Vaping is all the rage right now. We all know someone who is vaping, if you’re not already doing it yourself. By far, the most popular brand of e-cigarette is the JUUL. It’s so popular that it’s become a verb. You no longer “vape”, you “juul”.
But, is vaping less harmful than cigarette smoking? India is considering banning e-cigarettes altogether, as reports say that the Health Ministry see vapes as “drugs”. Right now, e-cigarettes like the JUUL are unlicensed products. They are organised with the global brands that produce them and have made their way into India’s markets.
Many, however, are questioning the rationale for banning vapes as they are similar to cigarettes, since both deliver nicotine into your system. Cigarettes have not been banned but health advisories against smoking proliferate public awareness campaigns. Cigarette packs have large, graphic images of diseased lungs and abscessed mouths plagued with cancer. Even movie theatres and television channels run advisories on the adverse health effects that smoking cigarettes bring.
Is vaping killing you?
The short answer is: We don’t know. The long answer is more nuanced. Considering that the long-term effects of cigarette smoking have been researched and studied for decades, we do know for sure that smoking a regular ciggy is not just killing your lungs but is also reducing your average lifespan.
Vapes, however, have not been around long enough for studies to have been done on the effects of long-term vaping. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked people living in the US to stop vaping until five deaths linked to e-cigarette use have been investigated into. Just last week, health officials announced that there are 450 possible cases of lung illness linked to vaping in the US.
Speaking to a lifestyle publication, Dr Enid Neptune, MD, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said, “E-cigarettes are considered newish devices, so researchers still don’t know the full scope of what the long-term health effects of vaping will be. That said, they’re definitely not harmless, and research has shown that the chemicals in e-cigarette fluid can be incredibly damaging to your health beyond just the nicotine.”
Is vaping really just inhaling nicotine and water vapour?
It turns out, e-cigarettes contain way more than just nicotine and heated water. Vapes also contain an aerosolised solution that generally comprises of nicotine, flavouring, chemical additives, and propylene glycol. Dr Neptune says, “So, when a person says that vaping is like inhaling water vapor, that’s distinctly untrue.”
When it comes to the recent spurts in lung disease linked to vaping and deaths of people who vaped regularly, the CDC has confirmed that it suspects a chemical exposure is responsible for the lung injuries but no “device, product or substance” has been identified as the cause.
Though it is too soon to say if vaping causes cancer, it is alarming to know that most vaping solutions contain measurable amounts of known carcinogens like formaldehyde and acrolein. What worries doctors like Dr Neptune even more is that youngsters who start out vaping are more likely to start smoking regular cigarettes, which we know–for sure–causes cancer.
Is vaping as bad as smoking?
So far, no. Smoking makes you inhale many carcinogenic substances like tar and smoke, which vaping does not. “We know that it’s [conventional smoking] more toxic, but that’s not really the issue,” Dr Neptune says. So, what is the issue? “Vaping has developed a far more appealing habit and practice among children and young adults, so it represents its own public health menace,” she clarifies. Experts are also concerned because the human brain doesn’t fully develop until the age of 25. Considering vapes like the JUUL are very popular amongst teens and young adults, vaping might result in brain damage for these young people in the long term.
The conclusion? Vaping has not been around long enough for scientists and doctors to have studied its long term health effects. Considering the rise in cases of lung disease related to vaping in the US, the country’s health officials believe that it would be safer to stop vaping for now until enough research has been done on the subject. So, if you’re trying to quit cigarettes, turn to the good ol’ nicotine chewing gum instead of the JUUL. At least for now.
