Is it Better to Vape than to Smoke?
When vapes first came onto the market, they were hailed as a means for smokers to get off the cigarettes. Yes, vaping mimics the act of smoking and it was said, do not contain nicotine. Something to do with your hands yet without the harmfulness of cigarettes or other tobacco products. Because of its stated minimal harmfulness, it has very much appealed to young people.
So what is a vape? Well the vape contains liquid which the device turns into a vapour. It creates an aerosol for the user to inhale. The thing is, the vapour contains a range of chemicals as well as particle of metals, many of which have not been studied for their harmfulness or otherwise, and yes sometimes even nicotine.
So are vapes safer than tobacco products? Well, although the user is not inhaling smoke from a burning substance, the many chemicals surely cannot be healthy for anyone’s lungs.
The truth is that vapes probably haven’t been around long enough for a true assessment of their safety or otherwise. Serious lung injury has been reported, usually because the person has added other substances to the vape, often without knowing the source. The actress, Lily James, recently reported that vaping had affected her teeth because the flavourings contain sugar.
There is also the issue of addiction. Like cigarettes, you can use them regularly; daily, several times a day, or infrequently; more as a social vaper. But when use becomes something you feel you have to do, then all the elements of addiction come into play. And with addiction, there is an inevitable restriction on your free-will and personal agency.
This is very often a main reason why people want to stop smoking.
