Photo: JOSE LUIS MAGANA / AFP / Getty Images
Although in the United States, flavored electronic cigarettes were banned since 2020 , the increase in its consumption among adolescents still exists, causing serious health problems for consumers.
Although electronic cigarettes first appeared in the United States more than a decade ago, with promises to provide smokers with a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes , there are very few rigorous studies on whether they actually help quit smoking.
This situation is not only a problem in the United States, but worldwide, hence recently, the National Autonomous University of Mexico published a study , where it states that electronic and hybrid cigarettes are much more harmful than conventional ones ; Furthermore, the affectations are acute, that is, they can appear the next day of use and are very bulky, “they take you to the hospital.”
As revealed by the Tobacco Research and Prevention Program of the Faculty of Medicine, those devices that have become fashionable, more among young people and adolescents, work through a battery or connected to the current to heat and vaporize a liquid solution that is inhaled and that can be very harmful, because it is not water, but a combination of chemical components, such as propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and glycerin; these are known as electronic nicotine delivery systems, or SEANs.
“It has been compared to nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches for example, and they do work. There are pro-vaping groups, many paid by the tobacco industry, and they argue a supposed harmlessness of these products; there are many people who get confused, but the reality is that they are very harmful to health, “says the study.
“We are very concerned about these devices because of the high amount of nicotine. In a traditional cigar there is about a milligram of nicotine per piece; the pods or capsules of those implements that use rolled tobacco can have up to 60 milligrams; It’s like smoking 60 cigarettes at once. We have seen that nicotine acts at the level of the heart muscle, veins and arteries, which is why it can aggravate conditions such as atherosclerosis. ”
Although it is prohibited in the US, scientists detail that “the flavorings that are used to less appreciate the flavor of tobacco and taste like peach, mango, or other exotic flavors, make that adolescents do not have an adequate perception of risk, and some dyes, for example reds, can lead to cancer, in addition, all this attracts a lot of attention to young people, which induces them to addiction very quickly. ”
All drugs “cause physical dependence, that is, the body gets used to the effects of their consumption, as the smoker detects a series of symptoms generated by inhaling and your body gets used to the stimulating effect, in addition to acting on the reward level of the brain, so it makes the individual feel better duo regardless of the situation in which it is found ”, the study states.
Another very important damage occurs when oily elements are added to these vaporizers, such as Cannabis oil, vitamins A or E, because the body has no defense mechanism to expel the oily microdroplets that enter the respiratory tract, which causes a very particular type of fatty pneumonia that remains trapped in the alveoli, bronchioles and bronchi .
In addition to the effects on the respiratory system, many cases of battery explosion have been reported. used to heat tobacco, which has resulted in loss of phalanges, and even jaw fracture.
Read more:
Report flavored tobacco that addicts and sickens Bay Area youth
The consumption of alcohol and cigarettes increases the risk of illicit drug use