In the last year, the vaping industry It has undergone a great revolution with the appearance of a new product that is gaining more and more followers, especially among adolescents and young people.
We talk about the vapers (either pods) disposable, a electronic cigarette to use and throw away and with preloaded flavors. They do not need battery changes and have a limited number of puffs.
Technologically it is quite an advance. But… for your health? Is vaping better than smoking tobacco?
He doctor Carlos Rabadepulmonologist and coordinator of the Tobacco Area of (SEPAR), it is clear:
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“The electronic cigarette is not an alternative to tobacco, neither to avoid its consumption nor to quit smoking”.
and what is worse, as Dr. Rábade points out:
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“It is a product that has become the gateway to new smokers and a way to retain those who have been smoking for years, preventing them from making serious attempts to quit this toxic habit.”
Tobacco, in figures
There are about 1.3 billion smokers in the world, of whom about eight million die each year. In our country, 60,000 people die annually because of tobacco. According to the (FEC), 49.7% of deaths are due to tumors attributed to tobacco use, followed by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
“Tobacco produces approximately 150 deaths a day in Spain. And we once again observe that it is an important cardiovascular risk factor since, by large groups of causes of death, cardiovascular diseases occupy the second place in terms of mortality burden”, indicates the Dr. Monica Perez-Riosone of the authors of the study published in the Spanish Journal of Cardiology.
“The gender perspective in the analysis of mortality attributed to tobacco has great implications in the design of public health interventions, since men and women have different patterns both in the distribution of the prevalence of consumption and in mortality” .
The vapers disposables have a duration between 200 and 400 puffs and a price that oscillates between 6 and 10 euros.
According to the manufacturers, they offer a sensation similar to that of traditional cigarettes, but without consuming the chemical substances that contains tobacco smoke, such as ammonia, benzene, or lead. They are all cancer-causing chemicals known as carcinogens.
However, the flip side of these devices is unknown to most new smokers.
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“They have toxic components that can cause a series of diseases, both from the respiratory point of view and “.
However, the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes, relatively new to the tobacco market, have not been known until now.
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“Components have been found to be irritating, which cause inflammation in the respiratory tract. That false safety message that they sell does not exist. They can produce the same damage as conventional tobacco. And they can make the smoker who, until now did not consume traditional tobacco, become addicted”.
The consequences of electronic cigarettes: they are not harmless
Flavorings and all the additives included in vapers are harmful substances that “produce damage to our body, which are also a way to attract young people to smoking behavior.” And it is that, the fact that they have flavor (with an almost endless variety) are a claim for the youngest.
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“Beyond offering a solution to smoking control, they have become a tool to increase the number of tobacco users. They are a vehicle for entering tobacco. It is important to make it clear that they are not a method of smoking cessation, since that have the opposite effect: maintain the habit”.
The sooner you start smoking, the greater the damage. Adolescents have a “greater predisposition to addiction to nicotine and other drugs.” And this is because at early ages, “the central nervous system has not yet matured enough.”
Renew the anti-smoking law
Smoking is a very worrying “problem” for public health. The appearance of this type of device “should be one more reason to update the anti-smoking law of 2011.” The doctor points out that it is necessary to increase the price of tobacco and implement measures to reduce adolescents’ access to traditional cigarettes and also to these new products.
And the hookah?
About a shisha or hookaha fashion that has arrived in Spain exported from the Middle East, where it is a widespread custom, the doctor is also very clear: “it is highly dangerous.”
The pulmonologist highlights 4 compelling reasons to avoid hookahs, referring to what has been found in their inhalation:
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“A large concentration of nicotine and carbon dioxide.”
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“Even this type of product contains more tar (essential raw material in the industry) than traditional tobacco.”
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“It poses a risk for the entire population, because it has more toxic components than manufactured tobacco.”
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“And it is a way to start using other drugs, since it can be mixed with other narcotic substances, such as cannabis, or alcohol.”
How to quit smoking?
According to recent figures from the Ministry of Health, More than eight million Spaniards over the age of 15 smoke daily. This represents 22% of the population. 2% only smoke occasionally, while 25% have given up tobacco.
According to experts, around 10% of smokers do not know where to go for help once they make the decision to quit this toxic habit. A survey carried out by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer shows that only 5% of smokers have managed to quit tobacco permanently.
And it is that since smoking is a “disease” like the or the , it needs treatment. The smoker “has the right to be helped” by a close health professional: family doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
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“Patients, on many occasions, are not aware that they have a disease. Only 5% of smokers who try to quit without help finally succeed. On the other hand, that number quadruples if they have resorted to some kind of help.”
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