5 Unexpected Ways Vaping Can Cause Personal Injury
Posted in Personal Injury on June 10, 2020
Although at one time, cigarettes were extremely commonplace, the amount of users has gone down substantially. In fact, according to the CDC, about 14 percent of adults in the United States were current cigarette smokers in 2017, down 67% since 1965.
While the numbers have declined, there are still a number of people that choose smoking in some form. With more and more restrictions on where people can smoke, how far away from buildings they must be, etc., many people look to other solutions to get their nicotine buzz. Vapes are often chosen as a replacement for traditional cigarettes because they mimic the motions of smoking but many times, have a better taste and smell than traditional cigarettes. Likewise, vapes are often thought to be a healthier alternative than regular cigarettes, both for the smoker and those around them.
Although on the surface, vaping looks like it may be a safer alternative, it can cause a number of significant health issues and injuries, in many ways, similar to those that are a result of smoking cigarettes.
Some injuries that can happen due to vaping can include:
- Explosions
Vaping devices have been known to explode in users’ mouths, when being stored in their pockets, and even while charging. According to a number of different reports, the shape and design of vapes can make it easy for batteries to catch on fire. Likewise, the batteries that are typically used, lithium-ion, can become extremely hot. When the liquid within these types of batteries react with oxygen, batteries can combust and cause serious injury.
- Major lung issues
In a number of different studies, vaping has been linked to the risk of lung damage, including COPD, asthma, lung cancer, and more. In fact, according to the American Lung Association, “while much remains to be determined about the lasting health consequences of e-cigarettes, there’s evolving evidence about the health risks of e-cigarettes on the lungs—including irreversible lung damage and lung disease.”
Some symptoms of these lung issues can be extremely painful and persistent, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, persistent cough, pain while breathing, and more.
- Heart problems
There are a number of different research reports that have found that those that vape are at an increased risk of a heart attack. Beyond that, risks can also increase for things like coronary artery disease, heart palpitations, and other heart related issues, especially when compared to non-smokers.
- Dangerous second hand smoke
It’s not uncommon for people to think that second-hand smoke from a vape is much less dangerous than cigarette smoke, especially considering the fact that emissions from vapes are exactly that— vaper. However, this couldn’t be more inaccurate.
The American Lung Association reports that “in 2016, the Surgeon General concluded that secondhand emissions contain, ‘nicotine; ultrafine particles; flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead.’”
- Seizures
While there’s a chance that it could happen after the first time smoking a vape, or as a reaction to long-term exposure, studies have shown a link between vaping and seizures. Often, this is thought to be the result of the inhalation of nicotine, sometimes with no prior history of seizures at all.
This has also been thought to be the result of nicotine poisoning, something that can be easy to do with a vape when it has settings that allow high concentrations of nicotine to be consumed quickly.
Although e-cigarettes may be a tempting replacement for smoking, or even thought of as a means to quit, vaping can also be dangerous and cause its own harms. Though scientists are still researching many of vaping’s effects, a number of studies have already been done to indicate that it can be just as harmful as cigarettes, equally habit forming, and dangerous to those around you.
