Vaping and the reported health risks

A lot of people believe that using e-cigarettes instead of conventional cigarettes is much healthier because they don’t contain tar. However, vaping can still reportedly carry adverse health problems like a dry cough, throat irritation, shortness of breath and lasting implications like lung inflammation.

The chemicals used in some e-cigs are also identified as carcinogenic. So, just how safe are these alternative devices? With their growing popularity and the huge variety of flavours and tastes, from chocolate, to coffee, to fruit, is there anything to worry about? Or are the worries just diluting from the fact that they’re intended to be a suitable alternative to smoking but without the risks associated with real tobacco.

Conventional cigarettes burn tobacco and carry a whole host of known risks, yet not many are reportedly aware of the apparent dangers the concoction of chemicals vaping liquids are said to contain. To be able to deliver the nicotine and the taste, a cocktail of chemicals is used, and those chemicals are being put into the body. The devices do not contain cancer-causing tar or tobacco, but they do contain a laundry list of chemicals that can reportedly be harmful and may even cause cancer themselves.

Since 2009, some regulators have already pointed out that e-cigs contain, “detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could be exposed.” In one test, regulators reportedly found that it contained a toxic chemical that causes cancer and is usually found in anti-freeze.

A high level of formaldehyde has also apparently been detected in some vaping solutions. This is usually found in industrial resins for coating surfaces and is not something you would want to inhale regularly. In 2011, the U.S. National Toxicology Program described the toxic compound as, “known to be a human carcinogen”.

With traditional cigarettes, the harmful smoke can cause long-lasting inflammation to the lungs and valves, resulting in chronic diseases like bronchitis, emphysema and heart disease. E-cigarettes may not contain the exact same chemicals, but some say they still contain a lot of harmful chemicals anyway, making it probable that vaping may carry just as many health risks as normal cigarettes.

Many e-cig users used to smoke conventional cigarettes, believing the switch will help them quit, and scientific research has found that smokers are more likely to quit one month after the switch. However, come the third or fourth month, users are statistically more likely to start smoking again. Anyone trying to quit are advised to stick to nicotine patches or dummy e-cigs as these reportedly don’t contain anywhere near the same amount of harmful chemicals and side-effects as e-cigs.

It isn’t just potential long term health issues that some people are worried about – the vaping devices themselves have shown to carry an immediate and chilling risk to user’s health and life by fire. The battery-powered e-cigarettes can carry a fire risk if the cell is ruptured. There have been several reports now of users experiencing burns to their bodies after their e-cigs ignited.