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Smoking includes consumption of tobacco via cigarettes, Bidis, cigars, etc. Both smoking and vaping have dangers and negative side effects. E-cigarettes are not a safe alternative to smoking, according to the evidence, even if scientists are still unsure of their long-term health implications.
In the present piece, we compare the dangers of smoking and vaping while taking into account their long-term effects.
In an exlcusive interview with Zee English, Dr Harshit Shah, Associate Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Fortis Hospital shares more about the dangers of smoking tobacco and how it impacts your health in the long run.
Vaping vs Cigarettes: Which is less harmful?
Vaping
Vaping or the use of e-cigarettes is not smoking, but it offers experiences similar to smoking a cigarette. Vaping has the samehand-to-mouth action to smoking.There is heating of a substance and thus inhalation of fumes in both smoking and vaping.
E-cigarettes or vaping contain e-liquid with oily base which is a mixture of Nicotine, flavouring agents, or aromatic additives. The other substances present are Vitamin E which is often used as a thickening and delivery agent in e-liquid, Diacetyl as flavouring agent, toxic Formaldehyde, Acrolein etc. Although Vitamin E is safe supplement when used orally but it acts as an irritant to lungs when inhaled. These additional substances may contribute to damaging the lungs.
Cigarette
Tobacco is burnt and smoke is inhaled in cigarette smoking.Similarly in vaping, a device (typically a vape pen or a mod) heats up a liquid (called vape juice or e-liquid) until it turns into a vapor that is inhaled. But vaping is more like a delivery system, similar to a nebulizer, which people with Asthma or other lung conditions use.
Dr Harshit says, “Smoking contains Tobacco which is level 1 carcinogen along with more than 100 harmful chemicals which lead to cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Chronic Lung Disease, Diabetes, and dental problems.”
During vaping, the person is exposed to less toxic chemicals and at lower levels as compared to smoking tobacco. But research has observed that the frequency of consumption of vaping is much more in those who use it to quit smoking, because during vaping, the person breathes in addictive Nicotine and dozens of other dangerous chemicals.
As per studies,vaping may impact the way cells in the respiratory tractreact to the germs and may raise the chance ofinfection and disease.
In a nebulizer, liquid medicines get turned into mist which the patient inhales, thus delivering the medicine to the lungs. On the contrary, in vaping, the mist is not medicine but potentially harmful chemicals which form a coating over the lungs.
Long-term effects of tobacco
In regard totobacco, we have six decades of rigorous research to show that thousands of chemicals are inhaled during smoking, and it has a huge impact on the lungs. But with vaping, the short or longterm effects are not studied much yet, and there is limited data to suggest which e-cigarette components are to be blamed.
However, certain lung conditions have been associated to vaping due to severe lung damage like Popcorn Lung (another name for Bronchiolitis Obliterans), Lipoid Pneumonia, etc. Passive smoking or second-hand smoke is also known to cause ill-effects on health but in lesser intensity.
Similarly second-hand vaping may not affect lungs, but the vapor emitted when someone exhales, contains a variety of dangerous substances, which may include Nicotine, Diacetyl,Aromatic Benzenes, etc.
Smoking tobacco is known to cause cancer of the aerodigestive tract and lungs. There is a concern that vaping can also cause cancer, but since vaping products haven’t been around long enough, there is limited time and research to learn whether or not they cause cancer.
“The use of e-cigarettes is allowed in few parts of the world such as USA, UK, Mauritius, Uganda, etc., with certain limitations on selling or advertising. In India the production, sale, storage, or advertisement of e-cigarettes has been banned since 2019,” comments Dr Harshit.
In conclusion, vaping is known to be an alternative to quit smoking,but it may prove to be more addictive among younger population and there are better alternatives to quit smoking then vaping. On the other hand, vaping also causes ill-effects on health, which may be avoided by choosing other quitting methods. Hence, one should avoid vaping.
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