Deaths From Vaping- Lucas Rendina

-
In recent news, electronic cigarettes, or vapes, have been famously killing people. As of October 17th, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 33 people have died of vaping related illnesses, with the vast majority of them being under 35 years old. The Trump administration is trying to prevent kids from using vapes, and some states have taken measures themselves to help the problem. Flavored e-cigarettes have been banned in New York, while Massachusetts has completely banned all vaping products. The age to buy them has been raised from 18 to 21 in eighteen different states, including New Jersey and California.
However, all these changes and restrictions may be directed incorrectly. The leading manufacturer of flavored e-cigarettes who is taking the biggest hit from these bans is Juul, and their products may not even be the cause of all the deaths. While Juuls can cause popcorn lung, three quarters of the people affected by vaping were also found to have used vapes with THC cartridges. According to Ed Oswald of Digital Trends, only 16% of the victims reported to have used only nicotine products, so it is likely that there were alternative causes. THC is a chemical in marijuana and these cartridges can be faked or refilled with different chemicals. According to the CDC, these THC vapes can contain an oil called Vitamin E Acetate that, when inhaled, can cause coughing, fatigue, or even be lethal. Major cannabis companies claim not to use Vitamin E acetate, but it is difficult to identify whether or not specific cartridges have it. Even if more popular companies don't use it, there are many counterfeit cartridges being sold on the black market. They are made when people use their own cheaper fillings in the cartridges, and almost nothing is known about these fakes. RollingStone reported a study that was done by BelLabs on a counterfeit cartridge that found myclobutanil, or hydrogen cyanide in it. Also, it found vitamin E. oil and possibly lead. In the end, both nicotine and THC are drugs and neither is completely safe, but flavored e-cigarettes my not be as lethal as they seem to be.

Image result for juul banImage result for thc cartridge

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 27, 2019 at 12:08 PM

    Interesting article, though I feel as though the semantics aren't very important with this topic. Vaping should be discouraged amongst minors regardless of its effects and even if the research against it is flawed, it shouldn't be brushed aside.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DanielleOctober 28, 2019 at 8:59 AM

    I agree with Nick, unless this is regulated by the FDA, then no one can be completely sure if it's safe and approved. Just don't start doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 28, 2019 at 2:49 PM

    I feel like this whole situation is such propaganda. The only reason the government is doing something about this is because they're not making money through e-cigs. I mean look at regular cigarettes. Those have caused way more deaths but you don't see the federal gov. stepping in. It's hypocritical honestly. In my opinion, restrictions are just going to inflate the problem if kids are just going to find a way to do it anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 29, 2019 at 5:30 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 29, 2019 at 5:36 PM

    I do agree that minors should have less access to e-cigarettes. However, I don't think that they should be banned because they do pose as a tobacco-free alternative for adult smokers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownOctober 30, 2019 at 2:54 PM

    I agree with Adam, they should be more heavily regulated but not banned all together

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ancient Greek Heroes VS. Modern Day Heroes

-
Image
Heroes in Greek/Anglo-Saxon (I am grouping the types of historical literature we have read) writing are very obvious and much of ancient Greek literature involves a central hero or a supernatural story. In modern day English, however, the plots are less often mythical and more realistic. Since each person has a different definition for heroism, modern day heroism literature can be more varied. Ancient Greek writing is very often far-fetched, however. There are many similarities and differences between the two types of writing, but first I will run through the most significant differences. In Greek mythology, heroes were often religious figures, like demigods, while modern day writing focuses more on ordinary people. This could be because authors nowadays want the readers to be able to relate with the heroes in their stories. Greek writing had heroes that had the power to protect or destroy the people depending on prevailing circumstances. In contrast, modern day heroes are acknowledg...
Read more

My Brother by Elizabeth Hailey DeGasperis

-
Image
          When I contemplate what is most important in my life, my mind is drawn to my 21-year-old brother, Tom. There are not enough words in the English language I could use to describe what he means to me. I cannot imagine the past fifteen years of my life without him. Allow me to start from the beginning.           Even when I was an infant, he never failed to take me out of my crib, strap me in my high chair, and cook scrambled eggs for us (at the tender age of six). He did this so my mother could catch up on sleep in the mornings and take care of me however he could. I only wish I could return the favour in some way. Though we have always been tight, we used to fight frequently as all siblings do. As immature children, we viewed every ordeal as monumental. The apocalypse would occur if either of us decided to give the other access to the TV remote or the pogo sticks for five minutes. However, we would always make-up in the end and...
Read more

Not Fate, Just a Coincidence - Sila Paniker

-
Image
The idea of fate confuses me. I don't really understand how something will happen no matter what you do. It just seems very unlikely. I think we're constantly making choices that lead to occurrences. We make so many decisions a day that it seems impossible that fate can find a way around it all.  Awhile ago, I saw something called the Butterfly Effect, which doesn't exactly relate to fate but it makes sense to me. The idea is that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado on the other side of the world. Essentially, small changes can have large impacts. In my head, this connects with the thousands of tiny decisions we subconsciously make each day. There are people I've met or things that have happened and it feels like it was meant to be but they're just a bunch of coincidences that had the ability to change everything. Thinking about it, there are reasons that can explain everything. For example, I met one of my closest friends a few years ago a...
Read more