Currently, some active smokers are starting to use vaping as a substitute for regular cigarettes because they are considered healthier. In fact, smoking with vaping can also cause health problems, ranging from lung disorders to cancer.
E-cigarettes or vapes work by converting heated liquid into vapor. The liquid used in e-cigarettes or e-cigarettes contains glycerin or propylene glycol as the main ingredients.
The liquid also contains nicotine, a substance commonly found in cigarettes. In addition, liquids for vaping also generally contain flavorings and other additives.
Is Vape Really Safer Than Cigarettes?
Vape does not contain many harmful substances commonly found in cigarettes, such as tar and carbon monoxide. However, there are various chemicals in vaping that are still at risk of causing health problems.
Various health studies have so far found that the content of toxic substances and cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) is indeed lower in vaping when compared to regular cigarettes. However, the amount of these substances is not significantly reduced, especially if the vape user is also still smoking regular tobacco.
There are chemicals that are very likely to settle in the lungs if you vape. For example, formaldehyde and heavy metals can stick to the lungs, thus interfering with breathing. In fact, certain types of flavorings in vaping can also cause lung problems.
Some of the Risks of Vape Smoking to Beware of
Although many people think vaping is healthier than cigarettes, in fact the risks of vaping can also happen to you, such as:
1. Aggravating heart disease
Some of the liquids used to vape contain nicotine. Nicotine is known to interfere with heart and blood vessel health. For those of you who have a history of heart disease, nicotine can make your heart condition worse.
2. Disturbing the health of pregnant women and fetuses
For pregnant women, the use of vapes and regular cigarettes should be avoided because the nicotine content in vapes or cigarettes is known to harm the fetus in the womb. Meanwhile, nicotine or other chemical substances in vaping are suspected to cause respiratory problems and impaired child development.
3. Triggers the effects of nicotine addiction
As with cigarettes, nicotine in vaping can also cause users to become addicted. When you get used to taking nicotine and stop it suddenly, you are at risk of experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety, to depression.
4. Causes lung disorders
Flavors in vaping vapors are made from liquids that contain certain chemicals, such as diacetyl. If inhaled, these chemicals are at risk of harming the body, especially the lungs. One of the diseases that can occur due to inhalation of diacetyl is bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as "bronchiolitis obliterans".popcorn lung”.
This disease can cause the following symptoms:
- Dry cough that doesn't go away
- Hard to breathe
- Breath sounds or wheezing
- Fever
- Headache
In addition, another side effect of diacetyl is irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat.
5. Increases the risk of getting cancer
One of the chemicals contained in vape liquid is formaldehyde. These substances are generally used as preservatives to additives in some building materials. Formaldehyde is known to be harmful when inhaled because it can increase the risk of cancer.
Given that e-cigarette technology or vaping is still relatively new, so far the impact of vaping on health in the long term is still uncertain.
Although some people think that vaping is healthier than regular cigarettes, vaping is actually still a risk to health because of the substances in it.
To avoid the risk of vaping smoking, it is better for you to try to quit smoking, either regular cigarettes or vaping. If you find it difficult to quit smoking, you can consult a doctor.
