Here’s the latest—in light of recent deaths and hospitalizations.
A handful of deaths and a ban.
Gee if only we could apply the same logic to things that kill tens of thousands of us a year.
Imaging is showing some scary changes in the lungs of young people who have been vaping as well. There was just an interview on the news with a local lung doctor who has been treating several young people who vape with symptoms LIKE pneumonia (constant cough) but it isn’t pneumonia.
The imaging shows very abnormal lungs—both xrays and CT scans of lungs.
For comparison, “Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure”, according to https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm .
Put it another way, 41,000 “homicides” (from secondhand smoke causing others to die) and 439,000 “suicides” (smokers dying) per year in the US.
Automobiles reliably result in more than 35,000 deaths and 2.3 million injuries per year even now, and there isn’t even a Constitutional amendment recognizing the right to drive.
Autos serve a purpose-they provide needed transportation to school, work, shopping, for millions not served by public transport. Other items killing our citizens do not have a socially useful purpose, that is the difference.
I’m in favor of this even if it seems like we’re focused on something that is a relatively small impact (we CAN multitask, here) and even though it seems to be driven by Big Tobacco or some such, rather than genuine health concerns.
What besides cigarettes kills people without having a socially useful purpose?
I’m on the fence with vaping. It seems less harmful than smoking, but there is so little known about the health effects of the chemicals involved, or even what those chemicals are. As a way to transition away from cigarettes, it seems like a blessing. As an introduction to lifelong nicotine addiction it seems like a curse.
Assault rifles, for example
Human lungs are very delicate organs. They are not designed to deal with anything but normal atmospheric mix of gases which do not solidify or liquefy where humans can exist. The flavorings in vapes are solids and become airborne when heated to very high temperatures. Even if those heated solids do not decompose upon heating, they solidify when they hit the lungs causing damage to the lung lining. This triggers normal inflammatory responses in the lungs, and the damage gets magnified. A puff or two are unlikely to cause permanent damage, but nicotine is a very addictive drug, and kids get hooked on vaping quickly and begin bombarding their lungs with untested, god-knows-what garbage. It is a problem and a big one.
Vaping is not a way away from cigarettes. Kids who have never smoked are vaping. It is easier, cheaper, less smelly than cigarettes.
A friend passed along a FB posting about a girl on her way to move into a dorm. Had trouble breathing and her parents went to an Urgent Care. After 10 days in the ICU, she was discharged. No college for her this year.
My brother was terribly addicted to cigarettes.
He started smoking in his teens and then made several attempts to quit when he turned 50.
He used the patch, and seriously wondered if he could ever get off the patch even. It took a couple years, and maybe four big attempts, but he finally quit for good.
Unfortunately, he had permanently damaged his lungs by then. In his early 60s he went on the lung transplant wait list and was fortunate enough to have a successful transplant operation & recovery.
It’s awful to read about these vaping stories and the extensive lung damage to young people. It must be awful for the families.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-vaping-help-you-quit-smoking-2019022716086 mentions a study comparing vaping to other nicotine replacement methods for quitting smoking. It found that 18% using vaping stopped smoking, versus only 10% of those using other nicotine replacement. However, 80% of those vaping were still vaping, while only 9% of the other group were still using nicotine.
In other words:
Those using vaping: 82% still smoking, 14% stopped smoking but still vaping, 4% quit completely.
Those using other nicotine: 90% still smoking, 1% stopped smoking but still using nicotine, 9% quit completely.
This attraction of new addicts is the obvious downside to vaping.
“This attraction of new addicts is the obvious downside to vaping.”
And when these e cigarette companies came up with flavors like gummy bear and root beer float, they were obviously looking to create new teenage addicts as opposed to catering to the 53 year old guy looking for a safer alternative to Marlboro’s. These companies took things too far, and now they are going to get slammed - and they deserve to get slammed.
As a parent of two teens, I support this decision. However, I am concerned it will drive more kids to vape THC oil products which are already popular in our area.
Much of the concern around lung issues involves the vitamin E acetate present when vaping THC.
^^For now.
Big problems with fake CBD products…
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/vapes-spiked-with-illegal-drugs-show-dark-side-of-cbd-craze/
Tonight there was a news story about addicted teens vaping. One said he was inhaling 4 cartridges per day - the equivalent of 4 packs of cigarettes - 80 cigs per day!
Vaping has been a rampant problem in the schools where I live. I feel badly for the teachers and administrators because it is so difficult to detect.
Last spring I attended a workshop about E and Vape for work and I was shocked to learn that it isn’t safe at all. In fact, the nicotine gets to the lungs much faster than cigarettes. It’s more harmful than smoking. I’d like to see E and vape banned completely.