Study reveals terrifying truth about vaping compared to smoking and it might shock you
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Filmstax
A study has revealed the terrifying reality of vaping, which might shock you.
In the US, an estimated eight per cent of adults turned to vaping and e-cigarettes in the past year, according to Gallup.
While many adults turned to the alternatives in a bid to kick their smoking habit, recent data also shows young people, including high schoolers who likely have never smoked at all, started vaping.
Still, quitting cigarettes and tobacco is undoubtedly one of the best things you can do for your health since smoking impacts almost every organ in the body, causing cancers, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes and an incredibly long list of major health concerns, affecting the brain, eyes, digestive system and practically every cell.
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Typically, giving it up for good is notoriously difficult, which is why so many turn to the assistance of a vape to ease into the transition.
Yet, a new study reveals that might not be the best way to go, as while vaping is certainly less harmful, it's not entirely safe, either.
E-cigarettes still contain nicotine, as well as other flavorings and chemicals to create the sometimes fruity puff to inhale.
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined there were 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI), of which there were almost 70 deaths.
Michael Blaha, director of clinical research at the John Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, said: “These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids.
"This is especially true for vaping products containing THC."
The John Hopkins University study on vape ingredients, published in October 2021, found thousands of chemical ingredients in vape products, some of which are not even known.
In addition, the study says vaping still poses a threat to your heart and lungs, notably with the presence of nicotine, a toxic substance that raises blood pressure and hikes adrenaline, in turn accelerating heart rates and the chances of a heart attack.
"People need to understand that e-cigarettes are potentially dangerous to your health,” Blaha added. “Emerging data suggests links to chronic lung disease and asthma, as well as associations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking with cardiovascular disease.
"You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe.”
This possibly includes exposure to diacetyl, a chemical which has been known to cause 'popcorn lung', a nasty and irreversible lung disease that is found in the process of making microwave popcorn.
The risks came to light in 2020 when a group of employees in a Missouri popcorn factory were diagnosed with the condition, which uncovered that the worst affected had been mixing the flavoring chemical diecetyl with hot oil.
However, while Cancer Research notes there have been 'no confirmed cases of popcorn lung linked to e-cigarettes', the UK and EU banned the chemical from being used in vaping products, though the US hasn't.
Vaping360.com reports that diacetyl can be found in some e-liquids on the market.
In addition, vaping might not even help you to quit smoking - as the study suggests you might be replacing one addiction with another.
Indeed, since the products contain nicotine, they're just as addictive, if not more so, as Blaha says some e-cigarettes even contain more nicotine than other tobacco products.
Still, Blaha says the 'most concerning' thing is how it appeals to youngsters and people who 'would've never smoked otherwise'.
A 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey found more than two million US middle and high school students used vaping products.