The media thrives on shocking and sensational stories because, unfortunately, these stories do tend to grab and hold the public’s attention. Unfortunately, this does mean that along with the unpleasantly true shocking and sensational stories, the media will also alter and embellish facts. Such is the case with vaping–an activity that many individuals have benefited greatly from but that the media has largely painted as incredibly dangerous. Following are just five vaping lies that have been spread by the media:
- Vaping is just as bad for you as smoking. This isn’t just terribly false, it is potentially dangerous. There are roughly thirty-six million smokers in the United States[1] who could not only benefit enormously from switching from addictive cigarettes to vaping but who could help better protect the health of others around them. Burning tobacco in cigarettes produces a smoke that is filled with carcinogenic chemicals and other dangerous toxins. While one could allow that abstaining from both smoking and vaping is ultimately the safest and healthiest choice, many smokers find that they simply cannot quit smoking cold turkey, and that vaping helps them to make the transition much more easily. Stating that vaping is more dangerous than smoking may cause them to reconsider making this switch, which forces them to continue the more dangerous habit.
- The tobacco companies invented e-cigarettes and owns the vapor industry. Actually, the first e-cigarettes were developed by a Chinese pharmacist by the name of Hon Lik. E-cigarettes first came to the United States in 2007, and in 2012, the tobacco company Lorillard purchased an e-cigarette company. In the following years, other tobacco companies followed suit and introduced their own e-cigarettes. But these companies did not invent e-cigarettes and they do not own the vapor industry–there are still plenty of independent manufacturers and sellers.
- Nicotine is as addictive as heroin. First of all, it should be pointed out that cigarettes contain nicotine that the smoker cannot opt out of consuming, while vapers can purchase e-liquid that has reduced or even no nicotine content. That said, while nicotine is considered by many individuals to be addictive in nature, there is absolutely no evidence to support the idea that it is as addictive as heroin–an opiate drug.
- E-cigarettes are prone to exploding. There have only been very few instances of vapor products exploding or catching fire, and each one was caused by serious human error, especially in regards to basic battery handling and safety. In comparison, the fires caused by cigarettes is extremely problematic. According to the National Fire Protection Association, smoking caused ninety thousand fires in 2011, which resulted in five hundred deaths, sixteen hundred injuries, and approximately six hundred twenty-one million dollars worth of property damage.
- Vaping is a gateway to smoking. There have been no studies that have conclusively proven that vaping is a gateway to smoking. In fact, several studies have indicated that vaping is actually an exit from smoking, as it allows individuals to experience the desired nicotine intake and hand-to-mouth action that drives them to continue smoking. Many individuals present the theory that should a teenager who doesn’t smoke decide to try vaping and then move on to smoking, it’s more probable that this individual was curious about and would have tried smoking anyway, and that vaping did not actually lead them there.
Is Vaping Really Better Than Smoking
The short answer is yes, vaping really is better than smoking. In order to understand exactly why vaping is better, one only needs to consider that vaping is free from the many known carcinogenic chemicals and other toxins present in cigarette smoke. In truth, the difference in vaping vs. smoking health is not even close to being comparable, as vapers are truly far healthier than smokers.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm