It makes no sense to believe a cigarette alternative would be risk-free. E-cigarettes expose the body to cancer-causing chemicals, and common fruity flavors are the most potent, according to research reported by NBC News. Although these findings are a recent development, they are not unexpected.
There is still nicotine and other man-made chemicals involved. Though there’s the possibility of eventually having a completely harm-free alternative to cigarette use, anything still involving the inhalation of unnatural products has to have some repercussions.
We all know the harms of smoking cigarettes. Campaigns like the #FinishIt campaign air commercials giving statistics about smoking cigarettes in hopes that it will convince people to quit smoking. However, it took years of cigarette smoking and publicizing before changes really began to happen. In this “current time, most advertisements still allude to the safety of vape pens.”
Many people are unaware of this reality because these chemicals aren’t clearly listed on vape liquid packaging. Companies are getting away with the lack of disclosure by including the harmful chemicals in the description of “flavoring.” This misleading information has people believing “flavoring” might be similar to something found in foods.
A lot of people may choose vape pens believing it’s the lesser of the two evils when going against traditional cigarettes. But, at least 69 chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer while there are only nine known chemicals in vape pens. However, even the idea of nine cancer-causing chemicals is more than people originally believed. Vape pens have long been marketed as harmless nicotine deliverers and a good method to quit smoking traditional cigarettes. It seems as though the alternative isn’t as great as we hoped.
According to Science News for Students, smoking vape pens will actually increase the chances of smoking cigarettes. Research performed in Los Angeles public schools showed teens who use a vape pen are almost three times as likely to begin smoking traditional tobacco products compared to teens who don’t vape. The idea that vape pens will pull people away from smoking cigarettes is erroneous and assumptive.
It is important that people, “especially adolescents, are aware of what they’re consuming. The current trend of smoking vape pens may not be going anywhere anytime soon, but companies should be more open about the harms of their products.
Chantelle Baker is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Waipahu, Hawaii.