Vaping Isn’t Cool

As of recently, a sixth person has died from a lung disease caused by vaping. The number of deaths is only going to get higher as more days go on. CNN said the other five similar situations were located within the United States. These occurred in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon, and Kansas, which was where the sixth death occurred. USA Today wrote that vaping leads to lung diseases and lung diseases associated with e-cigarettes are on the rise, coming from 36 states who have reported it. CDC says hundreds of people are being admitted to the hospital for lung disease, and most of these people are teenagers and young adults. The latest update was on September 11th, 2019 saying 380 cases of lung disease from vaping have been confirmed. All of these frightening facts are being proven right, yet people still vape knowing the consequences that are going to happen to them.

Vaping affects you in many ways, as it still contains nicotine and other toxic substances. Dr. Michael Joseph Blaha says that people are exposing themselves to many chemicals that may not be safe since they don’t fully understand the chemicals being put into e-cigarettes. Truth Initiative says that there have been 60 chemical compounds found in e-cigarettes. Researchers have also found solvents and propylene glycol which can cause upper respiratory infections. Nicotine is very toxic, and sustaining too much can lead to high blood pressure which can lead to a heart attack. John Hopkins Medicine writes that e-cigarettes are just as addictive as regular cigarettes, and possibly as addictive as heroin or cocaine.

E-cigarettes are mainly being used by teenagers and young adults. Truth Initiative writes that from 2011 to 2017 the percentage of high school students using e-cigarettes went up from 1.5% to 11.7%. Then in the new 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, it went up from 11.7% to 20.8%. Many ads try to make the product sound pleasing and “cool” which captivates a younger audience. Product creators also make a lot of flavors to choose from, which also captivates a younger audience to buy the product. Some flavors are also related to food like peppermint, coffee, kiwi, strawberry, and so many more. These flavors being related to food and drinks make it seem appealing to a younger audience, and it’s not a good thing. It’s actually a very bad thing since kids will try many things that involve a flavor that they know they will enjoy. In this case, they add flavors to e-cigarettes which is harmful to the body. Product creators know they will get the attention of a younger audience that will want to purchase these flavors. Truth Initiative wrote that in 2016 more than 20 million youths saw an advertisement for e-cigarettes. Those who saw the advertisement were more likely to want to try e-cigarettes than those who didn’t watch the ads.

Even though some people won’t agree with this article because they still have their own beliefs and opinions, it should still be said that vaping and e-cigarettes are not healthy for the body. Those who still choose to use e-cigarettes should try quitting, as vaping will never be healthy for the human body. Quitting a habit is hard, but just knowing you’ll get there some point is something to look forward to. Smokefree.gov has great ideas on how to quit, how to get help, and stay on track during the process.