A Practical Solution For A Growing Crisis?

Everyone always wants to be with the latest trend, and as many celebrities and magazine ads have pictures of vaping, electronic cigarettes have become a "trend”. People are largely unaware of the emergency risks of vaping. According to a study by Mitch Zeller he states, “I can say definitely, that nicotine is harmful to a developing teenage brain. And no teenager, no young person. should be using any tobacco or nicotine-containing products”. Unlike true cigarettes, electronic cigarettes do not have

Electronic cigarettes have been around for about a decade. No one is sure of what havoc they can cause yet because of how new they are in existence. Throughout the past years more and more issues have been arising from this product that was originally assumed to be harmless. Now we are faced with the question are they really as safe as we thought or should increase investigation to see what they are really capable of. So far researchers have discovered many issues with the electronic cigarettes and every month more and more issues begin the surface the air. From explosion to toxic material. These issues will not only affect their

One of my first memories in the United States was taking a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) class. I was in sixth grade and a top student, as talking about drugs and alcohol and the way they affect us was fascinating to me. This is why, the following year, I volunteered to become a peer educator in Teens Against Tobacco Use (T.A.T.U). For a couple of years, I gave presentations to young students which included facts, demonstrations, and games, to spread the knowledge that tobacco is harmful and that staying away from smoking prolongs life expectancy and increases the quality of life. It should come as no surprise, then, that I consider myself a big proponent of staying tobacco-free and encouraging others to quit smoking as a great way to promote health. I remember watching my mom and sister as they took part in their nightly ritual of smoking a few cigarettes to unwind. “Did you know that a main component of cigarettes is used as rocket fuel?” I would ask them, as I opened the window and they stared back at me blankly. “We know, we know” was the answer every time. I knew that convincing them to quit was no easy task, but I was committed. Day after day, I proudly stated a new fact about the evils of smoking. Finally one day, they quit. At first, they attributed it to the cost. Since we had just immigrated to the United States, the cost of cigarettes was simply not something they could afford. I didn’t believe it. I proudly

Theoretically,(2) frequently advertised,(3) and commonly assumed by users,(4-12) this process avoids the harmful byproducts of combustible tobacco. Moreover, users cite considerable financial savings(4,5) using e-cigarettes over combustible cigarettes – i.e. $846 per year compared to $2190.(13) E-cigarettes are often marketed as a way to beat public smoking restrictions,(3) and users frequently claim this as one reason for consumption.(5,14)

The popularity of e-cigarettes and vapes has grown exponentially within the last couple of years. These two alternatives offer a “safe” way to consume nicotine or just a substitute to regular cigarette smoking. These products omit water vapor instead of tobacco smoke, constructing it as less of a health risk. Nicotine can be added to the mixture to help quit smoking or offer a healthier option to those with nicotine dependence. There has not been widespread research on conventional e-cigarettes, in addition to data on vapes been relatively premature. These smoking devices have not be regulated by the FDA yet, but the FDA has looked into e-cigarettes and its contents (FDA, 2015). Many e-cigarettes that are thought to be free of nicotine, have

Smoking is an addiction that can risk one’s health, which in turn can lead to death. As time advances, both smokers and non-smokers are beginning to understand the harm in this deadly habit because not only does it harm smokers, it can impact anyone who encounters the smoke second-hand. Since the public has become aware of the health risks induced by smoking, cessation tools such as nicotine replacement therapy are being invented to help terminate the desire to smoke. As technology improves, smoking devices like the electronic cigarette are invented and can be considered an effective cessation tool. Electronic cigarettes can deliver low doses of nicotine to ease withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, as electronic cigarettes increase in

Vaporizing pens are becoming a very popular trend. Though still awaiting FDA approval, the electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is growing popularity among those attempting to quit smoking. Young people are using vaporizing pens as a “safe alternative” to smoking. This issue needs to be addressed. Vaping is a lot more convenient than smoking traditional cigarettes. At a push of a button nicotine is being released. There also aren’t any laws or regulations on vapor pens like there are for traditional cigarettes. Vape pens also aren’t being used for just smoking nicotine. They are often used to smoke other types of drugs. Vaporizing pens are causing a serious problem and I have a few solutions on how to fix this rising issue.

The addiction to tobacco, nicotine, and smoking is something the humans have embraced and battled since the early 1800’s. With more and more people falling into the habit and becoming addicted, many detrimental health effects on the body caused people to question what was going on and what was causing these negative reactions in the body. Soon enough, the healthy and “cool” cigarettes that everyone was smoking became the face of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, birth defects, and many other deadly bodily reactions. In the early 2000’s electronic cigarettes (ECs) were developed by a Chinese pharmacist that hoped to allow smokers to maintain their nicotine addiction, but limit or end the harmful and detrimental effects of tobacco on the body, due to his father’s death of tobacco-attributable lung cancer.1 A typical EC consists of a rechargeable lithium battery, a heating tool called an atomizer, which vaporizes a humectant (typically propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and/or polyethylene glycol 400). The humectant contains liquid nicotine. When the smoker inhales, the heating tool is activated by an airflow sensor, and the nicotine is vaporized.1 2

In the United States, the usage of cigarettes is slowly declining, making way for alternative forms of tobacco and nicotine sources to become popular. In the past decade, one of these cigarette alternatives has become very popular, even widely among teens, and it’s referred to as “vaping”. Vaping is the use of electronic cigarettes that replace burning paper and tobacco with flavored steam, which usually has nicotine in it (Kriegel). Since vaping hasn’t been around very long and hasn’t become popular until recently, not much is known about the effects or how harmful it could be long term. One source says, “There's also a widespread belief that e-cigarettes are safe, or at least safer than conventional tobacco products. But several studies have suggested this may not be the case,” (Fox). Although there is a very strong debate on whether e-cigarettes are a safe alternative for cigarettes, there are too many risk factors involved due to conflicting information and studies, for vaping to be deemed safe.

“How bad is vaping compared to smoking? Should it be banned entirely? Is it more dangerous, is it better?” Are a few major questions one thinks about vaping. The mentality of nicotine addiction and toxic chemicals that lead to cancer are what concerns the public. With vaping on the high rise of popularity, the vaping industry is collectively growing bigger with more than 3500’s shops in counting and worth billions. Vaping history goes far back but just because it has a history doesn’t make it all good. Vaping dates back to the 5th century B.C. of Egypt, where they heated up herbs on hot stones to vape on. Shisha’s or heard by the name of Hookahs came 1500 years ago in India and have spread in popularity everywhere and many places in the United States just like the e-cigarette. The idea of the e-cigarettes was made 2000’s but was not heard of until the Chinese company Hon Lik introduced them in the 2000’s, becoming a big hit in the US in 2007. Even though the creator from Hon Lik Co. had good intentions for the making of e-cigarette due to his father dying of lung cancer from smoking, vaping is still a possible force of destruction. “Despite making great strides to reduce smoking, tobacco is still our biggest killer. Our region has always kept an open mind towards using electronic cigarettes as we can see the massive potential health benefits from switching” states Lisa Surtees, acting director at Fresh Smoke Free North East. If at all compared to smoking, vaping is the safer

Electronic cigarettes, imported from china were first introduced on the market in 2007. (Freidman) The electronic cigarette was an overnight cessation. The electronic cigarette works by heating a metal coil and then a liquid containing nicotine; the addictive substance in cigarette; passes over the coil tuning to a vapor that the user inhales. The claim

Imagine you are laying in a hospital bed. You wake up, the first thing you see is your doctor and you hear him say, “I’m sorry, you have lung cancer.” This is a situation that far too many people have had to go through; especially those who smoke. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco kills around 6 million people a year. This is alarming and certainly unacceptable, especially when there is an effective, safer alternative. This alternative is called ‘vaping’.

One thing that has commonly been agreed upon is that Americans are smoking less cigarettes now, due to vaporizer. About 23% of smokers have tired electronic nicotine device systems and 62% of participants from one study reported using them for no loner than six months (Tackett et al. 868, 870). According to Alayna Tackett et al. research, who are affiliated with the Department of Psychology and Oklahoma State University found, “Exhaled CO readings confirmed that 66% of the tested sample had quit smoking. Among those who continued to smoke, mean cigarettes per day decreased from 22.1 to 7.5” (868). This is pretty remarkable considering the fact the about half a million people die from cigarettes every year, in the United States alone. Participants reported that they viewed e-cigarettes to be, “significantly less harmful than all other tobacco products, all

In 2003, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) were first manufactured in China. These products were later debuted in the U.S. market in 2006 as novel tobacco products and have been gaining popularity since (1,2,3). ENDS, such as e-cigarettes, are battery powered devices that heat a solution typically containing nicotine in order to create a vapor without the combustion of tobacco. This liquid is inhaled into the lungs and then exhaled similar to traditional cigarettes. The solution, also known as e-liquid, can contain various levels of nicotine (including no nicotine) and is available in various flavors (2,3,4).

Cigarette smoking is something people all over the world have been doing for about 2000 years. Back in 2003, the first electronic cigarette was successfully created by a gentleman named Hon Lik. Lik was a 52 year old pharmacist at the time, whom of which was also a smoker. The inspiration behind making the electronic cigarette came after Lik’s father passed away from lung cancer due to him also being a heavy smoker. “A Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes.” cassia.org. Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association, 15 June 2017. The idea behind creating this device was to give smokers a way to still ingest nicotine, the most addictive chemical in tobacco cigarettes, without the countless negative health effects that