The Real Cost of Vaping by Bhavana Omanakuttan

The Real Cost of Vaping

Introduction

“Do you want a hit?” my boss asked me as she held out her vape pen. She did not think twice about asking a minor, much less her employee if she wanted to smoke. This is the new norm. E-cigarettes are “devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol or mix of small particles in the air” (Quick Facts on the Risks of E-Cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults). E-cigarettes are known by different names such as “vape pens,” “vapes,” “mods,” or “tanks.” From school girls bustling into bathroom stalls to “take a hit” together to coworkers freely smoking in the back storeroom, we have come a long way from traditional tobacco cigarettes. “About 21% of 12th-graders reported vaping nicotine … nearly double the rate [in 2017]” reported APP news (Jenco). Juul e-cigarettes sales in 2016 to 2017 suggests that there was a 641% increase in (JUUL e-Cigarette Sales Increase More than 600% in One Year). Vaping has officially been declared as America’s next leading epidemic by the United States Surgeon General (Stein). Vaping has now become the social norm and therefore is considered even more dangerous than traditional cigarettes.

History

Vaping or smoking has had roots in history that date to the ancient Egyptians. The first known case of vaping dates to the 5^th century B.C. when Egyptians used herbs, oils and hot stones to vape (Vaping- A Journey Through History). Herbert A. Gilbert is credited with the creation of the first smokeless non-tobacco cigarette that resembled modern-day e-cigarette. He received a patent for his device in 1965 but failed to commercialize it because the FDA did not allow the tobacco companies to distribute it (Vaping- A Journey Through History). During the 1980s another version of the e-cigarette was created which was not truly electronic but more of a device that used the evaporation of nicotine. Phil Ray and Normal Jacobson were the physicians to conduct the first known formal research on nicotine delivery. While commercialization was a failure, their research added “the verb ‘vape’ to the language” (The Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes). Although many forms and variations of vaping were invented throughout history, none of them completely succeeded in commercializing the product.

It was not until the 21^st century that the concept of vaping gained traction with an electronic cigarette. “The first commercially successful electronic cigarette [was] created in … China” by a 52-year-old pharmacist and smoker, Hon Lik (A Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes). His muse for this great device was his father, also a heavy smoker, who died from lung cancer. Lik’s employer, a company named Golder Dragon Holdings, manufactured the device and introduced it to Europe in April of 2006 (Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes). Soon after the device gained popularity in the United States. The device was criticized by many including the World Health Organization who deemed that the “electronic cigarette [was not] … a legitimate smoking cessation aid” (Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes). In 2009 Australia banned e-cigarettes because nicotine is considered poison unless it is for replacement therapies. In the same year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put an alert on the importation of e-cigarettes and classified them as “unapproved drug delivery devices” (Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes). As the years went on and vaping became popular and sale of common e-cigarettes such as JUUL increased by 600%. The restrictions placed on vaping grew became stricter in certain countries. Due to further research and knowledge on e-cigarettes, some restrictions were repealed but sales continued to skyrocket with government issued warnings.

Social Effects

Vaping is not only a national epidemic but also a global one. Some countries have outright put a ban on any sales or importation of electronic cigarettes. American teenagers “report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3% of high school seniors reporting [any vaping]” in [2018] (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Over the decades, smoking has proved to be a social activity. Those who smoke tend to have friends who smoke. A study conducted by Fiona Measham, Kate O’Brien and Gavin Turnbull in 2014 suggest that vaping was renormalizing smoking. Their findings record that the e-cigarette users are smoking just for the flavor and aesthetic aspects made by the smoke itself. The study found that smoking cessation and nicotine consumption were less important motivations. Measham, O’Brien, and Turnbull also concluded that due to “eight indicators of [normalization]… along with the legal status and risk perception of vaping, there was strong evidence to conclude that vaping has a growing cultural accommodation” (Measham). This renormalization of smoking has cut out the traditional conceptions of smoking. No longer do teenagers smoke as peer pressure or to satisfy their nicotine addiction but merely because of the flavoring and to perform smoking tricks. “Teens are clearly attracted to the marketable technology and flavorings seen in vaping devices; however, it is urgent that teens understand the possible effects of vaping on overall health; the development of the teen brain; and the potential for addiction,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D. (National Institute on Drug Abuse). The fruity stench of the vaping liquids masks the true dangers and consequences of vaping. Just because the aroma of smoke does not linger on the clothes of a smoker does not mean that the nicotine and other harsh chemical are not damaging the body.

Examples

Public Health England (PHE) is launching a campaign to convince smokers to vape. E-cigarettes are “95% safer than traditional tobacco but fewer than half of the smoker population is aware of this fact” (Embury-Dennis). PHE conducted an experiment and release the footage to convince tobacco users that vaping eliminates the damage done to a smoker’s lungs by traditional tobacco. The film features “the high levels of cancer-causing chemicals and tar inhaled by an average smoker over a month compared with not smoking or using an e-cigarette” (Embury-Dennis). Additionally, companies advertise electronic cigarettes as a way for smokers to eventually quit smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes.

Vaping grew in popular demand due to teenagers using it as a source of entertainment and companies advertising electronic cigarettes to eventually quit smoking. Although that was not necessarily the case. BBC news reported that the number of adult smokers of vapor products rose from an estimated seven million users to thirty-five million users in the last five years (Jones). As electronic cigarettes gain demand, its economic market also increases in value. “The global vapors products market is now estimated to be worth [twenty-two billion dollars]” that is five times more than what it was worth five years ago (Jones). BBC News also reported that the United States was amongst the three top biggest markets of vaping on a global level in 2016. 49% of regular users switched to electronic cigarettes to control their smoking habit (Jones). Although electronic cigarettes are better than traditional tobacco cigarettes which causes tar to accumulate in the user’s lungs, it still poses the same dangers. The Nicotine delivered through electronic cigarettes is just as addictive. Michael Blaha, Director of Clinical Research at John Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, reported that nicotine “raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack” (5 Truths You Need to Know About Vaping). John Hopkins Medicine reports that most people who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking end up continuing to smoke both traditional and electronic cigarettes (5 Truths You Need to Know About Vaping). Some electronic cigarettes also deliver more nicotine than traditional tobacco products. Extra-strength cartridges are used to increase the concentration of nicotine in electronic cigarettes. It can be concluded that advertisements for electronic cigarettes to eventually quit smoking is misleading.

Solutions

            If rates of vaping continue to skyrocket like it has been in the past few years, then non-smokers would be a thing of the past. For the future of this country and the health of the American citizens, actions need to be taken against the vaping epidemic. There are many ways we could achieve this. One most obvious solution is to ban the sale of e-cigarettes overall. A study done by the University of Southern California found that “teens living in cities or towns that more strictly policed retail sales of tobacco products were a third less likely to try cigarettes or e-cigarettes as those living in areas with more lax regulation” (Fox). Rather than increasing the legal age of purchase, the number of smoking products sold should be decreased. Even if the legal age were to be raised, smokers who are dependent on these products would still find a way around to obtain them. For example, even though the legal drinking age is twenty-one, it is not uncommon for individuals under 21 to drink. Many high school parties have alcohol nowadays. This proves that even if the legal age of purchase of smoking products were raised, vaping sales would continue to skyrocket. Therefore, putting stricter regulations on vaping products is an effective way to decrease vaping today.

            Another solution to the vaping epidemic is informing these individuals what vaping truly is. Young people think that vaping is not harmful because they are comparing it to traditional cigarettes. That is not necessarily true because some vape pods have the mechanical ability to pump out higher concentrations of nicotine than traditional cigarettes. While most smokers switch to vaping to curb their smoking addiction, Yale health researchers report that “Vape devices have not been proven to help adult smokers quit smoking [but rather] increases the risk a teen will smoke regular cigarettes later” (Raven). Most people do not know that these vaping liquids contain products such as marijuana, nicotine amongst many other harsh chemicals. Surgeon general Adams said “[many] youth… have no clue what [is] in these products most of the time” (Raven). In conclusion another step we can take to stop this vaping epidemic is to inform and educate more people on the health risks for vaping. Just because vaping devices do not make one’s clothes smell like smoke; does not mean they are safer.

Camus and Absurdity

            Absurdity is often used by writers to explore and question the elements in this world that do not make sense (Absurdity in Literature: Definition & Concept). Absurdism explores deep into one great philosophical question: what is the meaning of life? Albert Camus wrote many novels to find an answer to this one question, but his results were always the same. He believed that there was no meaning to life. Camus states in one of his novels “There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide” (Maguire). He figured that since there was no meaning in life then maybe suicide was the rational decision to make. People live life in a quest to find the “meaning” some define it as happiness and some define it as a religion. Sisyphus, who had to push the boulder up the mountain only to have it roll down again and repeat the task all over again, realizes the absurdity of his actions yet he continues to do so. Human life is like Sisyphus in a way. Humans continue to follow a daily rhythmic pattern of waking up, going to work, coming home, sleeping and then repeat all over the next day. Why? Why is the question Camus was trying to answer? Why do humans do the things we do every day?

Albert Camus wrote “what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying” in The Myth of Sisyphus. Camus would have truly understood the concept of addiction and the struggles these smokers face every day. He would have understood the feeling of craving something so desperately that the body and mind was willing to risk harmful side effects of tobacco. Camus would have disagreed with the solutions. In fact, he may not even think of vaping as an epidemic or a problem in need of a solution. His ultimate quest in life was to find the meaning of life. As mentioned in the above quote, the meaning of life can be interpreted as something that is worth living for is something worth dying for. In his eyes, death is inevitable, therefore vaping is not causing any harm but merely speeding up the inevitable.

Conclusion

            Vaping is the new epidemic that is engulfing teenagers and young adults all around the world. It has become the new norm and is much more dangerous than traditional tobacco products. Vaping is not the less harmful way to smoke. Vape juices contain just as much nicotine and sometimes maybe even more than traditional cigarettes. E-cigarettes sales and uses have been sky rocketing as more individuals get hooked on this new addiction.

Works Cited

 “5 Truths You Need to Know About Vaping.” Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping.

“Absurdity in Literature: Definition & Concept.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/absurdity-in-literature-definition-lesson-quiz.html.

“Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes.” CASAA, 18 Oct. 2018, www.casaa.org/historical-timeline-of-electronic-cigarettes/.

“JUUL e-Cigarette Sales Increase More than 600% in One Year.” Truth Initiative, Truth Initiative, 16 Oct. 2018, truthinitiative.org/news/juul-sales-increase-more-600-year-underscoring-popularity-among-teens.

“Quick Facts on the Risks of E-Cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html.

“Vaping - A Journey Through Its History.” Vaping Daily, vapingdaily.com/what-is-vaping/vaping-history/.

“Your Social Life.” Smoke free Teen, teen.smokefree.gov/tobacco-triggers/your-social-life.

Embury-Dennis, Tom. “Government Says Vaping 95% Safer than Smoking in Push to Get Smokers to Switch to e-Cigarettes.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 28 Dec. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/news/health/vaping-quit-smoking-cigarettes-health-nhs-lung-damage-cancer-tobacco-a8701506.html.

Fox, Maggie. “Study Shows How to Stop Teens from Getting Hooked on e-Cigarettes.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 7 Jan. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/how-stop-teen-vaping-make-e-cigs-harder-get-n955811.

Jenco, Melissa. “Study: Vaping among High School Seniors Doubled from 2017-'18.” AAP Gateway, American Academy of Pediatrics, 13 Feb. 2019, www.aappublications.org/news/2018/12/17/monitoringfuture121718.

Jones, Lora. “Vaping - the Rise in Five Charts.” BBC News, BBC, 31 May 2018, www.bbc.com/news/business-44295336.

Maguire, Laura. “Camus and Absurdity.” Philosophy Talk, 27 Feb. 2015, www.philosophytalk.org/blog/camus-and-absurdity.

Measham, Fiona, et al. “‘Skittles & Red Bull Is My Favorite Flavour’: E-Cigarettes, Smoking, Vaping and the Changing Landscape of Nicotine Consumption amongst British Teenagers – Implications for the Normalisation Debate.” Taylor & Francis, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687637.2016.1178708?scroll=top&needAccess=true.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Teens Using Vaping Devices in Record Numbers.” NIDA, 17 Dec. 2018, www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/news-releases/2018/12/teens-using-vaping-devices-in-record-numbers.

Raven, Kathleen. “Your Teen Is Underestimating the Health Risks of Vaping.” Yale Medicine, 19 Dec. 2018, www.yalemedicine.org/stories/teen-vaping/.

Stein, Rob. “Surgeon General Warns Youth Vaping Is Now An 'Epidemic'.” NPR, NPR, 18 Dec. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/12/18/677755266/surgeon-general-warns-youth-vaping-is-now-an-epidemic.