What Everyone Should Know About Electronic Cigarette Dangers
With the smoking ban spreading to many areas of the country, people are turning to new alternatives and are not aware of electronic cigarette dangers that could cause them problems. Electronic cigarettes are tiny battery operated vaporizers that contain liquid nicotine in them. There is no smoke and no smell associated with it and they can be used indoors, inside restaurants and other places where cigarette smoking is not allowed, however some states and municipalities have enacted bans on e-cigarettes in public parks and indoor venues where cigarette smoking is banned.
It has been touted as a safe and healthy alternative to smoking. They come in flavors such as flavors such as Cherry Crush, Peach Schnapps and Vivid Vanilla. Sales for e-cigarettes have grown from about $500 million in 2012 to an estimated $1.5 billion in 2013.
What is in them?
The Food and Drug Administration is expected soon to release a proposed rules to regulate these products. There are reasons the FDA has been cautious about e-cigs.
The way e-cigarettes work is that by dragging on an e-cig (or ‘having a vape’), it causes the battery to heat the liquid solution, which is then atomized into a vapor that is able to be inhaled.
In terms of the amount of nicotine in e-cigs, the Blu brand of electronic cigarettes for example, offers cartridges of varying strengths, from no nicotine to approximately 13 to 16 milligrams, with each cartridge containing enough for 250 or more “puffs.” Some other brands list nicotine as a percentage of volume. Less clear is what’s used to create the piña colada, vanilla, bubblegum and other flavors.
There are some Electronic cigarette dangers – toxins such as Diethylene Glycol have been found in them. This is another name for anti-freeze. Possibly inhaling Anti-freeze is one of the negative sides of using electronic cigarettes. Inhaling anti-freeze can not only lead to lung and throat cancer, but can also cause some brain damage.
Nitrosamines are also risky chemicals found in these types of products. You have to be careful not to break the vaporizer body of the e-cig, because if it is dropped or damaged, the liquid toxins could ooze out and cause serious health risks to the user’s skin, eyes, lips or facial area. This is definitely not something to take lightly, as facial burns or scars can cause a life time of trauma.
Because there is no age limit on purchasing these products, young children and teenagers have been using them as well. Many have found ways to disguise them as pens and use them while going to school or on the school bus. Parents have been voicing concerns about electronic cigarette dangers, because in effect their children are inhaling dangerous chemicals that can cause permanent brain damage.
They have found it very difficult to shield their children from these dangerous risks, because these things can easily be hidden in their school supplies. As of yet, there is no law to prevent the sale to minors. This makes it all the more difficult to protect our youth from this growing trend.
Experts have stated that one of the main electronic cigarette dangers is that these products actually increase tobacco use instead of helping to curb it. The person still gets their nicotine fix satisfied via the liquid nicotine in the vaporizer. Even if the person wants to cut back, the electronic cigarette units are not reliable as to how much nicotine they release in a given drag. Some people have reported even getting the liquid accidentally into their mouths while using it. So there is no way to really know for sure if you’re decreasing your nicotine use or not.
Electronic cigarette dangers are severe enough to make the FDA think twice about approving the product. Obviously, with the delivery of nicotine, cravings are eliminated, but the problem of addiction still looms. Then there’s the problem of the added toxins like the anti-freeze chemicals that come with electronic cigarette smoke that could also cause cancer and other fatal diseases. Thus, one may need to seek other, healthier and safer ways to quit smoking than to use electronic cigarettes.