Smoking was a socially acceptable and popular hobby until just a few years ago. Now, more people are aware of the dangers of smoking and how passive smoking can affect those around the smoker even if they do not indulge themselves. Because of this, more and more people are quitting smoking and it is becoming less common for people to start smoking today. Young people are, however, trying vaping and other novel nicotine products.
The dangers of smoking are well documented. It can increase your risk of lung cancer and it impairs your cardiovascular performance. People who smoke a lot end up with tar on their lungs, which causes smoker’s cough, reduces their lung capacity and can make them more susceptible to infections. Nicotine is highly addictive and giving up smoking can be quite difficult.
While people accept that smoking can be bad for you, vaping is another matter entirely. When people vape, they often believe that they are at a much lower risk of ill effects than they would be as a smoker, because vaping ‘feels’ cleaner. However, this may not always be the case.
The liquids that are used in e-cigarette products are not well vetted, and there have already been some cases of people who vape developing a condition known as popcorn worker’s lung. It’s call this because they are inhaling a type of oil that previously only people who worked in popcorn factories were exposed to. In small quantities, the oil is safe. If inhaled regularly, it can cause damage to the lungs.
When it comes down to it, inhaling anything is a risk factor. Cigarettes have hundreds of added chemicals these days and it took decades for the risks to be understood and then, even longer for public perception to shift to the idea that perhaps setting something on fire and inhaling the fumes isn’t the most sensible pursuit in terms of your health.
The cigarette lobby tried to hide the dangers that were associated with smoking and there was a time – admittedly 70 years ago – when smoking was promoted as being “good for your lungs”. We are very fortunate that in today’s world, information is more widespread and people have the opportunity to find out about the benefits and risks of different substances quite easily. If vaping does turn out to be risky, then word will spread more quickly than it did with smoking.
Smokers are becoming few and far between, and it is rare even in modern movies to see someone who smokes. Children are seeing people using e-cigs and the huge variety of flavors available could pose a challenge because these sweet and fruity flavors may appeal to children.
This, combined with the sheer ubiquity of affordable (and in some cases disposable) vapes means that children are constantly being tempted to try electronic cigarettes. This is a huge challenge for parents, and something that needs to see much stricter control and tighter marketing. Let’s not repeat the mistakes that our grandparents made when it came to nicotine and cigarettes.