Today we are looking at a surprisingly common misconception – that vaping is as harmful as smoking. We’ve already looked a little into this previously, but today we take a deeper look at the harm of smoking versus vaping. At Pod Salt, we truly believe that vaping and E-Cigarettes are the way forward for many smokers looking to quit. However, vaping has unjustly been given a bad reputation which can potentially deter those in need.
Vaping is as harmful as smoking
What about the ‘outbreaks’ of lung injuries?
Most of these were from the USA, including an issue that arose in August 2019 where vapers were arriving in the emergency room with serious lung injuries. It, unfortunately, led to the death of 68 people in the following months and was later determined to have been caused due to a ‘bad batch’ of illicit cannabis vaping products containing Vitamin E acetate, which is banned from UK regulated nicotine-containing E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids.
But I’ve also heard that vaping can lead to heart disease!
There was an investigation that looked at the link between vaping and heart disease, however, this was pulled by the journal as it did not take into consideration that almost all the vapers involved were current or former smokers. Since heart disease can be commonly caused by smoking, the odds were never in the favour of E-Cigarettes. In fact, a more recent study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, did look at the cardiovascular effects of switching from cigarettes to E-Cigarettes and found favourable results with participants noting significant improvement.
We don’t know the long-term effects!
It’s indeed true that there have been limited studies on the long-term effects of vaping, however as the topic is avidly watched by researchers, it won’t be long before more research comes to light. Vaping and E-Cigarettes have been in the UK since 2007 and there is substantial evidence of the short-term impact of their use, which shows E-Cigarettes to be far less harmful than smoking. The benefits and harms of Vaping are constantly being reviewed each year, with more evidence accumulating to suggest that vaping is continuing to be less harmful than smoking. One of the main things we do know, is that the long-term effects of smoking can lead to potentially half of regular smokers dying young and being at an increased risk of 15 types of cancer.
We hope that clearing up some of these vaping myths for you, has given you more insight on the facts about vaping. At Pod Salt our goal is to educate and inform those looking to quit smoking or help those who may know someone struggling to quit. With us at Pod Salt you can take the first step onto the road of quitting. Keep posted for more Monday Myth-Busting with Pod Salt!
Sources:
● Yorkshire Cancer Research – The truth about vaping
● Yorkshire Cancer Research – Position Statement on Vaping Products
● The Conversation – Vaping and Heart Disease
● Vaping Facts – Vaping vs Smoking
● Public Health Matters – 8 things to know about E-Cigarettes
● Journal of the American College of Cardiology – Cardiovascular Effects of Switching from Tobacco Cigarettes to E-Cigarettes