Vaping has been on the market now for nearly twenty years and has completely changed the way people inhale tobacco and marijuana. A selling point of vape distributors is that they claim vaping as "healthier" than traditional smoking, but there is no such thing as completely healthy vaping or smoking.
As more time passes, we are seeing more and more lifelong health risks arising, especially in young people. What people thought was cool in high school or college is now putting severe long term effects on people's health. The Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education has stated that vaping causes a high risk of heart attack, cardiovascular, and non-cancer lung disease.
Effects on the Brain
The most severe problem with vaping is the high concentrations of nicotine in the vape liquid. These types of concentrations are not naturally found in cigars or traditional cigarettes. This causes a health concern for young people because nicotine is proven to harm brain development.
High nicotine exposure can also change nerve cell function and alter the brain's chemistry. This can lead to lifelong problems in the brain, which can cost a lot of money in the future. Nii Addy, professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular physiology at Yale School of Medicine, stated, "If there's exposure to nicotine early on, that can influence attentional processes later in life."
Examples of diseases that have symptoms of attention impairment are Alzheimer's and dementia, which can be made worse by inhaling nicotine. It has been recorded that the estimated cost of treatments and care for people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia in the United States is $290 billion.
Seizures
Another problem with using e-cigarettes is the onset of seizures. This is also due to the high concentrations of nicotine. The FDA reported 127 seizures caused by vaping from the beginning of 2019 to August, and that number has continued to grow.
People are becoming so addicted to nicotine because they are inhaling it in large quantities, and our bodies cannot handle it. These seizures can be a lifelong problem for those who have suffered from them.
And just because one has not had a seizure and is still using, does not mean it will never happen to them.
Respiratory Problems
Smoking of all kinds has negative impacts on our lungs, and vaping is no different. The chemicals in the vapor can damage the function of what would be a healthy lung.
If one cannot breathe, then one cannot live. Think about wanting to play with our children one day, but we cannot because of years of vaping we are stuck to an oxygen tank, but not even 50 years old.
There have even been two deaths linked to lung problems that were caused by vaping. There will probably be more if we continue using e-cigarettes like we are now.
The Bottom Line
If these statistics and reported illnesses do not scare us into stopping using vape pens, we are not sure what will. Who wants to live with long term illnesses or premature death just from vaping at a young age.
This is what is known about vaping now, but more is being found every day. We still do not know a lot about vaping, but what we do know is that it is in no way healthy or safe to do regularly.
