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Electronic Cigarettes: Is It A Dangerous Fad?
Also known as e-cigarettes, they provide an avenue other than simply smoking. Their extension in the market, variety of products, flavors and more, has made them quickly climb to the top.
During the last time, smoking electronic cigarettes became a common practice, especially in the young population. Based on a supposed "safer" character, its adoption and daily life is very tangible.
What is behind electronic cigarettes?
The scoop on e-cigarettes is to offer smokers a "healthier" alternative. They are battery-operated devices that commonly release vaporized substances for inhalation.
Depending on the brand, the vapor they work with contains nicotine (in 90% of cases), flavorings, and other stabilizing chemicals. In short, it is a mixture that not only enchants for its supposedly safe quality, but for its flavor.
Being free trade products, their exploitation and competition in the market increased over time. That is why there are various types of these cigarettes with appearances that differ from one another.
For example, some mimic popular cigars, pipes, pens, common cigarettes, and more. Even advanced models incorporate USB ports for charging and performance improvement.
Although there is a whole campaign to exempt them as tobacco products, it has not been successful. According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), by continuing to use nicotine (a compound from tobacco) they will remain attached to that categorization.
They are not complex in operation
The development and mass production of e-cigarettes is facilitated by their low assembly complexity. That same property is the one that corroborates that its operation is not difficult to understand.
On the contrary, it is made up of 4 elements that mesh with each other and develop harmoniously. Each one is activated sequentially to give the final result, the steam delivered:
The cartridge is the reception area where the liquid is located, which will subsequently be vaporized. The substance contained (called e-juice) is not plain water, but contains other compounds such as nicotines, stabilizing chemicals, and flavorings.
The mixture of ingredients in the mentioned liquid is heated by an essential part of the cigarette. It is a heater that humidifies the contents of the cartridge until its subsequent inhalation.
Neither of the functions of the two mentioned components would be possible without the battery. When activated, it starts the entire mechanism of action of the e-cigarette.
Finally, the nozzle is the fourth important area of the product. She is in charge of transporting the vaporized liquid and dispensing it, mainly, as an aerosol.
Analysis of the "vaporized" substance of e-cigarettes
Not everything that is mentioned e-cigarette vapor is one hundred percent true. With the simple fact of containing nicotine, they already become potentially harmful products for health.
And although in other settings nicotine is absent, it does not mean that the other compounds in the mixture are safe. Only the American Cancer Society describes the following:
Volatile organic components: scientifically abbreviated as VOC, they play a paradoxical role in stabilizing the mixture. But, in off-limits uses, it causes irritation to the respiratory system, as well as long-term liver damage.
Flavors: These are complementary chemicals that add unique and varied flavors. Although they seem harmless, some are made from diacetyl. Diacetyl is a highly lung-damaging chemical related to bronchiolitis obliterans.
Formaldehyde: When the aerosol mixture is not properly heated, adverse chemical reactions occur. One of them gives rise to formaldehyde, a precursor or involved in the appearance of various types of cancer.
And what about nicotine?
Nicotine is an addictive substance that triggers addiction to regular cigarettes. A large percentage of e-cigarettes also add it to their base liquid, but in decreased proportions.
However, the scientific community has taken a particular interest in JUUL devices. They belong to a brand that uses a higher amount of nicotine than usual in these products.
What really worries is that in childhood ages it is being more and more employed. The American Cancer Society itself establishes that conclusive studies have shown children's dependence on such specimens.
The adverse effects that appear in the medium and long term
The scientific field is still studying the harmful health effects of electronic cigarettes. They are relatively new products in which mass research has not yielded conclusive results.
But, what has not been denied is that being derived from nicotine, the probable complications are subject to it. Undoubtedly, the addictive consumption of such a chemical compound has been studied in greater depth.
Therefore, it leads us to think that the health consequences of electronic cigarettes will be similar. From mild or moderate symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, chest pain, fatigue, fever, vomiting or diarrhea, to more serious diseases.
According to FDA criteria, another latent concern is the adulteration of e-cigarettes with other substances. For example, cases with additions of THC, the psychotropic principle of marijuana, have been reported.
Together with the progressive inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols, they trigger hospitalizations for poisonings. Or, in the worst of cases, alterations of the general state.
It is totally refuted that they are "little harmful" to health
In addition to the warnings of the American Cancer Society, the FDA and CDC, those of the WHO are added. The World Health Organization has endorsed high-caliber studies conducted in health agencies that agree on the negativity of e-cigarettes.
Carlos Castro, top figure of the Colombian League Against Cancer, has made the most recent call for attention. Last October 2021, he declared how important a comprehensive regulation, both national and international, of the sale / use of "vapers" is.
The misinformation that exists around them, their cheap prices and their rapid distribution are important risk factors. Likewise, it estimates that more than 5% of the population between the ages of 12 and 65 has already come into contact with these substances.
"This industry must be stripped bare. The devices continue to use nicotine, a substance even more addictive than cocaine. There is no difference between a regular cigarette and an electronic cigarette in terms of adverse health conditions." — Castro emphasized.
He also stressed that nicotine is not even the only problem. Recently, up to 22 types of substances have been identified in the vaping mix, all with enormous carcinogenic potential. Among them, arsenic, pulegone and nitrosamides are the prominent ones.
In conclusion, electronic cigarettes are not what they appear. They suppress the immune system, increase the risk of severe lung injury, and amplify the sequelae of COVID-19. Therefore, its use must be kept at bay.
