Are Vape Pens Safe? Read This Before Your Next Puff
Vape pens were designed to be a healthy alternative to smoking tobacco, but what happens when the very thing that’s supposed to protect your health puts you at risk anyhow?
The internet was taken aback when the Washington Post reported that a 17-year-old Salt Lake City boy arrived at a hospital with his entire jaw cracked and a chunk of the bone completely shattered due to a vapor pen explosion.
With several of his teeth missing and a hole in his chin, professionals compared the teen’s injuries to those of a “high-speed motor vehicle” crash or “close-range gunshot wound.” Yikes!
Sadly, this isn’t the first time this has happened to a vapor pen user! According to a report published last year in BMJ Journals, between 2015 and 2017 there were about 2,035 explosions and burn injuries caused by e-cigarettes.
"People need to know before they buy these devices that there's a possibility they're going to blow up in your pocket, in your face," said Dr. Katie Russell, the trauma medical director who first treated the boy at Primary Children's Hospital.
In light of this horrifying freak accident, we’ve decided to dive into the dangers of vape pens:
Vapes (a.k.a. e-cigarettes) can explode, causing major damage!
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), e-cigarettes or vapes can explode and cause serious injury. From unexpected explosions in pockets to bursts while smoking, the damage from a vapor malfunction could be tragic.
Although they appear rare, these explosions are extremely dangerous. Evidence has shown that most of the incidents have been due to battery-related issues.
The Side Effects from using E-Cigarettes can make you sick.
It has been proven that when you introduce any substance into the human body to which it is not accustomed, there can be side effects. According to Vapingdaily.com, no matter if you inhale or ingest certain chemical substances, your body may respond negatively.
A few side effects associated with vaping include: dry mouth, sore mouth, headache, tongue inflammation, black tongue and more.
There is a possibility you can become addicted.
Like with any habit, vaping can become an addiction just like biting your fingernails. While most people vape to stop smoking, they can become addicted and find it hard to stop. Habits can be hard to break and can oftentimes come with withdrawal symptoms.
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It is still unclear if vaping is harmless.
According to Stanford University Adolescent Medicine, people incorrectly believe that vape pen devices produce water vapor, when in fact they create aerosols that contain harmful chemicals and ultra-fine particles.
These chemicals are inhaled into the lungs and out into the environment, making them harmful to the user and others nearby.
