There is an issue the media is NOT paying enough attention to and does not seem to be addressing enough- It's the 95% benefit of electronic cigarettes against smoking tobacco.

Indeed, e-cigarettes have a very high potential of saving more lives, and that's an undisputed fact, as research has shown. Sadly, when e-cigarettes conversations arise, most media houses and early divisions among public health groups (ignore the benefits of Vaping), have been more vocal about the risks to youths.

Thereby; posing further misconceptions to the safety of adult vaping.

There's a need to clear the air, and the public, especially the world's 1.3 billion smokers, deserve to be reminded of the truth- about the safest and least harmful form of smoking.

Hence, we would debunk the myths about e-cigarettes and take you through everything you need to know about smoking

Brief History Of Vaping

The history of electronic cigarettes dates back to the 1920’s with the first patent issued in 1930. With constant innovations & unique design, it has become a popular option for people who wanted to quit smoking.

However, the worst happened in 2019, when a strange lung condition ravaged young people, especially those who vaped.

Before long, word spread around about the predicament- which was soon called EVALI (i.e, Electronic Cigarettes or Vaping-use Associated Lung Injury). And people began to question the safety of electronic cigarettes.

Some of the symptoms of this mysterious lung disease were chest aches, weight loss, cold & fever, shortness of breath, and so on, which was rampant among people within the average age of 24 years.

After extensive investigation, people began to realise that vaping regulations and commercial nicotine were not the problems.

Instead, the real cause was from e-cigarettes sellers who were greedily ensuring that the e-liquid looked like it had extra THC. This, they did by adding vitamin E acetate, which in the real sense is harmful to human health when it's inhaled.

The truth behind the mystery lung disease was out; however, the damage; had already been done. And despite the evidence, some people were still sceptical about reviving their newly found love for vaping.

E-cigarettes Regulations

We should not fail to mention that as Vaping became more popular in the Europe, it also created the need to regulate its usage.

To date, Ireland still boasts of having some of the most robust regulations concerning e-cigarettes.

Some of the requirements to be fulfilled for safety and compliance include:

It's mandatory for every unit of electronic cigarettes to meet the minimum standard for quality and safety.

Electronic cigarettes should on no occasion, be sold to people under the age of 18

The labelling and packaging process of electronic cigarettes must meet up to and satisfy legal requirement

… And other such regulations in the Ireland, as seen here

Misconceptions, Facts, And Stats

The misconceptions about electronic cigarettes have been around, especially since the first EVALI case was confirmed.

Other opinions have risen here and there to invalidate the use of electronic cigarettes, especially for adult vaping, but they've been without evidence to back them up.

For those who think that electronic cigarettes contain tobacco, it's important to clarify that e-cigarettes do not consist of any amount of tobacco used in cigarettes.

In fact, still on the safety of nicotine over tobacco cigarettes, this practical study shows that people who tried to quit smoking using e-cigarettes were more unlikely to suffer from any severe health issues.

Yet, we cannot say the same for tobacco cigarettes, as the smoke contains tar, toxic chemicals (such as arsenic, benzene, and formaldehyde), and carbon monoxide- Which is the underlying cause of health problems like cancer, lung diseases, and other heart conditions.

Furthermore, many have been confused over time and led astray to believe that nicotine causes changes in the development of the human brain.

We thought it's worth clarifying that according to a recent study, the analysis (that nicotine causes changes in the brain) has ONLY been conducted on animals.

Although these misconceptions might have swayed many smokers before now, it has inspired the most organised publication by scholars on this subject. In a news publication, these seasoned scholars who also hold positions of influence as tobacco control experts teamed up to endorse vaping usage for Adult smokers.

They also called for a rehabilitation of the public image of electronic cigarettes- categorically stating that it's a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes. And a preferred option for people who want to quit smoking.

Benefits & Components Of Vaping

Before we consider other benefits of electronic cigarettes, here are some of the fundamental makeup of a vaping device.

Vape Mouthpiece: as the name suggests, this part of the device is what a person uses to inhale

Power Source / Battery: it powers your vape device

The Cartridge / Pod / Reservoir: it holds the e-liquid, or e-juice, which contains a varying quantity of nicotine, flavouring, and other chemicals.

Atomiser: This is also known as the heating element of the vape device

Generally, when using an e-cigarette, puffing will activate the battery-powered heating vape device( causing the liquid in the cartridge to vaporise).
The user can then inhale the vapor from the device- a process widely known as Vaping.

Vaping As An Effective Way To Quit Smoking

Reports show that since March 2020, tobacco smoking has ended the lives of more people than Covid 19  in the US alone.

These staggering numbers should not be overlooked, especially by people who have lagged in their zeal to quit smoking following the false misconceptions on e-cigarettes.

So far, we know that e-cigarettes pose fewer risks to users than tobacco cigarettes. That's primarily because the harm in tobacco cigarettes happens by tobacco burning(Not the presence of nicotine) and e-cigarettes do not require burning anything to function.

More so, in several of their publications and recommendations, experts from various countries have confirmed that e-cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than tobacco smoke.

When discussions arise about electronic cigarettes, it's necessary to clearly differentiate between the benefits, misconceptions and those who could be at risk, etc.

More importantly, people who smoke & qualify to enjoy the enormous benefits of vaping deserve to get accurate information backed with evidence during such reviews.

If you would like further information on vaping you might find the following blogs useful

Do E-Cigarettes help people STOP SMOKING ?

What to expect when you Quit smoking and start Vaping?

For more information on starter kits.