Edna Grant
Staff Writter
Mysterious lung conditions and respiratory illnesses caused hospitalizations in 25 states in the last couple of weeks. Doctors believe that these cases can be linked to vaping and e-cigarettes.
Every few years, a new drug fad hits the mainstream. In the 1800’s, it was Opium. In the 1900’s, it was tobacco. The newest fad is E-cigarettes and vaping.
You can’t walk down the street in any small town or big city without stumbling across the sticky-sweet smell of cherries or cotton candy, only to see the sight of someone using a vape pen instead of the carnival you were expecting.
This new trend has been the most popular alternative to traditional cigarettes and has started gaining a lot of traction in the last ten years. The first advertisements claimed to provide a way to help smokers begin to quit their habit, allowing them to take in nicotine with familiar physical motions, but not having to also ingest all of the chemicals and ingredients included in tobacco cigarettes. In recent years, however, vaping has gained a following completely unrelated to the original intended audience.
According to Insider Health and NBC News, teenagers and young millennials are the biggest consumers of vaping products and E-cigs. The habit seems harmless– it hasn’t been around long enough to become associated with cancers and fibrosis. Right?
Not really. In the short time that they’ve held the interest of the public, they’ve caused quite a stir.
According to Insider Health and USA Today, as of August 27th, 25 states have reported serious lung illnesses related to vaping. Stories from across the nation have been popping up of teenagers developing intense flu-like symptoms and pneumonia, only to be admitted to hospitals and put into medically induced comas in order to drain their lungs of rapidly filling liquid. Athletes have been taken off of teams and suspended from games due to an inability to catch their breath, and a hospital in Illinois reported a death related to vaping in late August.
While vapes and vape pods are linked to nicotine, most users are also aware of the many other chemicals that they contain. Unfortunately, because the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require vape and E-cig companies to list those chemicals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is unable to identify the chemicals which are reacting adversely to the human body.
Right now, the leading suspicious chemical in vapes is propylene glycol, which has often been used in fog machines and antifreeze. However, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease, this substance is generally safe. The lack of regulation by the FDA makes it possible for vapers to be exposed to it on a regular basis and this regular exposure is what makes it dangerous.
Another viable culprit for causing lung disease is the formaldehyde produced by some E-cigs, according to pulmonologist Dr. Ravi Kalhan.
The CDC and FDA have issued a joint statement warning against vaping products altogether, until the chemicals can be identified with certainty.
Smoking still remains one of the most dangerous habits in the United States, and vaping may not be the safe alternative it was pitched to be.
