Despite the widespread belief that electronic cigarettes are a safer option than traditional cigarettes, there is no hard data to back up this claim. However various recent literature has revealed that, chronic use of e-cigarettes has been linked to both acute and subclinical lung and vascular malfunction, with the potential for disease.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that simulate smoking a cigarette without burning tobacco. Instead of inhaling smoke, an e-cigarette delivers nicotine in the form of vapour (Dow, 2019). There is no tar or carbon monoxide in e-cigarettes, two of the most harmful substances in tobacco smoke, since they do not burn tobacco. However, toxic to foetuses, nicotine is found in the vast majority of e-cigarettes. Adolescent and young adult brain development, which continues into their early to mid-20s, may be harmed by nicotine consumption as well. Toxic substances may be present in the aerosolized vapour of e-cigarettes. The device holds a liquid, creating the vapor, which is not regulated. It has caused harm to young developing adults and can be dangerous if used improperly (truthinitative, 2021). Also, smoking the device can cause negative side effects on a person’s health. On the other hand, Supporters of e cigarettes claim that they have the potential to help people who smoke on a daily basis. In addition, they claim that e-cigarettes may help users better control their urges for nicotine. Thus, the essay's main point is that, although E-cigarettes are marketed as a healthier alternative to conventional cigarettes, they come with a slew of health risks, including frequent nicotine use, serious respiratory damage, and premature death. As a result, E cigarette is not the healthy alternative to traditional Cigarettes and must be ban at United States
Young people's usage of electronic cigarettes has increased dramatically in the last several years and is now pandemic. Even most of the people who are against E cigarettes have said that they make young people more dependent on them, which could be bad for their health in the long run. According to the research gathered by Stichell & Muhajarine (2020) suggested that there is general increase in the vaping consumption of the youth in Canada. They reported that in 2019, up to one in five middle and high school students said they used vaping products. In the 2019 survey, 20% of young people said they had used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days, and 40% of that group said they used them daily or almost daily (ibid). This regular use of vaping has a large number of negative health risks including severe breathing related issues and premature death deaths, it is also now possible that vaping might enhance the risk of severe symptoms or consequences in those infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 (ibid). According to Yao et al (2020), from 5.2 percent in 2017 to 7.6 percent in 2018, the percentage of young people (18–24 years old) who now use e-cigarettes grew on a daily or weekly basis. Because of its highly addictive nature and the subsequent health risks associated with it E cigarettes are declared as an epidemic in 2013. Despite the widespread belief that electronic cigarettes are a safer option than traditional cigarettes, there is no hard data to back up this claim. According to Stichell & Muhajarine (2020), e-cigarettes which were designed to help people stop smoking, 42% of those who use them say they have never smoked a cigarette. Thus, smoking behaviour among teenagers might be normalised rather than encouraged to stop using the gadget. In addition, E cigarettes are more expensive than the normal cigarettes which pose a significant strain on the youth buying e cigarettes. According to research by Yao et al (2020) emphasised that the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in California was $5.86, while the cost of a disposable e-cigarette was $9.80 and the cost of a reusable e-cigarette was $19.11. As a result, e cigarette put heavy burden to the teenager to buy such expensive product which has adverse health consequences. An addictive smoking behaviour with such prices could have detrimental effects on both the health and economy of a family in the long run.
Tobacco product usage is greatly influenced by the flavour of the tobacco being used Various research suggests that flavours in e-cigarettes may enhance use because of their addictive nature, making them more appealing to smokers. According to the study by Yang et al (2020) suggested that that flavoured e-cigarette usage may encourage some youths to smoking who otherwise would not have used e-cigarettes. Many states and towns in the USA have implemented or are contemplating legislation and regulations that limit or prohibit certain flavours in reaction to the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes among children and teens, as well as the epidemic of lung ailments and fatalities linked to vaping. Furthermore, the way, e cigarette has been advertised as a healthy alternative to traditional cigarette has also been questioned. According to the study by Friedland (2020) emphasised that E cigarette are frequently advertising their product to the youth attempting to lure them with different flavours of E cigarettes. As an example, e-cigarette firms such as JUUL provide products with fruity or kid-friendly scents, such as crème brûlée and mango, in order to appeal to teenagers (Walley et al., 2019). Walley et al., (2019) also found that electronic cigarettes are marketed and advertised in much the same way as conventional tobacco products in order to entice young people into using them. It was found that, out of 433 websites which advertise e cigarettes, 12 of the sites are owned by the tobacco industry which want to push e cigarette as healthy alternatives to traditional cigarettes. Thus, even though e-cigarettes are supposed to help smokers quit, companies are trying to advertise them to teenagers by enticing them through different e cigarette flavour. Some of these companies are owned by the tobacco industry, which wants smokers to keep buying their products. Moreover, according to the research by Snordley et al (2020) found that different e cigarettes contain different components. The liquid solution has toxic chemicals that could harm the lungs which could lead to prolonged respiratory diseases. More crucially, because of the device's unique flavour and attractiveness, it may have the opposite impact on smokers who wish to stop. They may be enticed by the design and the flavour to continue their urges of smoking.
The biggest reason why e cigarette should be banned is because of the negative health consequences associated with it as envisages in various studies. Even while e-cigarettes may be a substitute for nicotine, they come with their own set of health hazards and may not help smokers stop since they don't sever the connection between their oral fixation on nicotine and the devices themselves. E-cigarette pods may contain as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. On the 2018-19 CSTADS, about 90% of students who use e-cigarettes reported using nicotine-containing products (Stichell & Muhajarine, 2019). According to research by BMJ Tobacco control Pod-style e-cigarettes were shown to have greater nicotine levels in young individuals than traditional cigarettes (ibid). Studies by heartandstroke (n.d.) association found that there is an elevated risk of heart attack related with the use of e-cigarettes, and the use of both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes increases this risk. It has also been shown that nicotine use, especially in children and teenagers, may harm the developing brain. According to new researches, E-cigarettes may serve as a gateway to tobacco usage and nicotine addiction (truthinitiative, 2021). In various case studies and in vitro research, it was found that E-cigarette aerosol has been shown to cause significant damage to the tiny airways of the lungs and to be related with a range of inflammatory respiratory disorders, including as pneumonia and interstitial lung disease (Yang, 2020).
Furthermore, researches have also shown that, metals and volatile organic chemicals found in e-cigarette users' urine were found to be similar to those found in cigarette smokers' urine (Walley, 2021). These metals and volatile chemicals could have devasted health consequences which include prolonged lungs disease, asthmatic symptoms and premature death. Thus, a wide number of studies have reaffirmed that although E cigarettes have less harm than that of traditional cigarettes their ae no health benefit as continuous e cigarette also lead to prolonged disease even death. Additionally, adults and minors who purchase e-cigarettes via "black market" means may face health impacts that have not yet been seen or characterised, particularly if these products include ingredients that were not present in previously authorised goods. According to Moaward (2019) suggested that E-cigarettes are getting awareness as a possible doorway to smoking cigarettes and taking other substances. For instance, marijuana usage was more likely among young people who had previously used e-cigarettes than in those who had not. This positive connection could be found in the case of substance abuse as well. Thus, E cigarette not only has negative health consequences but also related to a gate way to other unhealthy drugs.
Studies have also mentioned that the liquid contained inside an E cigarette device is more harmful than the traditional cigarettes. Vaping liquids used for flavours in the E cigarette causes a range of health issues as the chemical used in it is still unknown and is not regulated by the government. Tobacco flavourings make up the vast majority of e-liquids on the market. Companies use a variety of chemicals to produce various flavour profiles in an attempt to reach the elusive "ideal" taste. The lungs are poisoned by these substances, according to research (truthinitative, 2021). As they enter the lungs, they cause extensive damage to the respiratory system and disrupt the body's ability to fight off disease. Many researches have suggested that every puff of an e-cigarette infused with taste is detrimental to the lungs of the person using it. Some chemical profiles are may be regulated for digestion, but not for inhalation. Therefore, the liquid in the e-cigarette could worsen the health of the user if the chemical composition of the flavour is not unknown and are not regulated by the government. Moreover, nicotine is highly addictive and may induce youngster into these devices which is not safer than the traditional cigarettes. Truthinitative (2021) emphasised that cigarettes that contain nicotine are linked to a higher rate of smoking cessation than e-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine. This may be hard for the youngster to quit as its nicotine presence could be highly additive for the youngsters. As a result, young people who are trying to stop smoking may get addicted to another kind of cigarette smoking because of the liquid composition and nicotine content of the product. Other alternatives like nicotine patches and Cessation medication could be healthy alternatives to people who want to quit smoking.
E cigarettes is a controversial topic and the supporter of E cigarettes argue that it is a healthy alternative to quit traditional smoking. Blafour et al (2021) emphasised that there are growing studies which suggests that vaping helps smokers stop and feel that vaping provides significantly less damage to consumers' health than does smoking. According to their findings, adolescent smoking has decreased significantly since the rise of e-cigarettes and other forms of electronic nicotine delivery. Furthermore, there is minimal evidence that using e-cigarettes increases one's chance of developing cancer. E-cigarettes laced with nicotine, as opposed to non-nicotine e-cigarettes, have been found in 50 trials to offer modest evidence of an increase in stop rates (truthinitative.org, n.d.). Supporters also cite evidence which found significant benefits of e cigarettes. According to Balfour et al (2021) because e-cigarettes don't burn tobacco, they don't generate harmful tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful components of cigarette smoke. As a result, there are significantly fewer chemicals in an e-cigarette than in a cigarette. Various studies have indicated that smokers' lungs improve when they transition to e-cigarettes as chemicals exposure to cigarette is lower than the cigarettes. According to the NASEM analysis, more regular usage of e-cigarettes may enhance a person's probability of quitting smoking (truthinitative.org, n.d). Recently, to prevent youngsters from being tempted by the e-cigarette businesses' advertisements, the FDA has implemented a guideline that prohibits the use of e-cigarettes in advertising to minors (Friedland, 2019).
In conclusion, despite the advocates' claims that E cigarettes provide a broad range of benefits, current research and data have found inadequate evidence to infer that their usage in general promotes smoking cessation. Increased use of e-cigarettes may potentially lead to a rise in tobacco use since they enhance access to nicotine for the younger generation and normalise smoking once again. Vaping e-cigarettes containing nicotine, even if you don't smoke tobacco, raises the possibility of developing a dependency on the drug that might last a lifetime. The usage of e-cigarettes might act as a doorway to nicotine dependence and tobacco dependence. Moreover, E-cigarettes aren't subject to a lot of oversight. Because of this, it is tough to comprehend how secure they are. Consequently, there are some individuals who purchase e-cigarettes from the black market, which might be harmful to their health. Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are being abused by a growing number of young people. Thus, the argument that presented is that e-cigarettes should be banned. There is an epidemic because they are being promoted to youngsters. The use of e-cigarettes is unregulated, harmful, and dangerous.
References
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