Smoking cigarettes is bad, this is now a well-known fact, but don’t think that replacing tobacco with electronic cigarettes isn’t harmful.
Since 2003, the date of their diffusion in Europe, electronic cigarettes in Italy have become a real fashion and are used above all by the youngest as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. One million students say they have tried them at least once in their life and 23% of adolescents have used them in the year, with higher percentages among girls”, data from ESPAD®Italia say.
Due to the few studies available, also considering that the phenomenon is quite recent, the damage that electronic cigarettes cause to consumers is not known with certainty.
They are certainly considered less harmful than tobacco, also for the simple fact that combustion is avoided in electronic cigarettes, which causes lung damage due to high temperatures. However, experts are still studying and carrying out research and the exact damages are not known that e-cigarettes could cause. However, a study by the University of Pittsburgh has stated that some flavors of e-cigarettes are more harmful than others.
How do so-called vapes work? They are devices that allow the consumption of liquid substances through evaporation and without combustion. These liquid substances have a more or less percentage of nicotine and a wide range of flavors to choose from depending on the preferences of the user.
They are therefore of little use to quit smoking, because the percentage of nicotine, an addictive substance, is also present in electronic cigarettes. “The trend data we have available tell us that the entry onto the market of these alternative products, which are constantly evolving and constantly increasing, risks nullifying the effectiveness of cigarette smoking prevention, keeping the percentage of young people stable and girls who come into contact with nicotine and who therefore could potentially become the future cohort of adult addicts”.
4 flavors to avoid
Here are the 4 flavors that according to research are the most harmful and should be avoided by e-cigarette users.
The mint-flavored liquid could easily be mistaken for a healthy taste, due to its fresh taste. But don’t be fooled: a study has stated that it is among the most harmful liquids for the health of our lungs. According to the study, this liquid produces toxic microparticles that can cause lung disease.
Peppermint users had lower lung function than other smokers, regardless of how long they smoked or their age, according to the analysis.
We are talking about flavors such as almond, caramel, vanilla and biscuit. According to the study, children born to mothers who consume e-cigarettes with these tastes have a higher risk of being born with facial malformations.
The analysis focused on tadpoles, which exposed to these flavors developed what in humans would be the equivalent of cleft palate or cleft lip. Precisely because the study was conducted on tadpoles, it is not known for certain whether these liquids could have the same effect on human embryos.
The dangers of popcorn liquid were discovered in the 1990s, when some workers in a popcorn factory experienced wheezing and coughing. After some research it was confirmed that the flavors of buttered popcorn released a chemical called diacetyl, which when breathed in causes what is now called popcorn lung, a disease that scars the smallest airways inside the lungs and damages these tiny air sacs by dramatically reducing the lungs’ ability to hold air.
Last but not least, the cinnamon flavor has been considered the most dangerous of all. A study has in fact stated that this liquid could cause serious lung problems and irreversibly compromise their functioning.