toxic fluid. Most of the vape juices contain potentially harmful chemicals, for example, diacetyl. Inhaling diacetyl is not safe and can lead to a range of respiratory diseases. Some researches show that the ingredients of vape juices can have a serious toxic impact on blood cells and organs. Surely, the ingredients of vape liquids are checked by the Food and Drug Administration, but they can still include potentially harmful chemicals. The other danger is the excessive dosage of chemicals, which can cause health problems as well.
Getting Addicted
Some people believe that electronic cigarettes can be useful for those who want to give up smoking. This opinion is proved to be true if the smoker chooses nicotine-free vape juices and disuses usual cigarettes. But for those who never smoked vaping can, on the contrary, be addictive. Teenagers and young adults who use electronic cigarettes are more likely to start smoking the usual ones (Shmerling, 2019). Besides, many smokers use vaping along with usual cigarettes. This means that the harmful impact on their health is higher, and the chances to quit smoking are lower.
Technical Problems and Influence on the People Around
Vaping can be dangerous not only because of the chemicals but also due to imperfect technical construction. The defect of the battery in the electronic cigarette device can lead to an explosion or fire. This can be dangerous for both smokers and the people around them. The other danger for people around is “passive” inhaling of toxic chemicals, which happens when one simply breathes near the smoking person. “Passive smoking” is as dangerous as real smoking, and it is particularly harmful to teenagers and young adults.
Unknown Effects
Vaping is not examined in detail, as it is much “younger” than usual cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes were invented and became popular not a long time ago, that is why many short- and long-term effects of it may be unknown to modern scientists. Some researches show that vaping is fairly harmful to health, some state that it is less dangerous than usual cigarettes. Although the circumstances of using electronic cigarettes are not clear, many people continue vaping. This can be compared to voluntarily doing something unknown and potentially dangerous for one’s health but believing it has no harmful effect.
Conclusion
To sum up, vaping is a new way of smoking that we do not know much about. Most of the researches proves it to be dangerous for the health of young people. It may be true that using electronic cigarettes can be a good way to give up smoking. However, I believe that our health should avoid smoking any type of cigarettes, including vaping, as it is proved to be harmful.
Reference
Shmerling R. (2019). Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and don’t) know. Harvard Health Publishing. Web.