Vape: The Modern Cigarette

     On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, the dangers of vaping nabbed another victim. The second vaping related death in Kansas has increased the nationwide number to 9 deaths this year, with the first happening on August 23, 2019. Each day, more and more information has been found on the dangers of vaping, and why it could be even more dangerous than traditional cigarettes.
     The use of tobacco products has been around for hundreds of years, but until recently, the tobacco industry has been changing. The first design for the electronic cigarette (e-cig) came in 1963 with Herbert A. Gilbert patenting a design for an electronic vaporizer to replace the commonly used tobacco plant and paper. It was not until 2003 when Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik created the first modern e-cig. 
     Since 2003, e-cigs have become more and more popular over the years with them being easier to use and more readily available, as well as the abundance of different “juice” flavors that appeal to the consumer, and especially minors. 
     More than 90% of e-cigs and e-cig products are made in China, and in China there are no regulations on these e-cig products. Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that, “E-cigarettes are unregulated, which means that we don't know what's in them.” The ingredients in the juice is causing many different health problems, and since they are not regulated, it is harder to trace the ingredients. The main ingredient found by researchers in over 500 vaping related cases is Vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E acetate produces toxic vapors that can coat the lungs, damage lung cells and trigger immune responses that can be deadly as time continues.
     On September 10, 2019, it was announced that the Trump administration would soon ban flavored e-cig juice. With this ban also comes an investigation into one of the biggest e-cig companies in the world, Juul. It is only a matter of time before there e-cig companies will be investigated. Although this has only been a problem for a few decades now, this is just the beginning of a battle in the e-cig world.

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​Reporter: Myles Witte