The Risks and Health Assessment of Electronic Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are rapidly spreading with new and innovative products. These products are usually known as vapes that are the high-end source of providing chemically prepared liquid containing nicotine, glycerin, flavoring assistants, and propylene glycol. These potent ingredients have a severe impact on public health. E-cigarettes or e-cigs, like other items, come in enchanting and stand out E-Cigarette Boxes that challenge their user to buy these products.

According to the US patent application, smokers choose e-cigs to quit smoking. However, today, the usage of e-cigs is commonly excessive in age ranges between teenagers from 12 to 17, youngsters from 18 to 24, and adults from 25 and above.

Scientific Research

In the early 2000s, Hon Lik, A Chinese pharmacist, invented the concept of e-cigs and their ingredients. In 2004, he introduced the first e-cigarette in China named “Ruyan.” Later on, in 2013, the Imperial Tobacco Group, the world’s 4th largest tobacco company in Britain, bought the Hon’s invention.

The figure from 2014 to 2015 of these e-cigs flavors has been assessed that 414 teenagers prefer not to choose tobacco; instead, they use fruit-centric or candy flavors, 961 youngsters also go with the same choice, whereas 1711 adults prefer to use tobacco along with mint or other flavors.

Health Assessment

The researchers have studied that e-cigs cause less damage to the lungs than traditional cigarettes. Electric liquid heating in e-cigs has less tendency to destruct the respiratory system than tobacco combustion. But still, some toxic aerosol components are found in e-cigs, such as nicotine, glycerol, propylene glycol, or vitamin E additives that can cause acute cancer, respiration abnormalities, lungs edema and injury, or sustained tissue hypoxia.

People typically assume that e-liquids are safer because they are free from combustion. Yet, the study claims that the propylene glycol leaves its particles in the lungs that cause incrementing the phases of nitric oxide (NO) while exhaling.

E-cigs also come in terms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). However, e-cigs offer the functionality to set the nicotine levels manually, and even we can eliminate the nicotine from it. Still, 99% of the e-cigs containing nicotine are on peak selling in the US because the nicotine and other vaping components directly affect the immune system.

Moreover, e-cigarettes ingredients also include more chemical carcinogens that can cause bladder cancer and increase urinary metabolites level up to 15.7 ng. Therefore, e-cigs are not that safer option than simple cigarettes. Moreover, more studies in August 2019 have shown that a large count of the young population who were using vapes had faced deaths due to lung damages.

Are They Risk-Free?

Risk is the most important element when talking about smoking and smokers. E-cigarettes are the modernized method to pleasure with smoke and intaking the nicotine. Although these vapes are available with zero nicotine, we can still not eliminate the risks of using these battery-powered devices.

In terms of risk, e-cigs exhibit lesser harmful chemicals than traditional cigarettes. But still, using vapes and e-cigs created 2,807 cases of lung injuries in February 2020. In many cases, the actual cause is that the health care commission allowed the tobacco companies to produce local cartridge flavors and e-liquids without assuring their quality.

In addition, the youngsters feel like they are looking cool while vaping or playing with smoke thinking that they have pursued the alternative method to quit smoking. However, the frequency of smokers is getting higher who had started e-cigarettes after.

In traditional cigarettes, a single puff emits more than 10^5 free radicals during the process of combustion, whereas e-cigs do not emit any free radicals. Even then, many people are converted into addictive patients and indulge in smoking-related illnesses. The risks of these vape products are comparatively less risky because, in today’s century, apparently 6 billion annual deaths occur of those smokers who were using normal conventional cigarettes.

E-Cigarettes from Packaging Point of View

In traditional cigarettes, their packaging contains content labels that show the sign of ‘smoking kills’ or ‘smoking cause cancer’ warning. In vape or Cartridge Packaging, precise precautionary content about potent chemicals is not found. The tobacco shops are selling the e-liquids in a variety but compromising on restrictions and quality of these vapes. Another reason for obtaining high risk among youngsters and adults is these customized e-cigarette boxes. The tobacco industry uses the iconic custom boxes with logos as a strategical way to engage them.

Cartridge boxes are just a weapon a company uses to sell vaping products. According to the research, putting images of cigars, smoke, fruits, or characters ends up getting helpful in influencing a smoker’s brain. For example, I have experience with packaging through OBT Packaging. Their ideas of custom packaging with logos impact superbly to the consumers.

When these customized e-cigarette packages are marketed, they appeal to the public, especially the youth. Therefore, the advertisement of these products in tobacco shops greatly involves a lot of students, youngsters, and adults. According to the study, more than 18 million youth in 2016 were influenced by the advertising of e-cigs.

E-Cigs on Federal Stage

Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigs do not restrict their users concerning age. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not regulated the age limit, thus we find a large community in using these vape products. Further, they are also working on circulating smoke-free policies that reduce product sales and save many lives.

The federal government has discovered that e-cigs can be prevented among the students and the youngsters by generating a campaign in 2018. In that campaign, they address the students' awareness of these vapes. Later on, the campaign was launched on social media and other platforms to deliver better content with the support of pictures, videos, or other helpful material.