Cigarettes. They have been around since the dawn of time it seems and in many different ways. E-cigs are relatively new twist to the old habit. It has gone from being this fabulous hobby, advertised in a very elite fancy way, to an abomination, advertised in a horrifying and nightmarish way. We all know that cigarettes have seriously harmful chemicals in them, for what reason people voluntarily start we may never know. While I will never condemn someone for an addiction, because we all have battles in life, there seemed to be an alternative on the rise. Or so I thought…
The rise of E-Cigs.
How many of you have heard of the E-cigs or vaping? It’s come out as this hot new trend, saying it’s a great alternative to smoking regular cigarettes. I always thought it was cool that you can monitor the nicotine levels and eventually ween yourself off. However, upon looking into this that seems to not even be the case, and things only get worse from there.
On a recent trip to visit my boyfriend we drove by a “vape” shop. I thought nothing of it but it sparked conversation out of Sean. He mentioned something called “popcorn lung” and then proceeded to tell me all about it. Where he gets his information from I will never know, but I got my verified information from this amazing website. According to Stillblowingsmoke.org and Sean, popcorn lung is a term derived from the disease that microwave popcorn factory workers got. The false butter flavor is apparently fine for us to ingest, depending on who you ask, however breathing it in causes serious damage due to a chemical called diacetyl. The actual term for the disease is bronchiolitis obliterans, it cannot be cured and it can lead to death.
That’s not all I have for you; with what just Stillblowingsmoke.org has to offer I probably could write you an entire novel. The website prompts you to, “do yourself a favor and don’t image search for ‘exploding e-cigs.’” That was definitely a bait warning, of course I looked, and lo and behold were some really graphic images and Stillblowingsmoke.org has testimonials as well. Sounds like not only does the battery cause an explosion with flames, but there’s battery acid and chemicals to contend with on your skin.
That is just physical! The amount of chemicals wreaking havoc in your body are not advertised the way they should be. Here’s a few things from their list, but give my aforementioned source website an in-depth look.
Toluene– Something you can find in glue. Or nail polish. Or paint…
Nickel– That is an actual metal. That you are breathing. In. To. Your. Lungs.
Lead– Well, we all know what that is don’t we?
Formaldehyde– You know, the thing that keeps dead tissue from rotting?
Cadmium– This is another metal. Why is this even a thing?
Acetaldehyde– Think of pneumonia and your lungs filling with liquid. This will give you the same effect!
Isn’t it strange that something so dangerous is being advertised as helpful or harmless? It sounds similar to the beginnings of regular cigarettes. Which brings me to my question, are e-cigs and vaping really the best alternatives? You can decide if the trade off is worth it, but I’m going to say no. Quitting and a lifestyle change is the best alternative. While I know it’s a long hard road I KNOW you can do it, you just have to want to.
