Every 31st of May, the global community celebrates World No Tobacco Day. This is to promote awareness of the negative effects of smoking. This is very timely because, sadly, smoking nowadays is very common among teenagers and yearly, it claims six million preventable deaths worldwide according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Here in the Philippines, a study shows that 17.3 million Filipinos starting the age of 15 years and above are active smokers (psa.gov.ph). Accordingly, Vape or the e-Cigarette is the new trend among teens as they believe that it is much safer, cost-effective and adds to their charm to opposite sex.
Vaping was originally released in early 2000 in China and then spread all over the globe. The Philippines has a wide user of e-Cigarette thus, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 106 prohibiting the manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and sale of unregistered and adulterated Electronic Nicotine or Non-Nicotine Delivery System or e-Cigarettes and other novel tobacco products. The question now is, how safe really is an e-Cigarette to the user and to the people around him/her?
According to Health Harvard, in recent reports, nearly 200 e-Cigarette users have developed severe lung disease in 22 states and most cases from the teenage population. It means that e-Cigarette is not safe for the user and can cause health problems. Some of the health problems are noted to slow brain activity and development in adolescents and young adults. Its long-term effect also damages the lungs and weakens the immune system as reported by the Medical News Today. We can’t also disregard the potential bad effects of this especially for individuals with co-morbidity such as hypertension, vascular diseases, and diabetes. How about a second-hand smoker? Does it have health effects on this population?
Second-hand vape-smoking (SHS) has no clear long-term effect because vape smoking is relatively new. Although, early study shows that the effect of vape aerosol which contains harmful substances) causes health problems to individuals being exposed to vape smoking. Second-hand vape aerosol contains several carcinogenic compounds which include lead, formaldehyde, and toluene that cause cancer in later life stages.
The bottom line is to stop smoking either the e-cigarettes or the traditional way. This practice does not contribute well to our health or in the community. Likewise, these vices are not cost-effective so one should better think of his/her family first before engaging in these practices. Secure one’s health and the overall well-being of the family. Stop smoking and vaping!
NO II Joanna Marie E. Baltazar
References:
- Vaping vs. smoking. Which is more safer?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vaping-vs-smoking
- About Electronic Cigarettes
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/about-e-cigarettes.html
- Can vaping damage your lungs?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-vaping-damage-your-lungs-what-we-do-and-dont-know-2019090417734
- 17.3 Million Filipino adults are Current Tobacco Smokers
https://psa.gov.ph/content/173-million-filipino-adults-are-current-tobacco-smokers-final-results-2009-global-adult
- Tobacco Control Key Facts and Figure
https://doh.gov.ph/Tobacco-Control-Key-facts-and-Figures
- Second Hand Vaping is a thing-Here’s What to know
https://www.healthline.com/health/second-hand-vape#at-risk-groups