Vaping Kills? Worse Than Cigarettes?

Introduction 

Apart from Brexit, the recent headlines in the news have been about all the deaths in the USA caused by vaping.....................apparently. Donald Trump has also announced that his administration will ban flavoured e-cigarettes in the USA., something that is likely to cause the vape market to crash in the USA. 

Is Vaping the Cause? 

Whilst the media was quick to claim that all vaping products are bad for us and have been the cause of a new lung disease that has claimed people's lives over in the USA, it has since been discovered that it was black market cannabis (THC) that was the cause of the deaths and not your standard and tested e-cigarettes. The cannabis cartridges that people consumed in the USA contained a high level of vitamin E oil and health experts are now focusing on this. 

Any product brought off the black market which is made illegally is not subject to industry standard testing to ensure that it is fit for human consumption.  Rarely wilt you get a honest breakdown of what that product contains either. As a result, you could be consuming a product which you think is a vape liquid for example, however it could have other substances in their which you don't know about that can be extremely dangerous for human consumption. The reason this usually occurs is because people who sell from the black market try to maximise their own profit margins. 

This can apply to anything and not just vaping. For example, there is a huge black market for cologne. People go around the UK selling fake Hugo Boss aftershave and people who buy think they have got an absolute bargain. Shortly after using it, people normally get some sort of skin irritation. That doesn't mean Hugo Boss aftershave causes skin irritation, it just means that fake Hugo Boss products do. That is why you should never buy products from an unknown source. 

UK Safety  

Health experts in the UK have said that people vaping in the UK are safe and have stated that the deaths in the USA are due to poor quality controls and illicit fluid. 

In the UK, e-cigarettes are regulated by MHRA and consumer laws. MHRA has set safety and quality standards for any e-liquids that contain nicotine and all nicotine products must be tested and submitted to MHRA for approval. Whilst the shortfill e-liquid market isn't necessarily regulated by MHRA yet, it still must comply with consumer consumption laws and guidelines. In the UK, any product that is to be consumed by humans must be tested to ensure that it is fit for human consumption. This applies to shortfills that are imported to the UK. 

General Safety Advice 

The article above shows how harmful products can be if they are purchased from the black market. Please stick to the following guidelines for your own health and safety; 

• Always ensure that you buy products from a reputable source
• Always conduct research into unknown brands 
• Never purchase home brews and e-liquids that have not been tested or mixed in an ISO certified clean room. 
• Report any adverse health effects to MHRA 
• Always purchase from a traceable source 

SMOKING KILLS

Whilst vaping is likely not to be risk free, health experts have pointed out that it is 95% safer than cigarettes. Please see the facts below: 

• In the UK, around 78,000 people die from the consumption of cigarettes. 
• In the US, smoking causes an average of 480,000 deaths and 72,000 of them are from second-hand smoke. 
• Whilst nicotine is found in both vape e-liquids and cigarettes, nicotine is not the cause of deaths from cigarettes. It is all the other chemicals found in cigarettes that kill. For example, Tar. Nicotine is the addictive substance in e-liquids and cigarettes and is just as harmful as caffeine.   

Something to think about 

• If tobacco wasn't such a large source of tax revenue, would it still be legal? 
• Why is smoking still legal and highly available?  
• Would vaping still receive bad press if it was a large tax generator?  

For further reading, view "Is Vaping Safe" by Doozy Vape