New vaping regulations will only accelerate EVALI in the US and Canada

Within two years the prevalence of vaping has been doubled amongst adolescents, which shows that they are the main driving force for vaping across the US, Canada, and England with less frequency in the latter, where vaping is subject to stricter regulations. However, lung injuries associated with vaping products across the US are bringing new challenges in the foreground.

For this reason, new regulations have been implemented across the US, and Canada in the light of this EVALI outbreak, which refer to not only limitations on usage, sale, and advertising of vaping devices, but also the ban of certain vaping products.

Vaping and EVALI

According to Pew Research, a Gallup survey conducted in 2018 revealed that the majority of young adults considered smoking as more harmful than vaping. This sentiment didn’t seem to be prevalent in the older generations as the following chart shows:

And especially after last year’s outbreak of lung injuries associated with e-cigarettes and vaping products, people are now more cautious when it comes to vaping. According to the CDC, 2,807 cases of EVALI have been reported from the 18th of February, 2020. EVALI is an acronym for “e-cigarette or vaping, product use associated lung injury” and it has become a major topic amongst health professionals in the US.

The CDC identified a strong connection between THC-containing products, like e-cigarettes and vaping, and lung injury so they urged the population to stop using them whatsoever. The chemical Vitamin E acetate has been identified as the key factor that could coat the lungs like grease and inflict severe lung damage.

However, Vitamin E acetate was not found in all the samples the FDA tested. In fact, in some cases, the damage in the lungs seemed to have been caused by burns rather than the chemical reaction Vitamine E acetate creates. Thus, the main cause of EVALI is still unknown.

One thing that the CDC found for certain is that 78% of the cases had acquired the products from informal sources, such as family or friends, dealers, and others and this contributed greatly to using a defected product or an unhealthy device.

Why acquire trusted vaping products

Ultimately, acquiring vaping products from informal sources can prove highly dangerous for the individual, and for this reason, it is imperative that vapers choose trustworthy vaping companies, like Haze smoke shop in Canada, that can guarantee high-quality vaporizers for the following reasons:

1. Health

Even though vaping can be linked to severe lung injury, it is still safer than smoking. Smokers that switch to vaping can enjoy better oral hygiene, skin health, better circulation, and an improved sense of taste and smell.

2. Odors

Burning tobacco leaves releases strongly negative odors in the environment making its tolerance most of the time impossible for non-smokers. Vaping products on the other hand release an almost non-noticeable smoke, which is enriched by the flavor each device uses.

3. Control over nicotine intake

Depending on your vaping device you can control how much nicotine you want to take. Some products are nicotine-free but most vapers choose high-level of nicotine vaping products at first and gradually decrease their nicotine intake.

4. Cost-effectiveness

The vaping market is very rich and contains a variety of vaping products, from e-cigs to sophisticated vape mods and e-liquids. Thus, you can choose the one that best fits tour needs and budget without sacrificing quality.

Will vaping bans work?

Vaping bans have been implemented to help stop the EVALI outbreak across the multiple states but one question remains. Will new regulations be effective?

Probably not. The implementation of bans will only hide the existing problem and not solve it. Young adults will continue to find ways to make their own DIYs or to acquire vaping products online and this will only worsen the problem. Additionally, such restrictions could drive vapers towards cigarettes again, and in this sense, big tobacco brands will be highly benefited.

The only effective way is to invest more in research methods that can identify the underlying mechanisms behind lung injury and use this knowledge to implement a new strategy that combats the problem in its core. Until then, vapers should continue acquiring their products from trusted vaping companies with yearly experience in the field and product health certifications.