Smokers’ assumption that e-cigarettes are a healthier option than common cigarettes may be completely wrong, according to recent studies. Ever since electronic cigarettes debuted in the United States’ market, many changed their smoking habit to ‘vaping’, which is the current term for smoking e-cigarettes.
Apparently, electronic smoking is way too large for people to pronounce, and vaping has that ‘cool’ ring to it. Yet most public health officials claim the e-cigarettes have been falsely advertised as healthier than cigarettes when they can share almost the same adverse effects. For starters, both e-cigarettes and cigarettes contain nicotine, which is known to be highly addictive for people using it.
Electronic nicotine devices (ENDS) have gained major popularity nationwide because they’re advertised not only as a healthier choice than cigarettes but also a way for people to leave cigarettes for good. What people ignores is that ENDS still contain nicotine, and even though nicotine levels are likely to be less in the e-cigarette, people can still get hooked to ENDS.
In addition, the electronic nicotine devices also contain several chemicals that could be harmful to the user’s health, as well as for the people in their surroundings. The Food and Drug Administration analyzed ENDS in order to determine what properties are contained in the cartridges of the vaping device. Amazingly, FDA researchers found low levels of nicotine in all but one of the devices they tested.
From 18 ENDS’ cartridges analyzed for their active components, 17 were found to have nicotine levels, disproving e-cigarette manufacturers that claim their products are nicotine-free. What’s more, the most advertised upside of ‘vaping’ is the manufacturers’ allegation that e-cigarettes can help reduce the need for smoking normal cigarettes is now being considered a myth.
Uncovering the myths about e-cigarettes
According to the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, ENDS are still not confirmed to helping smokers to quit their smoking habit. This presents a national threat to smokers, as they’re buying a product supposed to help them quit smoking, and what consumers actually do is buying both ENDS and cigarettes.
The American Lung Association has expressed their concern in the matter, as they released a report claiming consumers use e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes simultaneously. According to the report from ALA, almost 80 percent of people across the United States who used ENDS also ended up smoking normal cigarettes.
Additionally to false advertisement, the excessive consumption of vaping devices made lawmakers push the legal age to purchase ENDS to 21. The restrictions published on March 10 in Preventive Medicine included the increase in legal ages for purchasing electronic devices including ENDS, vape pens, and hookah pens. So there’s no doubt that vaping has proven to be a popular trend among Americans. Still, the FDA has not approved any of the electronic nicotine devices, and won’t do it until they meet health standards that can be successfully measured.
Source: The Wall Street Journal