The Real Truth about Tobacco – Part 2

Comments 70

1. 
   Jane Keep

   May 30, 2018 at 3:22 pm

   Absolutely stunning blog – which should be part of a public health awareness raising.
   There is no place to hide once reading this blog on Tobacco and E-Cigarettes – the facts are laid bare.
   A very sobering read.

   Reply
2. 
   JS

   May 31, 2018 at 6:48 pm

   I am stunned.

   There is much here for us to consider. So much.

   “The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced” – is this not something of which we should all be acutely aware?

   I go about my life seeing people smoking every day. I accept this as part of life – free will and all that.
   Reading this blog brings that into stark view:

   What is underneath this epidemic?
   Why do people start smoking in the first place?
   What is happening in their lives for smoking to be the answer?
   What was happening for them as kids that they took up the habit as teenagers?
   What has been allowed in the tobacco industry for the last 100 years that we have arrived in this place?
   Why do we have loopholes in the law on this subject?

   And – hugely – what if researching and educating our youth could hold the answer?

   If what our kids are experiencing is what causes them to pick up a cigarette later in life, then let’s study what is going on for them. Let’s understand how life is from their point of view – how the propensity to smoke begins.

   And let’s educate and confirm them in what they naturally know so clearly from a young age – that smoking is damaging to the body. Let’s get to them before the peer pressure and the branding and the excitement of the gizmos take hold.

   What if by educating our children at a young age, they come out of school equipped with what the facts are?
   They can then make the choices knowing what they now know about the Truth of smoking and e-cigarettes.

   Thank you Simple Living Global for putting this work out there. It feels like compulsory reading for the Health Ministers of every country in the world, every teacher, every parent, every doctor, every one of us…

   Reply
3. 
   JS

   June 1, 2018 at 5:43 am

   My children have been fascinated and confused by smoking since being tiny.

   It is like they instinctively know it was unnatural for the body to have smoke in the lungs.

   They have always pointed out people smoking and did so before they could even talk. And they often ask questions about it. Questions about why people are smoking and what happens when people smoke.

   Increasingly, they seem to have concluded – still fascinated – that people who choose to smoke need it somehow, but they always share how bad they feel it is and how much harm they feel it is doing.

   There is something innately wise about children and the simplicity with which they see the world. Perhaps we should start listening to them more.

   Reply
4. 
   Ken Elmer

   June 1, 2018 at 6:17 pm

   It is amazing the level of denial our world is in around smoking.

   Any one who smokes knows how bad it is for them. How is it that they can ignore this self-abuse?

   The reason for this self abuse is what needs to be looked at – that is the first step in dealing with Tobacco.

   Reply
5. 
   Shevon Simon

   June 4, 2018 at 8:40 pm

   BBC News – Vaping – the Rise in Five Charts
   31st May 2018

   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44295336

   2011 – 7 million vapers
   2016 – 35 million
   2021 – 55 million vapers expected

   Seychelles and Brazil have also banned e-cigarettes.

   $22.6 billion – global vapers market
   4.2 billion rise in 5 years

   USA, Japan and UK are the biggest markets.

   2016 – $16.3 billion combined spend on smokeless tobacco and vaping products.

   2018 – $8.9 billion estimated spend on vape pens.
   Vape pens are an open system where the liquid that is vapourised can be refilled manually by the user.
   This sounds like the second-generation e-cigarettes mentioned in this article by Simple Living Global.

   UK – 2,000 vaping outlets. Europe’s biggest e-cigarette market.
   The majority of e-cigarette users buy their devices in specialist shops.

   Most common reason for using e-cigarettes – people believe they are “less harmful than regular cigarettes” (survey by Ernst & Young).

   Cited health concerns from the World Health Organization –

   Long term affects are unknown.

   Nicotine in the vapourising liquid in e-cigarettes is addictive.

   Risk of user’s spilling refillable liquid on their skin could lead to nicotine poisoning.

   Some sweeter flavours of e-cigarettes are irritants, potentially causing inflammation of the airways.

   This is just a snippet of the article but we get the gist that the e-cigarette market is growing exponentially and there are grave concerns that this product is harming.

   One only need read this article by Simple Living Global which gives the background and history to e-cigarettes along with all of the current concerns especially for our youth, to know that this product is no different to cigarettes and the many public health warnings that occurred back in the 1960’s from the first Surgeon General’s report.

   I have learnt a lot from reading this BBC news article and from reading this monumental article and extensive analysis of Tobacco and E-Cigarettes by Simple Living Global and its Part 1 https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-no-tobacco-day-part-1/

   It has made me want to find out more and I very much look forward to Part 3 in 2019.

   Reply
6. 
   Bina Pattel

   June 7, 2018 at 8:13 pm

   Citizen Journalism – on the street reporting today 7 June 2018

   Observing from the car at the lights, a new friend for drivers is on the scene.

   If we were from another planet we would think it is something we need and we hold it tight and close to us and inhale it like a false breath from the mouthpiece, not a breath from the nose. It has a force with the inhalation and then a sort of relief with lots of white cloud.

   I would say it could be very dangerous as the fog it creates could affect the vision when driving. Of course this would have to go through endless research and science would need to prove it and double blind test it and then it would be another 30 year long term study.

   But what if we just took the word of a caring citizen who just happens to write big fat blogs and seems to know what is going on in our world?

   Could this save us a ton of money and time?

   Do we have the luxury of waiting for proof or are we going to get on the front foot and not wait for those accidents to happen before we take this seriously?

   Next – another observation is on the street these vaping things are super popular at the bus stop with the youth and vape shops are popping up on our local high streets everywhere.

   I am in no doubt that this creation we have come up with is no different to Tobacco smoking but a modern new style – a new way of the same thing. Bit like ice cream but now its a different flavour, but nevertheless it is still ice cream.

   Hope that makes sense?

   Reply
7. 
   Ken Elmer

   June 9, 2018 at 6:18 pm

   Why are our children grabbing on to any new fad that comes along?

   They are trying to fill a need, an emptiness, with something outside of themselves.

   It does not work. Everything we think we need, we already have in our hearts.

   Simple Living Global’s, Back to Basics Program has supported me to reconnect to this place. It is as simple as breathing your own breath.

   When I am connected to this place, I cannot do anything that is harmful to myself, or anyone else.

   That is the how we can support our children to make good choices in their lives. Just reflect to them that it is ok to just be themselves. To do what feels right in there own bodies.

   Reply
8. 
   JS

   June 19, 2018 at 5:21 am

   Driving past a man yesterday, it looked like he was having a picnic on a wall next to the road. He had the air and movements of someone eating e.g. a sandwich.

   When I got and looked closer, he was smoking an e-cigarette.

   It was so interesting to see his movements. He really looked like he was eating.

   It made me reflect on how similar the impulse might be, of turning to food and turning to a cigarette/e-cigarette.

   Both coming from a place of ‘wanting something’, needing to fill up somehow, get a boost of something or make ourselves feel better.

   I wonder what would happen if we started to look at that really honestly – at the reasons why we turn to cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

   Reply
9. 
   Bina Pattel

   July 6, 2018 at 4:35 am

   Citizen Journalism – real life on the street talk reporting in.

   Few brief chats with a young 26 year old who said she started smoking age 16 when things were not good in her life. Same time she had some tattoos.

   This is what is worth taking note of dear reader –

   She could hear sound recently coming from her lungs that she associated with a smoker.

   She knows smoking is bad but said ‘ignorance is bliss’ when I suggested she reads the blogs on this website about Tobacco.

   Next time we spoke, few days later – very quiet, low mood and said she was so tired but is not able to sleep.

   So the thing I keep finding out wherever I go is smoking starts in the teenage years.

   This has been the case for every single person I have spoken to and those I know who smoke. So there has to be something going on during this time of transition from child to adult that is not natural and why some turn to smoking cigarettes.

   Recently, the big thing is our health chiefs saying smoking is on the decline with youth but let’s not get too excited or put our feet up thinking we have nailed it.

   I am certain this is because our youth have found another way to have the effects of smoking and that is flavoured e-cigarettes or other drugs.

   Let us not be fooled and if we think this is twaddle, hang out where the young people go and observe and you will be left in no doubt, it is going on under our nose.

   Back to the real life anecdotal evidence from my local community.

   This young person KNOWS the harm but the truth is she cannot stop and we parted with her saying she will read the sleep blog on this website which may help her to understand what true sleep is about.

   Whether she does read it or not, makes no difference to me.
   All I know is that I cannot keep my mouth shout when I know so much.
   I have a duty to humanity to share what I know and what they do with it is up to them.

   Bit like this website, I will keep writing, keep researching and keep bringing more awareness because I know, I just know the tides are turning, albeit at a slow pace.

   Finally, I am a great advocate of the fact that when someone presents what they live, it holds a quality, a vibration so to speak. Others feel that on some level, even if they are not conscious of it. So if I write or talk to another about the harm of smoking knowing in my body I am Absolutely clear of that substance, as it is nowhere in my radar, then it can and will make a difference. It is like it plants a seed, a pulse that they feel and wake up to – maybe not overnight but it remains there.

   This is probably too way off and whacky for most to comprehend but I know that one day, scholars of the future will be saying it was said in the early 21st century, at a time where very few valued or accepted this immutable truth.

   Reply
10. 
    Tim bowyer

    July 6, 2018 at 7:58 pm

    An article in euractiv.com, 30th March 2018, says, ‘Greek court says e-cigarettes do not differ from traditional smoking’.

    A top Greek court has decided that electronic cigarettes should have the same legal restrictions as traditional smoking does when it comes to bans in public places and advertising, and Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court has rejected an appeal launched by the Electronic Cigarette Business Association.

    Greece has imposed restrictions and prohibitions on the advertising, sale and use of regular cigarettes and tobacco products (ban on smoking in public places transport etc) and has also introduced sanctions against offenders.

    The e-cigarettes association said that the ban on e-cigarettes in public places and advertising was having an adverse economic impact. It also said the constitutionally protected economic freedom of those operating in the electronic cigarette market and the constitutional principles of equality and proportionality have been breached.

    Although Greece has put a strict anti-smoking legislation in place, the ban is not effective in practice and this has been criticised by citizens, public health NGO’s and EU officials.

    The Council of the European Union’s recommendation on smoke free environments (November 2009) called on member states to adopt and implement laws to fully protect their citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed public places, workplaces and public transport, within three years of its adoption.

    Just like traditional cigarettes, more and more research is coming through that exposes the harm of e-cigarettes but with many companies, profit will always be more important than the health of others.

    It doesn’t come as much of a shock to see the resistance of the bans, and likewise, in all cases where big businesses are feeling that they may lose some opportunity for the loss of earnings of their product – could it be possible that these organisations continue to put profits ahead of the true health and well being of others?

    Although the Greek Court has taken the right action in claiming that e-cigarettes should have the same legal restrictions as traditional cigarettes and tobacco, it doesn’t really hold any weight if those in authority then choose not to enforce those restrictions.

    The Electronic Cigarette Business Association say that ‘the constitutional principles of equality and proportionality have been breached’.

    What about those of us that choose not to smoke?

    Is it possible that our constitutional principles of equality and proportionality have been breached due to the fact that we may have to breathe in the smoke of these electronic cigarettes?

    Reply
11. 
    JS

    July 14, 2018 at 9:26 am

    At an event where they had shisha pipes. These were portable pipes which had been designed to look cool, like a tall wooden box with a tube attached. People were walking around with them.

    Talking to the dispenser, he said they are becoming more and more popular and people are redesigning them to appeal to a new crowd. They are apparently especially popular in Russia.

    There is a sort of tar-looking block that gets burned and the pipe draws the smoke through water to filter it before you inhale it. You can chose different flavours.

    One woman was saying her friends are in to it as something to do on a night out – a point of interest. She said she won’t go near it because she inhaled it once and got disgusting tar water in her mouth.

    Another guy said he doesn’t use it because usually you all smoke from the same pipe which is unhygienic.

    There was very little cigarette smoking at the event but the shisha seemed very popular.

    It was eye opening to the ways we find to consume tobacco and make it engaging and socially acceptable.

    Reply
12. 
    Tim bowyer

    July 22, 2018 at 9:44 am

    An article in The Week magazine, 21st July 2018, talks about how passengers on a flight experienced a terrifying mid-air plunge, owing to one of the co-pilots smoking an e-cigarette in the cockpit.

    The co-pilot had tried to turn off a fan that was blowing his vapour into the cabin, but instead turned off the air conditioning, triggering a low-oxygen alarm and the deployment of masks.

    In response, the captain initiated a descent of 6,500 metres.

    Two of the pilots have since had their licences revoked.

    The first question that came to mind was, why was the co-pilot allowed to smoke on the plane, when smoking has been banned for all staff and passengers?

    As users of online airline forums have occasionally accused pilots of smoking during flights and so it appears this practice has been going on for quite a while.

    Is it possible that there needed to be an incident like this to highlight the issue of pilots smoking in the cockpits?

    Is it possible that this happened, not only to expose the blatant disregard of the smoking ban, but to also highlight the harm caused by our smoking?

    Of course, this scenario is quite extreme, but the point that smoking harms us is very pertinent.

    For those of us that want to defend smoking, we will do so with all of our might but is it possible that, if we could ask our lungs how they feel with having this substance inside of them, they would give us an answer very different to the ones that we give ourselves?

    Probably every child in the world knows that smoking is harmful to ourselves, so as adults, however we want to defend smoking, is it possible that there is a deeper reason of why we choose to smoke?

    Reply
13. 
    Simple Living Global

    August 15, 2018 at 8:14 am

    https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/13/teen-vaping-fda-weighs-ban-flavored-e-cigarette-liquid/890218002/

    USA TODAY – 14 August 2018

    This news story is saying that Teenagers vaping is at the tipping point before possible epidemic levels.

    Some health groups sued the FDA – Food and Drug Administration for delaying regulation of vape products.

    “Companies have introduced new products at an alarming pace in total defiance of law, with no apparent concern for FDA enforcement,” the groups wrote.

    Over 2 million middle school, high school and college teens use these battery-powered devices to heat liquid-based nicotine into an inhalable vapor.
    E-cigarettes were by far the most popular Tobacco product among teenagers.

    ‘That puts hundreds of thousands of them at “exceedingly high” risk of developing nicotine addictions’. “The nicotine can rewire an adolescents brain.”
    FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told USA TODAY.

    The FDA are not ignoring the issue. They are reviewing more than half million public comments whether to restrict or even ban flavors in the liquid and are investigating youth marketing by a certain company which attracts young vapers with its nicotine packed products, in an easily hidden USB size and alluring social media presence.

    This month the FDA have asked four e-cigarette companies for information about the appeal of their products to youths and said it could take enforcement action against the companies based on what it learns.

    Next month – the FDA will launch a vaping prevention campaign targeting 10 million youths who vape or are open to trying it.

    “We are very concerned that we could be addicting a whole generation of young people. We only have a narrow window of opportunity to address it.”

    Robin Koval – CEO of the anti-tobacco group Truth Initiative said there is ample evidence that flavors attract teens.

    Are we being fooled because E-cigarettes are marketed as alternatives to traditional cigarettes, because they can quell smokers’ urges for nicotine without cancer causing Tobacco?

    Have we stopped long enough to read and study this forensic blog and Part 1 on Tobacco?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-no-tobacco-day-part-1/

    Can we be left in any doubt once we have the facts presented about Tobacco, Nicotine and E-Cigarettes?

    WHY are we choosing not to simply join the dots and ask some valid important questions –

    WHY are young people ‘newly lured’ to nicotine and chemicals found in vaping juice?

    WHY are chemicals needed and what exactly are the side effects of these substances?

    Do we have the statistics in our face now if we KNOW ‘young adults who use e-cigarettes are more than four times as likely to begin smoking Tobacco cigarettes within 18 months’?

    Do we really need to wait for more and more research to tell us what we all know right now?

    WHY are teens and 20-something vapers interviewed, describing moving back and forth between vaping and smoking, sometimes because the battery on their device was dead and cigarettes were available?

    WHY are these youth using Cigarettes or E-cigarettes – whichever was handy when heavy drinking was involved?

    What is going on for our young people that excess alcohol is needed together with another mind altering addictive substance called Tobacco?

    WHY is there a whole genre of Twitter memes about bathroom vaping for kids?

    WHY are kids giving vaping devices as gifts?
    WHY does a teen say, because their mother smokes they cannot say anything why they vape?

    WHY are young people describing vaping as a de-stressor?
    WHY are they stressed in the first place?
    WHY would a child self-medicate for stress?

    WHY are child psychologists saying that it is usually because they are anxious or depressed and vaping is numbing those feelings?

    If we have real life feedback from a teen trying to give up vaping and saying she wound up moody, with the shakes and unable to sleep – should we take note here?

    What is the buzz the kids are saying they get from vaping?
    Should we be asking more questions directly to them?

    What is this need for making it a ‘social thing’?

    What is missing that a mind altering addictive substance is needed in school time?

    Dear World

    How have we ended up with a $3 billion dollar vaping company that has become so ingrained in social media and youth culture?

    Are we aware that this is a side step and not really evolution, because moving from cigarettes to another addictive substance changes nothing?

    Are we aware that billion dollar companies have the powerful attorneys in place to defend because this is how the game works?

    Are we aware that even if we stop all companies and ban the product, the next substance will already be out there to hook us back in?

    Are we aware that nothing in truth will change until we get to the root cause of the demand?
    In other words, why is anyone wanting to use a substance that is poison for their body?

    So who are we blaming?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/why-do-we-blame/

    WHY are we wanting solutions?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/solutions-solutions/

    Where is our Responsibility?

    Are our policymakers and lawmakers on the front foot with the governments?

    While we consider weighing it all up – have those who created this poison already inventing the next chemical we need?

    Have we considered that a multi billion dollar product can only be popular if we demand it?
    That means without us wanting it there would be no business for the suppliers.

    So if we join the dots and add this all up – would it be wise to consider what exactly is going on for our children and what is missing for them that gives rise to taking any substance that alters their natural state?

    Can we bring it back to us and ask – how are we living that contributes to such ill on our planet?

    Reply
14. 
    Shevon Simon

    September 2, 2018 at 8:37 pm

    The Times – 3 August 2018

    Britain’s 2.8 million vapers could be taxed in the Autumn 2018 budget.

    Due to the £83 billion extra needed for the health service from 2018 – 2022, the Treasury are looking at a range of possible ‘sin’ taxes.

    Is it possible that the mere fact that we have taxes on certain products called ‘sin’ taxes, tells us that there are certain products that we have legalised that we know are harmfull to the human body?

    Users typically spend about £275 a year on vaping fluid.

    A 5% tax could cost vapers £13.75 per year, raising £40 million.

    Is this a true move, to be making money off other people harming themselves, even if it is to improve health services?

    Is the mere fact that the money has been raised through people buying a harmfull substance, really going to create initiatives that will boost patients’ health?

    Is it possible that if money has been raised from products that are detrimental to the human body, that it can in no way go towards any true healing?

    There is much debate about e-cigarettes and what the long-term effects will be.

    Is it possible that if a substance is taken that does not support the human body to be nourished and live with vitality, that there can be no beneficial long term effects?

    Do we need to wait for any research studies to answer this question, or can we simply observe what we see in our daily lives regarding those who use e-cigarettes to answer this?

    Reply
15. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 20, 2018 at 7:33 pm

    Science Magazine – 18 September 2018

    University of California San Francisco has been awarded a five-year $20 million grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to study the impacts of new and emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), which heat tobacco without combustion.

    The UCSF team also received a five-year $20 million TCORS grant when the program started in 2013.

    The new research projects will range from the products’ impacts on lung and cardiovascular disease, to school-age usage and the impact on health care costs in general and vulnerable populations.

    They will independently study the health effects of these products, how they are perceived by consumers and their effects on health care costs, with the goal of protecting public health.

    “Tobacco companies are using new products they claim are ‘safer’ to try to position themselves as part of the solution rather than part of the problem” says Professor Stanton A. Glantz who is leading the research team.

    So here we have $40,000,000 over a decade, telling us what most of us are very aware of. Even kids know at a very young age smoking is not right.

    Any product that we ingest that has tobacco or nicotine is going to harm us.

    To what extent and exactly what brain receptors they trigger and all the ins and outs, will of course be what science tells us.

    For now, what would happen if we ALL just read this blog and then re-read it and also read our blog on Tobacco and ponder on every single question that is being presented?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-no-tobacco-day-part-1/

    Then we go back and check the facts and stats and sit with it and see what we feel and come up with.

    Could this be another way to save some money, because a clear article like this one just lays it down for us and we don’t have to wait around for any more evidence or proof?

    What if our future Independent research were to focus on those who are free of all drugs, stimulants and outer distractions that man has conveniently created to avoid taking the real responsibility that we all need to get to, in order to live daily life on this earth plane?

    What would that anecdotal evidence spell out to us?

    Would real life case studies be enough, or are we going to carry on insisting on the current methods of research, because they have dominated science and we seem to think this is the one and only way?

    Is it time to consider everything and think outside the box, so to speak – as let’s get real, things are getting worse and whoever created e-cigarettes were on the front foot albeit in a harm-full way?

    Can we honestly say we have nailed it and are on the front foot?

    Reply
16. 
    Bina Pattel

    October 2, 2018 at 10:40 am

    At the bus stop yesterday, I started talking to a woman about her vaping as it was almost non stop – as soon as the smoke came out, she had the bit to her mouth again.

    She told me it had no nicotine and just peppermint flavour with water. Nothing else.

    I thought SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

    Firstly, I drink peppermint tea daily and this was smelling nothing like natural peppermint.

    Next thing is I have this enquiring mind that was not buying it when she sold me the line that this was completely safe.

    The other thing is I had to move as I started coughing. Surely this was some sort of anecdotal evidence coming from my body and communicating something.

    Then the school kids moved away as the smoke was non stop as she was inhaling at every breath she could.

    This article from the Centre on Addiction website confirms the truth.
    https://www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes/tobacco-replacement/are-nicotine-free-e-cigarettes-harmful

    The other chemicals found in e-cigarette liquid, flavourings and aerosols are not safe.

    According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, inhalation of diacetyl and acetyl propionyl, which have been found in almost 75% of flavoured e-cigarettes examined in this study, is associated with respiratory disease.

    Another study – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623812002833
    Evaluated 40 e-cigarette refill liquids and found toxic levels regardless of nicotine content.

    As always, additional studies are needed and that is where we have been at, throughout history. We need more evidence and we seem to only accept this type of evidence as worthy and valuable.

    Back to the bus stop lady – I observed the lung area of her body which confirmed the shallow breathing and the actual difficulty in breathing. She did tell me her smoking was really a bad habit and now this one is totally ok even though it is used a lot, as there is no nicotine.

    My take is if we are not aware or not educated or given ALL the facts, then our choices are limited, simply because those choices may be different if we knew everything there is to know.

    Are we being fooled with the adverts and what goes on behind the scenes with this new latest product out to replace old fashion smoking, OR are we just changing something but not addressing the root cause, so in truth there is no evolution for mankind?

    Who benefits and are the shareholders and investors of the huge billion dollar Tobacco industry going to continue the profits by simply selling us another form which we go for, as if it’s better for our health?

    In other words, is it still ice-cream, but we just get sold a new flavour as if it’s something new and different?

    This article concludes that evidence to date suggests that e-cigarettes and other vaping devices certainly are not risk free.

    So do we wait for contra opposing evidence, as we know that is coming OR do we read this forensic blog by Simple Living Global and join the dots and work things out and get on the front foot?

    Chemicals of any kind are going to alter our natural state.

    Human beings are not naturally designed to inhale or ingest any form of substance that can affect the precise and perfect detail, to which the body moves and operates.

    What I have come to realise is I cannot shout from the rooftops and this is not my intention, but what I can do with ease is write about what I see on the street, in my neighbourhood and in my community, to raise awareness about what I know is causing ill to my fellow brothers and to the planet we enhouse.

    My commitment is absolute when it comes to expressing what I see going on as this is the microcosm, which we all know is part of the big stuff – the macrocosm.

    Reply
17. 
    Simple Living Global

    October 2, 2018 at 7:23 pm

    CNBC – 2 October 2018
    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/fda-seizes-documents-in-surprise-inspection-of-e-cigarette-maker-juul.html

    News story just out telling us that the FDA has seized documents from a well known company who supply e-cigarettes.

    This is because the FDA are looking into the company’s marketing practices as the Commissioner calls teenager use of nicotine vaping devices an “epidemic”.

    This organisation represents over 70% of the market share making them the leader.

    3 million high school children are using e-cigarettes according to last year’s National Youth Tobacco Survey.

    This step for concerned parents and others would seem like a positive move, but is there more we need to consider if we are to ever get on the front foot?

    Our kids are looking to ingest something that most of us would agree is harmfull to the human frame. We are all aware of the harm tobacco has caused and now we have a new substitute, albeit a different form, but nevertheless it has toxic chemicals not designed for human consumption.

    What is missing for our youth of today that they require a mouth piece to inhale and what is the message this gives out to the world? In other words what are they actually communicating by doing this practice as a lifestyle choice.

    What if we conducted a study of young children, not on e-cigarettes and observe them through school and see how may end up smoking and what is going on in their lives at the time they start to smoke or vape?

    Could we find some clues or see a certain type of child who goes for this?

    What is missing and how is their behaviour in everyday life?

    Whilst it is great our governments are clamping down and doing something, is there more that can be discussed, so we leave no stone unturned?

    We have known for over 150 years about what cigarettes do to our body and yet we continue to wait for more and more evidence to tell us what we already know.

    If a new market like e-cigarettes is growing so rapidly in a short space of time, surely this is a strong sign SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT or do those who turn a blind eye have a vested interest?

    We need to get to the truth of why anyone wants to light up or vape and unless we consistently question things and not settle or accept anything we will not eradicate harmfull substances like this, which are designed for the pleasure of a human but with no regard for the body.

    Reply
18. 
    Shevon Simon

    October 4, 2018 at 3:38 am

    Travelling on the underground this week as I stood on the platform, there was a group of about 5 American teenage boys. I noticed large amounts of smoke and looked over at them to see what was happening.

    One of them was smoking one of those USB type – e-cigarettes.

    I have read about this a lot, but this is the first time I have actually seen one in real life. They look just like a USB stick and so could very easily be hidden in a classroom setting or in the family home, if teachers and parents are not astute.

    Each time the young man inhaled the substance, a light would go off on the device. I watched his movements which were very unsettled and jittery and he was unable to keep still.

    The FDA Commissioner – Scott Gottlieb, is already calling this an epidemic.

    Whilst calls are being made to have e-cigarette companies remove flavourings for example from these products, so that they are less attractive – have we really considered what is truly going on for our youth as to why they are demanding e-cigarettes – as use amongst teens is high.

    Before we make any legislative changes, are we willing to investigate how our youth our feeling about themselves and about life today?

    Are we asking them how their home life is and are we ready to hear what is going on for them on a day to day basis?

    Could it be possible that our youth are living with a deep form of disconnection to who they truly are.

    What if the starting point in dealing with this epidemic, would be to support them and ourselves as adults to plug in and connect?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/plug-in-and-connect/

    Reply
19. 
    Shevon Simon

    January 20, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    The Times – 21 November 2018

    Plan to stamp out smoking in social housing

    Vaping kits should be given to tenants by housing associations to encourage them to quit smoking in their homes, campaigners have urged.

    They have found that smoking was twice as common among those in social housing than other tenures.

    Is providing vaping kits really the answer?

    Having read this forensic article by Simple Living Global we know that vapes contain nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals, so are we not just encouraging one harmful substance to be smoked in exchange for another?

    Who says that vaping is better for us than smoking cigarettes?

    If we take just one country – USA we have an epidemic of youth using e-cigarettes which the Food and Drug Administration’s Commissioner has expressed deep concern about just this week?

    Are we prepared to consider if the solutions that we are offering are really progressive as we would like to think, or are they just more of the same?

    Reply
20. 
    Simple Living Global

    January 29, 2019 at 10:13 am

    CBS NEWS – 28 January 2019

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vaping-among-teens-kids-threatens-five-decades-of-public-health-gains-american-academy-pediatrics/

    The American Academy of Pediatrics called for a major new effort to discourage children and teenagers from using e-cigarettes.

    According to AAP data there has been a 75% rise in e-cigarette use in one year – 2017-2018.

    HELLO

    Is this a big STOP for all of us – a wake up call things are really serious and we need to get to the root of this and not offer any band aid solutions which may not weather in the long term?

    In other words, we have a bullet wound and a pack of band-aids will not do the job down the line.

    The health organization called for new federal regulations to include –
    Setting a minimum age of 21 to buy the products
    Banning online sales and youth-targeted marketing
    Stopping production of certain flavoured e-cigarette products

    As a parent or elder in the community – does an age, a birthdate actually change the behaviour of a young adult?

    In other words, the adolescent lives in a way that is not responsible, but when they suddenly have a birthday, it gives them permission to do ‘adult’ things like smoking and vaping.

    How is that going to work and do we ever question WHY they have a need to ingest a highly addictive substance?

    Dr Tara Narula – Cardiologist speaking on the news video – (see link) called the use of e-cigarettes among young people “an epidemic” that is affecting 3.6 million youth and that it is a gateway to traditional cigarette use.

    Is that just a number or can we STOP again and reflect on what this means and the bigger picture?

    In other words, we have 3,600,000 young people who are going to be the adult generation of our future.

    What is the cost going to be to their own health and how will they be contributing to society by way of work if they suffer ill health as a result of vaping poison, because nicotine and all the chemicals used in e-cigarettes confirms that?

    What will the cost be in terms of medical health bills and what is the knock on effect to those close to them?

    Read what this news story has to say about what nicotine does, which is also covered in detail on this blog.

    We all know it is highly addictive and the concern is that ‘one pod has as much nicotine as a whole packet of cigarettes’.

    HELLO again

    Can we stop and join the dots and keep it simple?

    This e-cigarettes business is actually worse because children and teenagers are choosing it and the truth is it contains more than a whole pack of cigarettes. That means even more poison consumed in one go and as they are not adults and they are still developing, it would be obvious it is going to have some serious effects on their mind and body.

    But as always, we as a world will wait for science and research to do studies and then more studies and then even more studies to tell us what we all know right now, if we just choose common sense and join these simple dots.

    What we really need to do is have Independent studies that give us anecdotal evidence.

    Get in there with the kids, hang out with them morning, noon and night and observe what exactly goes on in their daily life. Then look for the correlation and it will be there because what we do know is SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    What if we started with these questions and use this as a new form of research?
    Would this benefit the public and all of society and get their attention?

    How are they engaging with parents, siblings, teachers and school friends?

    Does their behaviour change depending on the environment?

    Is there a certain time they feel the need to get the vaping kit out?

    Are there times where it is used more and are there any obvious changes post vaping?

    Where are they getting the money for this expensive habit?

    How is their appearance and communication with others?

    If we compare to others in the same age who do not smoke or vape can we observe anything?

    Can we look at how well they are doing at school when it comes to learning?

    How are these kids when left alone on their own with no one around?

    How are their sleeping habits and what times are they sleeping and waking?

    What are they eating or is this new habit kicking out the need to eat proper healthy food?

    Back to the news story –
    The same kind of treatments available to adults is simply not there for nicotine addiction for kids because they have not been approved.

    So does that mean we wait for approval or do we get on the front foot?

    Do we ask some serious questions and consider everything that has been presented in this forensic blog which confirms Simple Living Global are on the front foot, by delivering an educational tablet of truth that can be used in schools and colleges to bring awareness and understanding?

    Then the child or young adult can choose what they want, once they know the facts and the real truth about e-cigarettes.

    Another point of interest for the reader here is in 2017 the Food & Drug Administration were tasked to review tobacco products to include e-cigarettes and it delayed its review of e-cigarettes until 2022.

    Does this tell us that the US government did smell something was needed but to get on the front foot, we need to take action and any delay will come at a cost, as we are seeing clearly just from this one news story.

    Finally – how do we get to the root of WHY any child or teenager makes the choice to ingest a substance that is poison?

    Is that a question we need to be asking at every opportunity and at every dining table if we want the tides to turn once and for all?

    Reply
21. 
    Simple Living Global

    March 10, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    The Telegraph | 7 March 2019
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/07/vaping-raises-risk-having-heart-attack-biggest-ever-study-says/

    Vaping is linked to a greater risk of heart attack according to a new study by researchers from the University of Kansas.

    Data from 96,467 people were used so we can assume this is not a small study.

    55% vapers are more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety.

    For those of us who may think it is safe to practice vaping, this study is saying it is a “wake up call and should prompt more action and awareness about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

    The first question is WHY are scientists and health officials divided over whether e-cigarettes are safe?

    The head of Britain’s biggest addiction clinic has just warned that people as young as 14 are becoming addicted to e-cigarettes.

    If we just focus on these highlights from the study – what is it telling us if we are to be honest?

    What if we simply read this blog and then the other 2 blogs on The Real Truth about Tobacco so that we have more awareness and not rely on news or studies to tell us this and that.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-3/

    How many kids would be taking up e-cigarettes if the author of this blog was presenting the stats and the facts independently at school?

    In other words, someone who is not biased as they have no vested interest – other than to provide and present the real truth.
    Add to that they are living a life that does not have smoking in any form on their radar.
    Could that make a difference and could it possibly be a game changer?

    What we all need to consider is we keep wanting more research studies to tell us the obvious that almost every one of us actually know, as we can feel it. For whatever reasons, our governments and scientists are not agreeing and that in itself should tell us loud and clear –
    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Finally – back to the news story and the mention of more than half who vape are likely to suffer with depression and anxiety.

    Is that not a clear indication once again that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT?

    Reply
22. 
    Shevon Simon

    April 12, 2019 at 3:48 am

    What is it about cigarettes and vaping that makes us think they are cool?

    Why is it that from our teenage years we very often adopt this belief?

    What is the image that we are trying to replicate with this cool vibe and where have we seen this being role modelled?

    Is there something ‘fashionable’ about holding a rollie or a vaping device that can fit into the palm of our hand?

    Is there something ‘glamorous’ about being able to have these kinds of accessories and does it give us some kind of status symbol?

    Do we change our movements as a result to look hip?

    Is it really cool to take tar and tobacco and nicotine into our lungs so that they end up black?

    Does it make sense that we smoke to the point that we can no longer climb stairs for example, due to our inability to breathe and our reduced lung capacity?

    Is it cool when we end up in hospital, bed ridden or disabled as a result of a heart attack or stroke because of our lifestyle choices?

    Have we considered the cost to our health services or do we adopt the attitude that we have paid in so it is our time to get the money back through medical treatment?

    What makes us dismiss and ignore the longer term life threatening consequences of smoking and vaping, even though all of the evidence is in front of us?

    Is there more for us to take responsibility about in our choice to smoke?

    And have we ever questioned why we do it?

    Reply
23. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 26, 2019 at 6:18 pm

    NBC News – 24 April 2019

    https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/popular-e-cigarette-products-contaminated-bacterial-fungal-toxins-study-finds-n997781

    Popular makers of e-cigarettes claim that their products are safe but a new study shows they are contaminated with bacterial and fungal toxins that cause lung disease.

    The impurities found in the e-cigarettes, which are associated with asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease were found in nearly a quarter of single-use e-cigarette cartridges and in over 75% of e-liquids.

    The researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health examined 75 popular e-cigarette products and the study found endotoxin concentrations were higher in fruit flavored products.

    So as with all research we will be asking for more research and more hypothesis.

    While we wait for answers and empirical data and scientific evidence, would it be a wise move to use some common sense and join the dots?

    This blog is part 2 in our complete series – The Real Truth about Tobacco.
    If the reader were to read the whole presentation, there would be the facts and the stats together with an offering of awareness, so that we are no longer waiting to know more when we have all the answers right now.

    Even if one person was suffering because of the use of e-cigarettes, we should be questioning it.

    But instead as a world, we have become complacent in accepting whatever is said without ever asking what why when and how.

    Is it because we actually do not want to know, as knowing means we would need to change how we live?

    How many more years of research is it going to take to confirm that e-cigarettes are harmfull because they are a poison, when the evidence is here today?

    What happens if we all start talking about this and start with saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT?

    Could this lead to us all waking up and realising something is seriously wrong if we have created a toxic substance that is affecting our human frame?

    Reply
24. 
    Simple Living Global

    May 28, 2019 at 12:08 pm

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/27/health/vaping-heart-cells-study/index.html?no-st=1559040194

    CNN – 28 May 2019

    Experts say e-cigarettes are an epidemic among youth today.

    A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology adds to growing evidence that flavored e-liquids used in vapes can hinder human cells’ ability to survive and function. These changes, some observed in the absence of nicotine are known to play a role in heart disease.

    The public has this notion that e-cigarettes are safe. Vaping products sold in sweet or fruity flavors that may appear harmless. As a result of this perception, a lot of kids pick up e-cigarette smoking.
    Dr. Joseph Wu – Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
    Professor Medicine and Radiology medical school departments

    We are seeing more and more evidence that E-cigarettes do have a relationship with increased chance of having a heart attack.
    Dr. Lawrence Phillips – Director of Outpatient Cardiology at NYU Langone

    The risk of heart disease can increase because of what nicotine does to the human body –
    Raises heart rate
    Raises blood pressure
    Constricts blood vessels
    Interferes with platelets that clot blood

    Enough said – we only have to read this blog and it is clear that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

    We have created something new as a solution called e-cigarettes.

    Do any solutions work in the long term or do they offer a band aid of some kind?
    In other words, they may appear at the start to give us the results we have in our mind of what we want it to be, but with continued use it cannot sustain.

    We are always looking for more evidence, more research to confirm even more of what we all know and that is smoking anything – ingesting anything that is not natural is going to have ill side effects to the human frame.

    When are we going to learn that seeking something of any kind that is not supporting our true health and well-being is going to leave us in a lesser state?

    WHY are we not all demanding research to get to the root cause of why anyone takes up smoking or vaping in the first place?

    What on earth is going on in their life that makes them do something that will harm them?

    Is something missing and how can we nail this global epidemic that is having such an effect on individuals and society?

    Reply
25. 
    Simple Living Global

    July 3, 2019 at 7:15 am

    CBS News – 1 July 2019

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vermont-e-cigarette-tax-92-percent-tax-aims-to-dissuade-teens-from-vaping/

    Vermont
    92% tax on e-cigarettes is now in effect.

    This bill is aimed to curb youth vaping in the Green Mountain State.
    This is because teenagers are the group who are most sensitive to price and affected by price hikes.

    State Rep. George Till, a physician who sponsored the tax increase bill says “we know that these companies are going out of their way to get kids addicted.
    To say that e-cigarettes are safer is pretty non-sensical.

    The state of Vermont follows the city of San Francisco in taking a stand against e-cigarettes, citing lingering questions around their long term health impacts.

    Next – the video on this news story link is worth watching.

    You get to hear a young man talking about his vaping addiction and how difficult it really is.
    The doctor on this video says that nicotine is the most addictive substance known to man.

    On that note – can we just stop and pause for one moment?

    Most addictive substance known to us humans, so why on earth has it not been stamped out once and for all?

    In simple language – we all know there are ZERO HEALTH BENEFITS and there are plenty of HARMFULL health issues that arise from using this substance in any form.

    9 states in the USA have raised the age to 21, but will this be enough or will it drive it underground and create an even bigger black market as with other substances?

    Have the policymakers thought about the real life stuff, like these youth will get their older friends and siblings to purchase it for them?

    OR

    Will there be those ready to supply to an ever demanding market – in this case high school kids and seniors, under the age of 21?

    Reading this blog and then the part 1 and part 3 on this website, we will be left in no doubt about what The Real Truth about Tobacco is.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-3/

    What if this book by Simple Living Global, available to the world right now is brought into schools and used as an education tool – could that support and nail it at the root?

    In other words those learning get some real education and then if they choose with their free will to ignore what has been presented, at least they had the opportunity of knowing what ills and harm is caused by taking any form of tobacco or nicotine.

    Could this benefit society in the long-term and would this lead to a health system that is not drained by our lifestyle choices?

    Could this way of education bring awareness to the masses and turn the tides on what is now a global epidemic?

    Will it take real education for humanity to realise that we cannot continue living in a way that is irresponsible, because there are consequences and our health systems are not going to be able to continue supporting us if we do not make changes?

    This website is real education, as it is bringing awareness about human life and presenting another way which supports the human frame.

    Reply
26. 
    Shevon Simon

    July 4, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    The Telegraph – 2nd July 2019

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/02/number-teens-taking-smoking-hits-record-low-one-four-try-vaping/

    Whilst the number of adults smoking has dropped to a record low, the number of adults vaping has risen by 70% in 2 years with 1 in 4 children trying e-cigarettes.

    Public Health England say vaping is now the most popular and effective way for smokers to quit.

    This is being heralded as positive news.

    But is it really positive news?

    If we read the extensive stats and facts in this article by Simple Living Global, can we really say that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes?

    We know they still contain nicotine – a harmful substance that is described here as a ‘toxic poison’ which is ‘highly addictive’.

    So are we asking WHY more and more of our youth and children are using this?

    We know nicotine is a harmful substance as in the last few weeks 2 states in the USA have made bold moves to ban the sale of and increase the tax on e-cigarettes, so is it possible that we are in denial when we insist otherwise?

    Do we need to wait years to have enough evidence, because we have seen the physical ill effects of e-cigarettes in thousands of patients to then unanimously agree that they are harmful?

    OR do we act now and use common sense to confirm what we already know is true – that there are no true benefits to anyone using e-cigarettes?

    Reply
27. 
    Tim Bowyer

    July 6, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    The Telegraph – 2nd July 2019

    Increase in Use of E-Cigarettes Rising 70 Per Cent in Two Years
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/02/number-teens-taking-smoking-hits-record-low-one-four-try-vaping/

    Official data show that the number of adult’s vaping has risen by 70 per cent in two years, with one in four children trying e-cigarettes.

    The NHS data shows the number of adults and children smoking has dropped to a record low, while vaping is on the rise.

    In total, 6.3 per cent of adults are current users of e-cigarettes in 2016 – up from 3.7 per cent in 2014. And 25 per cent of children aged between 11 and 15 have tried e-cigarettes – a rise from 22 per cent in two years.

    Public Health England (PHE) said vaping is now the most popular and effective way for smokers to quit.

    The chief executive of PHE said: “This is really positive news in the battle against the nation’s biggest killer. Smoking in England is in terminal decline, with the lowest number of smokers ever and a smoke-free generation now in sight.”

    The figures, for 2016, show just six per cent of school pupils aged between 11 and 15 reported they were current smokers, down from 22 per cent in 1996.

    The PHE’s tobacco control lead said: “Vaping remains the most popular for smokers to quit and already this year, several major studies have found that it is twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapy. This data shows that vaping in England remains a route out of smoking, with quitting tobacco the most common reason for adult e-cigarette use. While not completely risk-free, there is now a strong international consensus that vaping is far less harmful than smoking.”

    We may see cause for celebrations because the number of people smoking is dropping but, the converse to this, is that vaping is on the increase.

    The head of Britain’s addiction clinic has said that children as young as 14 are becoming addicted to e-cigarettes.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/01/children-young-14-becoming-addicted-e-cigarettes-head-britains/

    So while we may champion the decrease in smokers, is it possible that we are just simply changing one addictive substance for another?

    Is it possible that very loud warning alarms should be going off in the authorities’ ears?

    Is it possible that, the fact that more children have vaped, shows how much more dangerous vaping is becoming, as it is appealing to the very young?

    It makes no sense to have a declining older population giving up cigarettes, only to have our younger generations start on e-cigarettes?

    Reply
    1. 
       Bina Pattel

       July 10, 2019 at 3:57 am

       If we read this comment it actually makes no sense.

       We are so busy championing and thinking we are getting ahead because we have got less smokers, but all we are doing is changing the form.

       In other words, we are still doing ice cream but this time it is a different flavour, but in essence it’s the same thing – ice cream.

       The fact that we call it e-cigarettes is such a give away. The word cigarettes albeit electronic is telling us it has still got the cigarette bit – the poison that is killing us.

       Kids are getting addicted and we are forgetting these young people will be our future adult generations.

       What will it take for us to realise that something is seriously wrong when we endorse, foster and promote an ill product that does nothing to support the true wellbeing of the human being?

       What we need now is a dose of honesty before we align and subscribe to anything and tell others it’s ok and it’s not bad for us.

       Reply
28. 
    Tim Bowyer

    August 21, 2019 at 5:15 am

    CNN – 20th August 2019

    E-cigarettes change blood vessels after just one use.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/20/health/vaping-cardiovascular-study/index.html

    A new study is the latest to show changes in cardiovascular function after vaping e-liquids even though in this case, they did not even contain nicotine.

    The study, published in the journal Radiology, concluded that vaping temporarily impacts blood vessel function in healthy people. Although the researchers couldn’t determine which chemical might be responsible for the changes, by using MRI scans, they found changes in blood flow within the femoral artery in the leg after just one use.

    The study author said: “After a few minutes everything normalises. One could say, big deal, nothing happens. But if someone vapes regularly, there’s a possibility that, over time, things might not go back to normal as readily.”

    The changes his team measured in 31 people, who had never vaped or smoked, reflect “the same processes… known to be initiating steps in the development of cardiovascular disease,” including atherosclerosis. But that takes years to develop, he added.

    The study is the most recent addition to a proliferation of research aiming to measure the impact of e-cigarettes on the heart, blood vessels, lungs and brain.

    For example, a study in May of this year found evidence that e-cigarette flavours had toxic effects – including poorer cell survival and signs of increased inflammation – on a type of cardiovascular cell in the lab.

    Doctors from the University of Massachusetts said in a commentary published alongside the May study: “The use of e-cigarettes is increasing and the data demonstrating potential harm is also growing. In addition to harm from the nicotine, the additives are a potential source of adverse vascular health and one that is being disproportionately placed on the young.”

    While experts have long suspected that vaping poses fewer health risks than smoking cigarettes, the doctors wrote that “little is known about the potential toxicology” of flavourings, particles, heavy metals and other components used in e-cigarettes.

    The founder of Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising said: “Nobody knows what it does to the human lung to breathe in and out aerosolized propylene glycol and glycerin over and over. It’s an experiment, frankly. We will find out, years from now, the results.”

    He added that a number of chemicals used by the flavour industry may be safe when absorbed through the intestine, but we don’t yet know the impact they can have on the lungs over a long period of time.

    He said: “ There’s no doubt in my mind that vaping is safer than conventional smoking, but that doesn’t mean that it is safe.”

    There is a glut of evidence now of the potential harm that e-cigarettes cause and this study is further confirmation of that harm.

    We say that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

    Why do we say this when we really have no idea about the long-term effects of e-cigarettes?

    If one puff of an e-cigarette can impact the blood vessels in this way, is it possible that the potential harm may be much greater than we could even imagine?

    The research into the long-term harm that e-cigarettes do is only in its infancy but already there are many cases and studies showing this to be a fact.

    Is it really acceptable and responsible to have to wait years for results, when the evidence clearly shows the harm that e-cigarettes can do?

    Reply
29. 
    Shevon Simon

    September 3, 2019 at 4:37 am

    How is it possible that we have allowed tobacco companies to create organisations that offer cheaper life insurances to those that switch from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes or those that quit smoking?

    With one company, people who quit smoking will receive the highest reduction in their insurance policy.

    Insurance companies are notorious for having copious amounts of small print where many real life situations end up not being covered – so who is actually benefitting from this?

    One particular company had net revenues of $29.6 billion dollars in 2018 with the majority of sales coming from traditional cigarettes.

    Whilst more and more people are accepting that cigarettes are bad for us it is no surprise that companies want to diversify to keep in the game, but is this still about making money?

    What happened to business where we looked at the true needs of humanity and what we can bring as an organisation to enable our customers to live their full potential and receive the highest quality of care and service?

    Is this possible?

    Whilst some of us might see the recent efforts from tobacco giants as being worthy of applause by providing rewards for people who choose to quit smoking, are we willing to look at what is really driving this and calling it for what it is?

    Can any tobacco company have the true wellbeing of their consumers at heart, no matter how the face of the company might change?

    Reply
30. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 12, 2019 at 6:53 pm

    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/epidemic-of-vaping-injuries-sparks-public-health-concerns/

    Harvard T.H. Chan | School of Public Health
    9 September 2019

    Epidemic of vaping injuries sparks public health concerns

    The above title of this article is speaking volumes to us if we are ready to wake up and take note.

    Health officials in the United States are investigating an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths related to the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products.

    A study about microbial contaminants in vaping products is saying that the biologically-related contaminants found in the research add to a long list of chemical toxins that are in e-cigarette fluids. The recent epidemic reveals that the majority (80 – 84%) of affected people used a combination of marijuana-related and nicotine types of products and the pattern of the current epidemic is inflammatory lung injury. It can be severe enough to result in death and is precipitated by a short-term exposure and in this case, the use of vaping products.

    While we wait for an urgent response from the medical professionals and report cases to the authorities – what is it about vaping that has been highlighted since the start?

    If we read this blog in full and also the part 1 and part 3 of this book or call it a series, we are left in no doubt that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-3/

    We can dress it up or down but any substance that alters our natural state is a harmfull drug to the human being.

    Do we need to ask some serious questions and keep asking questions until we get answers that make sense OR do we just sit back accept the world as it is and say nothing?

    If the majority are using vaping with marijuana, is this telling us this is super dangerous?

    A wise move would be to read the Real Truth about Marijuana on this website that happens to be the number 1 lead in the world on the topic of marijuana.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-marijuana/

    Finally, at the end of this article from Harvard it says –
    “We need to educate young people about the harmful effects of vaping.”

    This website is on the front foot and has written extensively about vaping and other informative educational blogs presenting the facts and the stats and questioning, so that the reader and learner will consider what is being presented.

    What if we took this into middle and high schools but also brought this into the teaching agenda of younger ages so that they are well informed and equipped to make choices about using vaping or any other substance that lead to some form of harm to their mind and body?

    Reply
31. 
    Tim Bowyer

    September 18, 2019 at 8:03 am

    The Conversation – 15th September 2019

    Vaping: As an Imaging Scientist I Fear the Deadly Impact on People’s Lungs.
    https://theconversation.com/vaping-as-an-imaging-scientist-i-fear-the-deadly-impact-on-peoples-lungs-123435

    This report is from a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University.

    “Vapng causes severe illness in otherwise healthy young adults and teenagers. It causes a life-threatening, life-shortening and sometimes deadly lung toxicity and injury – with apparently irreversible damage that cannot be cured.

    A relatively short history of vaping has led to hospitalisation, weeks of intensive care, lung failure, the urgent need for a heart-lung bypass machine and then, after all attempts have failed, needless deaths in otherwise healthy young people.

    As a lung imaging scientist, I develop new ways to see inside the chest so that lung abnormalities can be easily measured and monitored in patients. I see the devastating effects inside the lungs of cigarette and cannabis smokers. I also see how the airways are destroyed and how millions of air sacs are demolished or completely wiped out, all of which results in severe breathlessness, miserable quality of life and then death.

    Because of my experience developing new ways to image the lungs and seeing the impact of inhaled smoke and gases on lung health, I have been disturbed that governments and other regulators have taken a hands-off approach to the risk of e-cigarettes.

    I am alarmed that e-cigarette marketing is so pervasive, persuasive and widespread, especially when this marketing targets children and teenagers in whom lung growth and development has not yet completed.

    In some reports of vaping associated lung toxicity, oily substances were found inside their white blood cells, lung tissue and airways. While these oils may be related to the e-cigarette nicotine and THC mixtures these patients used, it is not clear yet – and remains difficult to understand – how such serious, life-threatening lung disease can be set off by e-cigarette use.

    I think it’s helpful to visualize this by imagining a pound of butter as a solid and by melting into a liquid and heating again at high temperatures, the butter becomes a gaseous vapour, which can be inhaled. The buttery vapour coating, while delicious on popcorn, forms a solid again when it cools inside the lungs and becomes a toxic initiator of lung inflammation and failure.

    (An article from CNN is attached to this report and tells the story of an 18-year-old student athlete who was hospitalised after using e-cigarettes for more than a year and a half and now his lungs are similar to those of a 70-year-old.)

    We have known for decades that lung damage occurs because of chemical exposures in at-risk occupations and from chronic inhalation of gases and smoke, so I wonder why anyone would assume that e-cigarettes would not be dangerous and damaging too?

    I wonder why resplendent and aggressive marketing of e-cigarettes is acceptable in corner stores and gas stations everywhere while cigarettes are rightly held, incognito, behind locked, opaque shelves in the same store.

    For all of these reasons, regulation of vaping products, their advertisement and placement in stores need to be reconsidered and tightened up similar to tobacco products.

    Fun and fad flavoured e-cigarettes that are directly promoted to children should be banned. Health care professionals and scientists need to shout out about the dangers, outside of their offices, labs and clinics – until things change.

    Multinational corporations have a history of finding – and will continue to find – new and ingenious ways to profit from adults, teenagers and children’s tragic decisions, addictions and mistaken understandings about inhaled product risks.

    It’s like cigarettes all over again.”

    This is one of the most comprehensive reports that I have read on the potential harms of smoking e-cigarettes.

    This report should have had front-page press coverage on all major and minor TV networks, newspapers, magazine outlets, internet providers and any advertisement avenue.

    Not only does this professor have the technical expertise but, she is asking the right questions as to why governments and those in authority are basically turning a blind eye to – what is clearly evident – the harm of these very dangerous products.

    It is a sad indictment of human life that someone of this professor’s skill and knowledge is marginalised and not taken seriously enough to implement the changes that are needed to mitigate the harm that these e-cigarettes can do.

    As her last sentence states – “It is like cigarettes all over again.”

    For many years, those in authority knew the harm of tobacco and it took decades before measures were taken for the industry itself to acknowledge this.

    Are we going to witness, again, the needless pain and suffering that e-cigarettes cause for many years to come before something is done?

    Reply
32. 
    Simple Living Global

    October 2, 2019 at 6:02 pm

    Science Daily – 30 September 2019
    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190930114813.htm

    Flavor, safety and family attitude towards vaping are among the greatest factors influencing teenage e-cigarette use according to new research at University of Buffalo.

    The study is one of a few to examining the perception adolescents have of e-cigarettes and where these youth receive information about the products.

    There is much to read on this link for those interested to learn more about this particular study.

    However, what is important for this comment is that ‘the majority of participants had a vague understanding of the potential dangers of e-cigarette use’.

    Without reporting anything further, if we simply stop and read and re-read this blog and the questions being presented, we could come to our own conclusions regarding the safety of e-cigarettes.

    Next – could it be possible if parents and siblings are vaping, smoking or ingesting any other mind altering substance, they may have a blind spot when it comes to informing their teenage family members on the real harm of e-cigarettes?

    The fact that the majority do not have a clear and thorough understanding of e-cigarettes speaks volumes and this is where Simple Living Global are without doubt on the front foot, delivering forensic articles and presenting what these young teens need to hear.

    This website could now be called a library about human life and the blogs are all there like tablets of truth for the future, so that those who are asking questions and are ready for real change will need to look no further.

    Simple Living Global are not sitting on the fence – they are consistently delivering about much needed topics and using this platform to share valuable information that could be life changing for many, because they know – there is another way.

    Reply
33. 
    Tim Bowyer

    October 12, 2019 at 6:38 am

    An article in Bloomberg, 26th September 2019, talks about how even Nobel winning chemists don’t know what’s in your weed vape.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-26/even-nobel-winning-chemists-don-t-know-what-s-in-your-weed-vape

    The vaping health crisis sweeping the US and indeed the world, is highlighting how little scientists and health officials know about the marijuana being consumed by these devices.

    Researchers are unable to look into this because of a longstanding federal prohibition on marijuana. Even though marijuana rules have loosened in over 30 states, there is little information available on the new products due to researchers being unable to purchase these products to test them because their funding could be jeopardised if they fall foul of the federal regulations.

    An addiction expert at Johns Hopkins University says’ “it’s an absurd situation. It hampers our ability to know the good, the bad and the ugly about cannabis use”.

    Health officials have attributed more than 500 mysterious illnesses and at least 8 deaths due to vaping. It’s not clear exactly what is causing the illnesses, but they have been most reported in patients inhaling products containing THC, the main ingredient in marijuana.

    According to a marijuana research institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to date there has never been a study on vaping cannabis.

    I don’t know if anyone else can see it but the irresponsibility here is mind boggling.

    Here we have an allowed substance for people to buy and consume and yet the governments and health authorities have no idea what is in these products and what harm they are doing to us.

    At least 500 illnesses and 8 deaths have been linked to vaping – how many more have to die or become ill before the governments and health authorities start to act?

    For the last few years we have heard that vaping is better for us than smoking – is it possible that if we are going to inhale something into our lungs, there can never be an acceptable ‘safe level’?

    If scientists are not allowed to study the effects of these products, is it possible that the only information we are going to get will be from those that have a vested interest in the proliferation of these harm-full products?

    Reply
34. 
    Tim Bowyer

    November 9, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    CNN – 7th November 2019

    Vaping lung injury cases now top 2,000.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/07/health/vaping-lung-injuries-2051-cdc-bn/index.html

    There were 2,051 cases of lung injury linked to vaping as of 5th November said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    The vaping injuries have been reported in 49 states with Alaska being the only state without any vaping related injuries reported to the CDC.

    States have reported at least 40 deaths with the median age of patients being 24.
    74% of patients are men and the ages in people that have gotten sick range from 13-75.

    THC, the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana, has ben present in most of the samples of vaping products that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tested so far and most of the patients who have got sick said they have used THC products in the past.

    In the wake of these injuries, some states and cities have placed limits on sales of vaping products.

    The video in this story shows how quick the ‘vaping disease’ can hit us, and how it affects our lungs.

    Everyday there seems to be more and more stories about how harm-full vaping is and that more and more people are being injured or have died.

    How much longer and how many more people have to be harmed before those in authority start to act on banning this obvious lethal product?

    Cigarette smoking was, and still is, the cause of millions of deaths and it took a very long time for those in authority to admit the harm that cigarettes caused.

    How long will it be before vaping is looked at in the same way?

    Are we going to make the same mistakes again?

    Reply
35. 
    Tim Bowyer

    December 13, 2019 at 11:35 am

    On the 13th November 2019, the Huffpost reported a teenager with vaping related disease received a double lung transplant.

    https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/michigan-teen-vaping-illness-double-lung-transplant_n_5dcb9e30e4b0a794d1f77884?ri18n=true

    The doctors who treated this 17 year old boy issued an urgent warning to vapers everywhere: Please Stop.

    A critical care physician who cared for the transplant patient said: “We beg of you. We don’t want to be taking care of you next.”

    The doctors stated that they had never before seen such scarred and inflamed lungs caused by vaping.

    An article by ABC News on 19th November 2019 reported that the American Medical Association (AMA) is calling for a total and immediate ban on all electronic cigarettes and vaping devices.

    https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/ama-calls-total-ban-cigarette-vaping-products-67148281

    The AMA cited a surge in underage teen use of e-cigarettes, which typically heat a solution that contains nicotine.

    The doctors group said a separate health issue prompted its action – the recent US outbreak of lung illnesses linked to vaping. Most of those sickened said they vaped THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana, not nicotine. Officials believe a thickening agent used in black market THC vaping products maybe a culprit.

    The AMA’s president said: “The outbreak has shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short and long term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products.”

    An article by BBC News on 22nd November 2019 reported how ‘popcorn lung’ almost killed a teen after months of vaping.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50494871

    The teenager who used e-cigarettes developed a near-fatal lung condition.

    The condition was previously seen in workers who were exposed to the chemical flavouring diacetyl as they packaged microwave popcorn.

    Diacetyl has been banned as an ingredient from e-cigarettes and e-liquids in Europe since 2016.

    This maybe the first case to show a new type of damage linked to vaping, distinct from the lung injuries seen in the US and elsewhere.

    The previously healthy teen had vaped daily for 5 months using flavoured cartridges and regularly added THC – the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis – to his vaping fluid. His parents told doctors he also had a habit of inhaling deeply when vaping.

    He was admitted to hospital with a persistent cough and a fever.

    He spent 47 days in hospital and narrowly avoided a double lung transplant but there maybe long lasting lung damage.

    An article by The Telegraph on 5th December 2019 reported that an e-cigarette user has been diagnosed with lung disease normally found in metal workers.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/05/e-cigarette-user-diagnosed-lung-disease-normally-found-metal/

    This incurable lung disease – called hard-metal pneumoconiosis – creates a distinctive pattern of damage to the lungs that results in breathing difficulties.

    It is typically diagnosed in people who work with “hard metals” like cobalt or tungsten, in jobs like tool sharpening, diamond polishing or making dental prosthetics.

    Scientists said the patient had no known exposure to hard metals but did have a history of using a vaping device with cannabis, which they thought could be a possible cause.

    When researchers tested the patient’s e-cigarette, they found cobalt in the vapour it released as well as other toxic metals – nickel, aluminium, manganese, lead and chromium.

    An article by CNN on 6th December 2019 reported that, according to the CDC, there was no single e-cigarette brand linked to vaping-related lung injuries.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/06/health/vaping-brands-lung-injuries-study/index.html

    The CDC report said that nationally, a particular brand was the most commonly reported THC-containing product by hospitalised patients and that a wide variety of products were reported, with regional differences.

    Although investigators have linked vitamin E acetate, a thickener used in some vaping products to many of the lung injuries, the CDC states that: “many substances and product sources are being investigated, and there might be more than one cause.”

    With the array of medical diagnoses that have been reported, it is clear that using e-cigarettes has a myriad of harm-full constituents that are not yet fully understood.

    All of these stories were within days of each other and there is no reason to assume that stories like these will stop coming.

    The question is – how long will it take those in authority to take the necessary actions to reduce the number of people contracting these life-changing illnesses?

    How many more stories like these will we be hearing about – stories that potentially don’t need to happen?

    How long is it going to be before we stop researching this and say enough is enough?

    Reply
36. 
    Tim Bowyer

    December 15, 2019 at 6:17 am

    Sky News – 12th November 2019

    Doctors Warn about Vaping Risk after Teenager Suffers ‘Catastrophic Illness’

    https://news.sky.com/story/doctors-warn-about-vaping-risk-after-british-teenager-suffers-catastrophic-illness-11859638

    The warning was issued after the teenager nearly died from catastrophic respiratory failure linked to e-cigarettes.

    The teenager, who is 19, was underage when he bought the vaping equipment and had been using the device for four to five months before he was taken ill aged 16.

    He was treated for hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), a type of allergic reaction to something breathed in which results in inflammation of the lung tissue.

    He became so ill that he was put on a type of life support – extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) – which is an exterior artificial lung that puts oxygen into the blood and pumps it around the body. He was given antibiotics and steroids but his condition became critical ten days later and he developed severe muscle weakness, requiring a long period of rehabilitation.

    A consultant in paediatric respiratory medicine who treated the teenager said: “The evidence we gathered showed that it was vaping that was to blame. I know at least one colleague who has seen a similar case.”

    Scientists are becoming increasingly divided over whether vaping causes harm to health.

    While evidence continues to be published on risks associated with vaping, Public Health England (PHE), stands by its claim that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking.

    The doctors said: “There are two important lessons here, the first is always to consider a reaction to e-cigarettes in someone presenting with an atypical respiratory illness. The second is that we consider e-cigarettes as ‘much safer than tobacco’ at our peril.”

    The PHE said: “Our advice remains that while not completely risk free, UK regulated e-cigarettes carry a fraction of the risk of smoked tobacco. This view is held by many across the world, including the Royal College of Physicians, Cancer Research UK, the British Medical Association and the National Academy of Sciences in the US.”

    This warning comes after a spate of vaping-related deaths in the US. The number reached 18 in October with cases of illness linked to the practice topping 1,000.

    Here we have yet another story of how harm-full vaping is and this particular story was reported by several news organisations over a few days.

    The stories seem to be getting more graphic and more personal, as if there is an urgency to get the message out there that the effects of vaping can hit anyone at anytime.

    I have never heard any story about the effects of smoking cigarettes hitting someone that hard and with that speed.

    Even very recently, the scientific community were agreeing that vaping was NOT harmful to our health, but in light of all the press surrounding vaping recently they are becoming more divided over whether it is harmful.

    Although that is the stance with the scientific community, PHE, still stands by its claim that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking.

    An article from CNN states that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that vaping lung injury cases have risen to 2,290 as of 20/11/19 – an increase of 118 cases from the previous week.
    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/health/vaping-lung-injury-2290-bn/index.html

    Another article claimed that lawmakers in a US state are voting to ban all flavoured tobacco products and tax vaping devices.
    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/us/massachusetts-law-vape-flavor-ban-trnd/index.html

    How many more people have to get seriously ill or even die before, what is already obvious to many, becomes obvious to all?

    Reply
37. 
    Tim Bowyer

    December 18, 2019 at 8:01 am

    USA Today – 15th December 2019

    A 92% Tax on E-cigarettes
    https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/27/vermont-e-cigarette-vape-tax-92-starting-july-law/1584105001/

    With vaping on the rise among teenagers and adults alike, a 92% tax on e-cigarettes is set to come into effect in a US state.

    According to the Public Health Law Centre, there are only 10 other states that have excise/special tax laws in place on e-cigarettes as of March 2019.

    Wholesale dealers and consumers must abide by rule changes around the 92% excise tax – a “Tobacco Products Tax” – which started in July 2019. The legislation, which expanded items that can be taxed, passed this year.

    Paradoxically, we have one single city in the US that is banning the sale of e-cigarettes. The reason San Francisco is banning the sale of these products is to try and curb the rise of vaping among youths.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/25/san-francisco-e-cigarettes-vaping-juul-ban

    So we have some states with sky-high taxes and one city banning this product.

    And, again, paradoxically, this city is in a state where they have the 92% tax on these vaping products.

    Why do some states have these high taxes?

    Is it to try to get people to stop vaping?

    Or is it simply a cynical measure to increase revenue?

    If it is the former, is it possible that this implies those in authority know the dangers related to vaping?

    If it is the latter, is it possible that this implies those in authority are not really interested in the health and well-being of the youth, but more interested in making as much money as possible?

    Why is there no unified message from countries in regards to divisive policies such as this?

    All it means is, for those people that live in San Francisco or the states with the high taxes, they will simply obtain their vaping products from the states that don’t have bans or those with lower taxes.

    Because of the potential lost revenue, the city of San Francisco is up against the backlash from not only vaping manufacturers but also the retailers that this ban will affect.

    Vaping and its health related dangers have been very significantly advertised in the last couple of years.

    As a race of people – will we ever get to the point where we put people before profits?

    Reply
38. 
    Simple Living Global

    January 7, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    Science Magazine – 6 January 2020

    https://scienmag.com/vaping-lung-injury-symptoms-have-been-reported-online-for-at-least-seven-years/

    Dear World

    We have some hot smoking news just out.

    The headlines – Vaping Lung Injury Symptoms have been reported Online for at least 7 years

    Hello Hello

    Can we stop and re-read what the title is telling us all.

    A team of researchers at the University of California conducted a large online discussion forum for electronic cigarette users and found this group reported numerous adverse health effects for at least 7 years.

    The research was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

    The study is the first to use automated methods to analyse online posts uploaded over a seven-year period on an e-cigarette website and to identify the symptoms and disorders most frequently reported online by e-cigarette users.

    It was only in 2019 when vaping-associated pulmonary illness (VAPI) was recognised by the medical community. This development suggests many more e-cigarette users may have serious symptoms.

    The sudden uptick in symptoms and conditions related to VAPI comes at least 10 years after e-cigarette products gained widespread popularity in the United States.

    As of 27 December 2019 more than 2,500 hospitalised e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) cases or deaths have been reported to the CDC from 50 states, the District of Columbia and 2 U.S. territories.

    There is more on this research study, but suffice to say as the average reader we have enough to confirm SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Is it convenient of is it simply just ignorance on our part to dismiss and negate anything online that may be telling us a few home truths about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

    If we read this blog and the comments posted thus far, which expand and update the reader on news stories about e-cigarettes, we will be left in no doubt that something is seriously wrong if we even think it is not a harmful substance.

    Are we just demanding something we think is safer than regular cigarettes without understanding what goes inside them and how they harm the human body?

    How are we going to get on the front foot with e-cigarettes and the ills they are creating?

    Can real education start with support for our children – informing them exactly what e-cigarettes are and bringing awareness at classroom level?

    Is this where Simple Living Global can be called upon, as they are publishing a book called THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT TOBACCO and there is a whole section about vaping and e-cigarettes?

    The reader will be left in no doubt as to what and how it affects the human body.

    What if these books were available at schools because their easy to read format makes them accessible for all learner types ?

    Our world is in need of radical change and we seem to be playing catch up, as research is not on the front foot.

    Without any blame or judgement on those who are trying to come up with answers and solutions, is there another way that we can bring in real education and start young, so future generations of teenagers do not even consider the thought of vaping, as they have been informed and are well equipped to know the dangers?

    Reply
39. 
    Tim Bowyer

    January 9, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    Scienmag – 7th January 2020

    Evidence Linking Vaping to Increased Odds of Asthma and COPD
    https://scienmag.com/evidence-linking-%c2%91vaping%c2%92-to-increased-odds-of-asthma-and-copd/

    John Hopkins medical researchers report evidence that inhaling heated tobacco vapour through e-cigarettes was linked to increased odds of asthma and chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Conditions long demonstrated to be caused by smoking traditional combustible cigarettes.

    The researchers say, the data also suggest that odds of developing COPD may be as much as six times greater when people report they both vape and smoke tobacco regularly, compared with those who don’t use any tobacco products at all.

    A professor at John Hopkins University School of Medicine says: “Although e-cigarettes may turn out to be safer overall than traditional combustible cigarettes, our studies add to growing evidence that they carry health risks. These studies are the first in a series of larger and long-term studies that will more definitively provide evidence to inform tobacco users and regulators.”

    The lead author on the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine said: “As a physician, I am most worried about those who use both e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes because they may end up taking in the most nicotine, which may do the most damage. Through public health campaigns, we finally had smoking levels down in some populations, but now with the current vaping epidemic, I foresee a whole new previously tobacco-naïve, young generation becoming dependent on nicotine if we do not intensify public health education efforts.”

    Another article from the Metro, 7th January 2019, says a study warns of smokers who switch to e-cigarettes ‘twice as likely to have stroke’.
    https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/07/smokers-switch-e-cigarettes-twice-likely-stroke-study-warns-12014509/

    Vapers who have smoked tobacco may be at greater risk of stroke compared to people who only use cigarettes.

    Research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that those using both were almost twice as likely to suffer a cerebrovascular event than those who only smoked cigarettes.

    It also said that they were nearly three times more likely to have one than non-smokers.

    The lead investigator on the study said: “It’s been long known that smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke. Our study shows that young smokers who also use e-cigarettes put themselves at even greater risk.”

    He added: “This is an important message for young smokers who perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful and consider them a safer alternative. The findings indicate an ‘additive harmful effect of e-cigarettes on smokers blood vessels, hearts and brains.”

    Yet more evidence of the harm that e-cigarettes cause and studies from different universities, researchers etc. are coming to the same conclusions.

    The lead author in the first article makes a very good point when he talks about the fact that smoking levels have gone down in certain populations but now we are exposing this very harm-full practice to our youth who are potentially going to suffer years of misery and pain.

    We took decades to get the fact that tobacco-smoking kills and it is now widely known.

    Why do we have to make the same mistakes again and watch countless people suffer needlessly?

    Over the last couple of years there have been many articles now on the dangers of vaping and they are getting to be very abundant.

    Exactly how much research do we need to have before we start to take the necessary actions to stop this dangerous habit?

    Reply
40. 
    Tim Bowyer

    January 22, 2020 at 11:22 am

    E&E News – 21st January 2020

    Vaping: Environmental Threat, Recycling Headache
    https://www.eenews.net/stories/1062036073

    Acting on a tip from a student, a researcher and health anthropologist specialising in tobacco control at the University of California, San Francisco, started to investigate e-cigarette and tobacco litter at a school.

    When he started picking up e-cigarette and tobacco litter from a San Francisco Bay Area high school, he couldn’t believe the number of products from a well-known e-cigarette maker: “To my surprise and shock, I found pods and caps from this brand of e-cigarettes all over the place in the student parking lot and not very much other trash and very few cigarette butts.”

    A student told the researcher that kids were vaping everywhere.

    According to a National Institutes of Health study, youth vaping has skyrocketed in recent years.

    In 2018, about 20% of US high schoolers used e-cigarettes up from about 12% the previous year.

    In response to a growing number of vaping-related illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently banned most flavoured e-cigarette cartridges.

    The rise in vaping has given way to a new set of environmental issues: plastic “cigarette butt” litter that does not degrade and other e-cigarette parts that are considered hazardous waste pose complicated cleanup quandaries.

    The researcher and his colleague set out to understand the impact e-cigarette waste has on the environment. In one-off, systematic sweeps of parking lots and exterior areas in 12 Bay Area public high schools, the team collected 893 pieces of e-cigarette, cannabis and tobacco litter. About 20% of it was e-cigarette litter, mostly pods and caps from the well-known e-cigarette maker.

    Their devices are electronics with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Disposable plastic pods resembling USB drives that users plug into the devices contain nicotine, flavourings and “e-liquids” like propylene glycol.

    Nicotine has been used as an insecticide. It’s a neurotoxin, so it’s used in rat poison. The researcher said: “There’s significant potential for the nicotine residual that remains inside of discarded pods to get into the environment and harm wildlife and aquatic creatures.”

    Ingesting nicotine can also kill humans, which is one reason the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited for keeping e-cigarette nicotine on its list of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.

    The electronic device itself, along with its lithium-ion battery, is another component to this e-cigarette waste management headache.

    The director of the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC) – a group in California advocating for more corporate responsibility in sustainability initiatives, said: “In one product, you have a controlled substance, which has to be handled one way. And you have an electronic, which is another way. And the lithium battery, which is another way. So this is a massively problematic product for us to deal with at the back end.”

    The researcher said that manufacturers haven’t given consumers clear enough directions on how to dispose of the e-cigarette devices, batteries and pods while this well-known manufacturer’s website directs consumers to treat reusable devices and disposable pods as electronic waste, which can be recycled at e-waste drop-off centres.

    But the California Department of Toxic Substances Control said nicotine’s classification as an acute hazardous waste means these pods should be disposed of differently. Ordinary consumers should take them to household hazardous waste facilities.

    It seems that, e-cigarettes are not only as harm-full to humans as combustible cigarettes; they now pose an equal, or possibly an even greater, threat to the environment.

    Something is not right here if these products have been allowed to be manufactured knowing the potential for harm they may cause once discarded.

    As is plainly evident from the amount of litter picked up in the schools by this team, those that smoke them do not care about the environment and the possible dangers that these products may inflict.

    We can start to blame the youth, or in fact, anyone that smokes tobacco, e-cigs or marijuana, for creating all of this litter, especially the disposable plastic litter, but is it possible that, if we have so little regard for ourselves that we will ingest a poisonous substance, we will have little regard for our surroundings?

    The NSAC advocates the manufacturers of these products to take more responsibility, but the reality is that, any responsibility in the disposal of these products is acutely lacking.

    A well known global fast-food chain employs litter patrols outside of their restaurants.

    As this well-known chain of e-cigarettes tends to attract the very young, should they be made to patrol the schools and clear up the litter their products make?

    Reply
41. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 23, 2020 at 3:54 pm

    EurekAlert – 22 April 2020

    American Association for the Advancement of Science

    https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/aha-nm042120.php

    The American Heart Association is investing nearly $17 million in scientific research to be led by scientists from Boston University, the Ohio State University and Yale University to study the health impacts of e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery systems on youth and young adults.

    This is to fast track studies on health impacts of e-cigarettes and nicotine on youth.

    “E-cigarettes are being marketed as a healthy option to traditional cigarettes but no one knows if vaping is safe in the long run because e-cigarettes have not been around long enough to be studied deeply. Some diseases can take years and even decades to develop, so there is more work needed to fully understand all the dangers.

    There is certainly plenty of indication they are harmful for growing minds and bodies because we know e-cigarettes contain nicotine and we know the harmful effects of nicotine but it is important we grow that overall body of scientific evidence” – AHA volunteer president.

    The reason for the research projects to be high-impact and fast tracked – only 2 years in length and funded at levels among the highest individual grants awarded in the Association’s history – is because regular cigarette smoking has reached an all-time low and young people are turning to e-cigarettes at epidemic proportions, with nearly one in four high school students reportedly vaping.

    We all know that our world is geared to rely on evidence based research and most of us forget that we could use good old fashion common sense and reflect on what history has thus far shown us and that is, cigarettes are not designed for human consumption. The fact that our kids have found another way to ingest a form of smoking called vaping is speaking volumes.

    Have we considered what is it that makes them want this new modern form of smoking?

    Is it really healthy in any way or are we fooling ourselves and hoping the researchers will tell us it’s ok to continue our harmfull habit?

    What if we took this forensic blog by Simple Living Global into schools, colleges and universities and let all the students receive a new style of education?

    Then it is up to them what they choose, however, what we know is they have got the facts and have the awareness, then we leave it to them.

    What if society could save the millions in research and just spend it on simple education to get the point across, with facts and stats and making sure those delivering the message, the teachers or call them presenters are themselves living a cigarette, nicotine, vaping free life of 10 years plus?

    That way we know and can feel these role models in society are going to be the right people as they do not have any form of smoking or nicotine on their radar.

    Is this what could eventually bring about real change or are we convinced that an ambitious and aggressive approach is what is required at the cost of $17 million bucks?

    Reply
42. 
    Tim Bowyer

    April 30, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    Inverse.com – 29th April 2020

    The Hearts of Vapers and Smokers are Dangerously Similar
    https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/vaping-heart-health-study

    Vapers may be at risk of a condition that claims one in every five smokers.

    According to the CDC, cigarette smoking is linked to between 80 and 90 per cent of lung cancer deaths in the US. As ties between vaping and lung cancer are still developing – and it’s often seen (perhaps incorrectly) that vaping is healthier than smoking cigarettes – vapers may feel they’re sidestepping some of that risk.

    But the lungs are only part of the story. An estimated one in five smoking-related deaths are due to heart disease. And when it comes to heart disease, a growing pile of research suggests that a vaper’s heart is still vulnerable.

    A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that smoking and vaping are both harmful to heart health. The team found that smokers and vapers have similar measures of arterial stiffness.

    The study’s first author and professor at Boston University explained that this kind of arterial stiffness is a precursor of heart disease. She said: “Stiffening of the arteries can cause damage to the small blood vessels, including capillaries, and puts additional stress on the heart, all of which can contribute to the development of heart disease.”

    The heart never ends up drenched in flavoured vapour, but nevertheless – it may bear the brunt of vaping’s long-term cost.

    Numerous studies suggest that vaping extracts a high toll on the heart. One survey of 96,000 vapers in March 2019 found that vapers were 34 per cent more likely to have a heart attack and 25 per cent more likely to have coronary artery disease than non-vapers.

    The scientists investigated arterial stiffness in four groups: smokers, vapers, dual users and non-smokers or vapers. The dual users had the stiffest arteries, followed by the cigarette smokers, the vapers and then the non-vapers.

    Still, the authors report that the augmentation index – a measure of arterial stiffness – was “similar” between the vapers and the non-vapers. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. That suggests vaping and smoking both have harmful effects on arterial stiffness.

    Still, like many of these studies, the limiting factor is time. We’re still looking at vaping in terms of months and years, not necessarily decades. Then effects on the heart may become more clear, but for now, we’re starting to get a hazy glimpse of that future. Meanwhile, evidence suggests that vaping might not be a safer alternative to cigarettes, at least when it comes to the heart.

    Is it possible that, when we read a report like this, we should have no reason to be surprised?

    After all, regardless of whether we are ingesting a traditional tobacco cigarette or using a vaping device, is it possible that we are putting a poisonous toxic substance into our bodies?

    Surely, whatever illnesses and diseases we get from traditional smoking, is it possible that the same results apply to whatever we put into our bodies through vaping?

    This report talked about the time frame being only months or years and not decades.

    With all of what transpired with cigarettes and the cover-ups from the manufacturers from the early 1900’s, how long would it take us this time to realise that vaping is just as dangerous as normal cigarettes?

    Do we really need ‘decades’ to find out what is plainly evident in front of our noses – and that is – any poisonous, toxic, harm-full substance we put into our bodies is going to have an adverse ill effect on us!

    Reply
43. 
    Tim Bowyer

    May 26, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    inews.com – 25th May 2020

    Why the UK Has Banned Menthols
    https://inews.co.uk/news/health/menthol-cigarettes-ban-2020-may-banned-uk-filters-law-why-new-when-date-380745

    Menthol cigarettes have been banned in the UK, with strict new legislation coming into force.

    The ban comes as part of an effort to prevent young people from smoking and reduce the number of people taking up the habit.

    It is also an effort to reduce the number of smokers even further, and make taking up the habit less appealing.

    Menthol cigarettes and rolling tobacco have been withdrawn from the shelves with the ban coming into force this month.

    The ban stems from the EU Tobacco Product Directive Laws, which outlaws menthol cigarettes.

    It is hoped the move will help deter young people from taking up smoking by banning cigarettes with a ‘characterising flavour’ other than tobacco.

    Skinny cigarettes are also banned from UK stores under the new EU law.

    The law already only permitted menthol cigarettes to be sold in packs of 20, thanks to a wider long-term plan to phase out flavoured cigarettes entirely by May this year.

    There is some belief that menthol cigarettes are better for your health, but there is little evidence to support this and they are just as harmful as regular cigarettes.

    However, there is evidence that menthol cigarettes can make it easier for people to smoke, as they relax the airways and the menthol flavour helps to mask the harshness of the smoke.

    Is really banning these cigarettes going to stop young people from starting to smoke?

    We were all young once and we have to be honest here, generally, as young people we don’t tend to think about the consequences of things, we just jump in and smoking is one of those – I know that’s how it was with me when I started smoking.

    Is it possible the young will simply just find an alternative brand of cigarette?

    Is it possible that the young will do exactly the same thing when they want to buy alcohol – and that is to get someone older to buy their cigarettes?

    Is it possible that banning something will just make that product more inviting to those whom the potential ban is aimed at?

    There is a line in this article that says: “There is some belief that menthol cigarettes are better for your health”.

    Why are we even talking about a cigarette being better for our health?

    How is it possible that the words cigarettes and better for your health can be said in the same breath?

    How is it possible that ingesting a poison be considered as anything ‘healthy’?

    Is it possible that those in authority should be considering banning the young from ALL tobacco products?

    Reply
44. 
    Bina Pattel

    June 4, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    I just had a friend tell me how the GP she works with was vaping.

    It got me thinking about WHY and HOW we have got to this point in society where those who are our medical professionals that we go to for our health are vaping.

    Some may say it is the stress of the job and others may have something else to say.
    No need for speculation, as this comment is just posing some valuable questions that we may not be aware of or have considered.

    If we read this blog and the comments posted thereafter, we as a reader are left in no doubt that vaping is an alternative for those who think smoking is harmfull.

    Any doctor in their right mind would agree that any form of ingesting nicotine will alter the natural state of being in any human being.

    So WHY does someone in our community that we hold in high regard – a GP end up vaping?

    Could it be possible that there is a blind spot if this is going on?

    In other words, mr doctor would not be able to sense or see everything there is to see when it comes to a smoking/vaping patient, simply because they are in the same vibration as those people.

    Put it another way – when we tell another what to do and in this case it would be the vaping doctor telling their patient to give up and it falls on deaf ears, not because they did not hear their GP tell them the harmfull effects, but because they feel the empty words. That means the person speaking is not living the so-called good advice they are dishing out.

    I know this to be true from my own lived experience in the past when I would bang on to clients about their health and well-being and obesity and forget to take note that I am not taking my own advice, but was ok telling others what to do and not do.

    If we are to be honest there are probably millions of medics around the world who are drinking alcohol, smoking and vaping – all which alter the natural state of our being.

    Whilst we could pass it off as just life and roll with it as no one is perfect, should those who spend years and years studying in order to qualify and help the medical world be taught the value and importance of self care at a deep level and that means no substances that would affect the human frame, so that patients can see a true reflection of health and vitality from their doctor or medical practitioner?

    Reply
45. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 11, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    CNN Sport News – 11 December 2020

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/11/motorsport/formula-one-tobacco-sponsorship-deals-spt-itl/index.html

    Elite sports organizations have long been addicted to Tobacco company sponsorships, almost since inception of professional competition.

    1876 – player trading cards could be found in tobacco boxes.
    1920 – each team had its own tobacco sponsor.
    1984 – olympics was last games to feature official cigarette sponsor.

    Except Motor Sport.
    According to a study published by Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP), a global anti-tobacco industry group, there is one major global sports series that still allows tobacco brands to align with certain teams and events to target fans.
    To give a perspective on this – $4.5 billion from tobacco companies advertising their products during the sports 70 year history has been made. $100 million for the current 2020 season.

    Since 2011, the past 2 seasons in motor sport has seen the highest level of tobacco sponsorship.

    Some of the most iconic successful racing cars were synonymous with their tobacco branding.

    For the world’s five largest tobacco companies the benefits are clear. This global sports draws more than 500 million fans worldwide, mostly young male, hence a prized demographic says the co-author of the STOP report in a statement.
    Tobacco companies receive a real return on investment – $150 million last year.

    In the 2019 season, branding was prominently featured on cars relating to vaping with slogans like “A Better Tomorrow” and “Accelerating Transformation” at 13 different races across the world.

    A study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine in December 2019 linked vaping to long-term risk of respiratory disease.
    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/16/health/vaping-respiratory-disease-study/index.html

    Tobacco causes 8 million deaths each year according to the World Health Organization.
    The money, ultimately comes from manufacturing and selling products that contribute to the death of more than eight million people every year says STOP partner Phil Chamberlain.

    “Sponsorship is so attractive to tobacco marketers because it brings with it robust ready-made and very attractive imagery. What is particularly troubling is that this sort of emotional, image-based appeal is most powerful with the young where the marketing aim is to recruit new users.
    Established smokers are simply addicted to the nicotine, so have little interest in imagery.
    For the new user, nicotine – however it is delivered – has no practical benefits; it is all about image and identity. Then they get addicted and it is a different story.

    What we can summarise and say with honesty here is this is about PROFITS BEFORE PEOPLE.

    We can talk about it with a different dimension or just say it as it is – those that profit are not interested in the real life consequences of what happens when we make it about our self gains and not the welfare of others.

    Reply
46. 
    Simple Living Global

    January 10, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    Eurek Alert | AAAS – American Association for the Advancement of Science
    6 January 2021

    https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/buso-dsa010621.php

    According to a new study by Boston University School of Public Health, dual smoking and vaping does not cut cardiovascular risk.

    Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death associated with smoking cigarettes. However, as use of e-cigarettes becomes more popular, including as a way to cut back on cigarettes, little is known about its effect on cardiovascular health.

    Professor Andrew Stokes, lead author of the study says “Dual use of cigarettes appears to be as harmful to cardiovascular health as exclusive cigarette smoking”.

    68% of people in United States who vape also smoke traditional cigarettes.

    Data from 7,130 partcipants was used.

    This blog presents much on vaping e-cigarettes and as this study confirms, using these products is not without risks. It adds that there is a growing body of research which points to other areas of health harmed by vaping.

    And finally, we are told here that vaping alone can increase the risk of respiratory disease by more than 40%.

    Dear World

    While we hang around for more research studies as that is what every study tells us – there is more research needed, can we simply join the dots and use some common sense here?
    E-cigarettes are addictive by their very nature because of what they contain. In addition to this there are a numerous amount of toxic substances that ill affect the human body.

    WHY do we need to wait for another research study when we have evidence in our face? We all know that smoking is harmful and we even knew that over a century ago. Now we have a new version which some would like to think is better or less harmful, but nevertheless it is still another form of ingesting poison into our body.

    What if we started to research what is the root cause of WHY and HOW someone ends up smoking cigarettes or the modern version of blowing smoke, which we call vaping?
    Something is not right and that is why we turn to poison and inhale it through our mouths.

    More research and more solutions and more government policies will not cut it and we know history has proven that. How about we come at this from another angle – a different perspective and at least start a line of enquiry that we can honestly question, how we have got to this point where our world accepts another toxic substance that happens to be legal and yet it is poison?

    Reply
47. 
    Simple Living Global

    January 28, 2021 at 6:16 pm

    Nevada Current – 27 January 2021

    https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2021/01/27/teen-vaping-is-lit-and-so-are-the-risk-disparities/

    26 January 2021 was Vaping Prevention and Awareness Day.

    This news story talks about how vaping has gained quick popularity among teenagers in Nevada.

    32% of those with depressive symptoms said they had vaped in the past 30 days.
    39% of rural and frontier high school students reported vaping in the past month.

    In 2019, there were 24% of high school students saying they had used a vaping product in the past month and this was a 9% increase from the rate in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    The use of vaping products came in second only to alcohol as the most commonly used substance.

    The professor who co-authored the 2016 Surgeon General’s report on e-cigarette use in youth and young adults said: “vaping went from zero to 2nd place both nationally and in Nevada. This is remarkable because alcohol has been around for some time but vaping was not even on ourradar from a public health perspective 10 years ago.
    The ease of access to e-cigarettes in the modern market is a cause for concern.”

    In the early 1990s, one in three youths were smoking cigarettes. Now the youth smoking rate has plummeted but there is now the use of nicotine vaping products reaching rates comparable to those rates of smoking back in the 90’s.

    Next – whilst this may be a small proportion and insignificant, we do need to pay attention now and listen up.
    3.6% of Nevada middle school students used an e-cigarette before age 11 and 7.5% high school students before age 13. Professor Pearson says that health officials need to note that the earlier a child starts using a substance, the greater risk they are at for future negative consequences.

    “Preventing kids from using electronic vaping products is our goal. The first thing is to have this conversation with kids before they start” Malcolm Ahlo – Tobacco Control Progam Coordinator at the Southern Nevada Health District.

    On that note, how wise would it be if parents got access to articles like this one about Tobacco, Nicotine and E-cigarettes? It not only provides the information one may be seeking but the questions are posed in a way – like a presentation, so that can be part of the much needed conversations with our kids, regardless of how young or old they are.

    Ahlo makes a great point about conversations with our kids before they even start. However, a point worth noting is no child out there will pay much attention if you, the adult, the so-called one dishing the facts, the advisor are puffing away or doing any form of substances that alter your natural state. WHY – because they have a radar and they sense and do feel something is off.
    We need to start with a dose of honesty and be up front. How can we possibly be a role model or even suggest the harms of vaping if we are smoking cigarettes or vaping or taking another substance like alcohol or drugs?

    Reply
48. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 30, 2021 at 6:00 am

    Oxford Mail – 29 April 2021
    https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19268170.smokers-attend-e-offered-free-e-cigarettes-help-quit/

    Smokers in England who attend A&E departments for any reason will be offered free e-cigarettes. This is part of a new trial designed to aid quitting the habit. It is indicated that nicotine e-cigarettes could help more people quit smoking than nicotine replacement therapy such as chewing gum and nicotine patches.

    Questions –
    Who is funding this and if it is the public purse – have we all agreed to this?
    If it is not independent – we all need to know if there is any vested interest.
    These 2 questions need to be asked now with every single research study.

    It comes from a review led by Oxford University and involving the University of Anglia.
    https://www.uea.ac.uk/news/-/article/starter-vape-packs-to-be-handed-out-in-hospitals

    Experts in the national health service consider e-cigarettes less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes. Public Health England estimates 50,000 smokers per year quit with the help of e-cigarettes.

    The study aims to target a section of the population that might never have considered vaping. It will give them an attractive option to switch from smoking even if they have tried and failed in the past.

    Yes – we ALL know that the best thing for any smoker is to stop smoking completely.
    What we also ALL know is that it is very difficult because of the addiction quality that is such a part of their momentum (call it habit, behaviour, movements).

    WHY do we never want to get to the root cause of WHY and HOW someone starts smoking in the first place?

    WHY do our education systems not teach on the school agenda from day dot everything we need to know about Tobacco, nicotine, addiction and the toxic poison to the human body?

    WHY are blogs like this not yet popular for the masses to access and become aware of?

    It seems we are in re-action by trying to get numbers (lots of people) to quit and move on to what we think is something better. What if there is a call to ‘action’ but we cannot go there as we are always in re-action? In other words, we miss the opportunity of what we really need to be doing to evolve from this situation? In this case we need to completely remove from the human world all forms of ingesting poison.

    On that note – a reminder that e-cigarettes contain nicotine which we ALL know is highly addictive by the very nature of what it is.

    What if e-cigarettes are not evolution but just a sideways step?
    In other words, we are not really addressing or dealing with the root cause and unless we go there, no real and true change occurs despite our efforts with more solutions.

    What if we got a group of young children and shared the facts from this website and had open classroom discussions about smoking and vaping?

    What would they have to say as they seem to have a different take and view on topics that are not quite yet in their radar?

    In other words, they have not been influenced or pulled to seek out toxic substances and would therefore be open to hearing the facts. Then let them make the choice if they want to ingest poison or if they don’t as they grow up.

    Would our future generations benefit more if we started with real education and that means teaching them how to live human life without harming the human frame, others and our environment?

    Reply
49. 
    Simple Living Global

    October 21, 2021 at 8:07 am

    UC San Diego News Center – 19 October 2021
    https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/e-cigarettes-dont-help-smokers-quit

    E-Cigarettes Do Not Help Smokers Stay Off Cigarettes

    This is the headline – the title of this recent news article.
    The sub-heading states: Cigarette smokers who quit smoking but substitute e-cigarettes or other tobacco products, are more likely to relapse.

    The United States for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested that smokers may benefit by switching from smoking cigarettes to vaping e-cigarettes if they switch completely and are able to avoid relapsing to cigarette smoking.

    However, this news story reports that there have been few studies on whether smokers are able to transition, without relapsing back to cigarette smoking.

    An analysis published this week in JAMA online by the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center reports that
    E-CIGARETTE USE – EVEN ON A DAILY BASIS – DID NOT HELP SMOKERS SUCCESSFULLY STAY OFF CIGARETTES.

    The findings of this study suggested that individuals who quit smoking and switched to e-cigarettes or other tobacco products actually increased their risk of relapse back to smoking over the next year.

    “Quitting is the most important thing a smoker can do to improve their health, but the evidence indicates that switching to e-cigarettes made it less likely, not more likely, to stay off of cigarettes.” Says John P. Pierce, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and first author of this study.

    Is this enough evidence or are we going to continue with our old way and that is wait for more and more evidence based research to confirm the same thing over and over again?

    Who came up with vaping in this first place? Why was another form of the very same thing created and was it simply to fool us?

    Was it specifically designed to get the younger generations who were certain they would not take up the cigarette smoking thing?

    We have to ask questions like this as nothing is making sense anymore.
    We come up with a sophisticated looking, must be seen electronic device of all shapes and sizes, colours and finishes to meet our desires and add to that the flavours that we so love – all made to taste and smell like we want and allure us into that false world, BUT we forget it has tobacco or nicotine or marijuana and BOOM we are addicted.

    Dear World

    Does this feel like a plot where we are taken in by something that sells itself as GOOD and RIGHT but it is way off the mark when it comes to TRUTH?

    How we ALL know that this vaping e-cigarettes thing is not the truth is because our bodies report back to us anything that is harmfull.

    We have endless real life anecdotal evidence now (living human beings) to back this study and those that can confirm – ANY form of tobacco, nicotine or other harmfull drug ingested is NOT for human consumption. End.

    Reply
50. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 5, 2021 at 5:31 pm

    Independent News – 1 December 2021

    https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/e-cigarettes-men-vaping-erectile-dysfunction-b1967593.html

    E-Cigarette users who vape are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

    14,000 Americans between age 20 and 65

    50% were former cigarette smokers
    21% were current smokers
    14% used other tobacco products

    The study authors theorised that a high level of nicotine in vaping liquid could reduce blood flow to the penis and thus cause impotence.

    In the UK, the NHS say erectile dysfunction is very common, particularly in men over 40. According to ED clinics it can affect up to 55% of men aged between 40 and 70.

    While we wait for more research that is needed to explore the consequence of e-cigarettes on men’s sexual health, can we just stop and ponder on the above facts?

    Are we savvy enough to work out that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT as a starter?

    Is it a no brainer, so to speak when we hear nicotine – that highly addictive toxic substance found in cigarettes happens to be in e-cigarettes.

    Would granny tell us in no uncertain terms that the fact vaping has that word ‘cigarette’ in it, albeit with an “E” before tells us it is still a form of smoking and that means ingesting poison into the body?

    Are we being fooled and are we wanting a new way to do to us exactly what cigarettes did but because its being banned everywhere and we hear all kinds of stories about the harmful damage, we somehow want to think and believe there are alternatives to our ill habits like smoking? Yes, Dear World there is absolutely zero benefit in smoking or vaping but we have yet to wait for even more studies to prove over and over again the actual real harmful impact of these toxic poisons that we say is a lifestyle choice.

    How many young men do vaping like it is something cool and to be seen with and yet inside they don’t feel great rocking up to their chick with the downstairs department unable to perform. What has happened and why?

    What is this really telling us and how on earth do we deal with this, as for the majority it will be grossly embarrassing and not a topic of discussion for the bedroom or the doctor?

    Where is the education and why is it still not on the national school agenda all over the world?

    If we started with just the Treatise on Tobacco that this well informed website presents, we are on our way to future generations being educated before they make the choices or the mistakes that will one day require a correction. That means we can do as we want under our ‘free will’ banner but it will come at a price. Our body cops it and one day it says “enough, you can no longer abuse me anymore” and in comes the dis-ease, symptom of illness or whatever is needed to correct the imbalance we have created.

    It would be a wise move for this world and its brothers to get reading this website. It holds a huge volume of wisdom that keeps pouring through each article saying “There is another way and time is up, as we know it”.

    Reply
51. 
    Simple Living Global

    February 19, 2022 at 3:51 am

    VA – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
    Office of Research and Development – 15 February 2022

    https://www.research.va.gov/currents/0222-Research-roundup-E-cigs-arent-safe.cfm

    Dr. Laura E. Crotty Alexander is a physician with the VA San Diego Healthcare System, Pulmonogist and Associate Professor at University of California San Diego.

    She states that those thinking of switching to vaping e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes is “a dangerous situation” as so many are unaware that e-cigarettes come with wide-ranging dangers of their own. The truth about relative risks is complicated.

    Crotty Alexander is a researcher and also provides patient care and teaching.

    So are we ready to listen up and pay attention to the detail of what this woman is telling us about e-cigarettes?

    This article is written by a non-academic woman and not a physician investigator but yet it holds a depth of research and presents much on the topic of vaping, e-cigarettes and the harm to the human frame to bring awareness to ALL of us.

    We now have ‘a convincing body of evidence that exists to confirm e-cigarettes cause lung inflammation and injury, as well as negative health effects on multiple organs’.

    “Over 8 years of research and as affirmed by this new review of the evidence, it has become clear to me that e-cigarettes cause their own set of diseases that seem to impact just about every organ in the body – from brain to the bladder.
    It is imperative to answer outstanding questions about e-cigarettes’ impact on the body as soon as possible, to accurately inform the public, health care providers and policymakers.” says Crotty Alexander.

    Popular devices used by 2 million middle and high school students generally contain nicotine or THC – the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

    Dr. David Christiani – Pulmonologist and Critical Care Specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital emphasises that “the disease process can be very long and difficult to unravel. To protect public health, I discourage the use of vaping – even to quit smoking.
    Young people think e-cigarettes are benign but many will get hooked and many will even go on to start smoking tobacco cigarettes.”

    As with all research studies, there will be ongoing research to clarify the dangers from vaping and how vaping damages the lungs and other organs.

    While we wait for more and more research to tell us the same thing over and over again, we could accelerate the process by reading this whole Treatise on Tobacco on this website that speaks volumes about Tobacco, Nicotine, Addiction, Vaping and E-cigarettes which has been presented in a simple easy to read style, so we all get it.

    Written for humanity about humanity to bring awareness. Nothing more and nothing less. This is what this website is about.

    On that note – The Tobacco Industry revenues are $1 TRILLION as it says at the beginning of this article.

    Are we aware that this industry which is the supplier of cigarettes and other tobacco products are investing in the e-cigarette market and no doubt will soon be the key acquisition holders in the coming years? This is worth noting Dear World.

    Reply
52. 
    Simple Living Global

    June 30, 2022 at 5:41 pm

    UNC School of Medicine – 30 June 2022

    https://news.unchealthcare.org/2022/06/fourth-generation-vaping-devices-increase-risk-to-immune-cells

    UNC School of Medicine researchers published the first study to compare the respiratory immune health effects of different types of devices.

    Some fourth generation vaping devices increase risk to immune cells.

    Not all electronic cigarette devices are created equal. Some fourth generation models are associated with unique changes in markers of immune responses inside our airways, according to a new peer-reviewed paper from UNC School of Medicine researchers led by toxicologist Ilona Jaspers PhD, director of the UNC Centre for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung biology and Director of the UNC Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine.

    The lead author Elise Hickman PhD and colleagues published their research in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
    They found that users of fourth generation nicotine-salt containing devices display a unique mix of cellular biomarkers, indicative of immune suppression.

    “Our work demonstrates the importance of considering device type in future clinical, epidemiological and mechanistic studies on the health effects of e-cigarettes. We also think this research can help regulators determine which products cause the most severe types of biological changes in airway cells important for maintaining proper health.”

    Electronic cigarettes have increased in popularity over the past decade. Some people began to use them as a means to quit smoking and thinking that vaping was a safer alternative – both in the short-term and long-term. Also because electronic cigarettes lack tar, consumers assumed vaping decrease the risk of cancer.

    “It is impossible to know if vaping decreases cancer risk or many other long-term conditions.
    It took 60 years of research to show that smoking causes cancer. E-cigarettes have been around for about 15 years. The research from our lab and many others has shown many of the same acute biological effects in the airways that we have documented in smokers. We have seen changes to cells and immune defenses in people who vape that we have never seen before, which is very concerning.” says Jaspers.

    The most concerning to researchers, doctors and public health officials is the fact that teenagers who would not have otherwise tried cigarettes began using e-cigarettes which contain nicotine – a drug with its own health implications, even beyond addiction and thousands of chemicals, many of which the FDA approved for eating but not for inhaling.

    Several studies have documented that inhaling chemical laden nicotine aerosols suppresses the immune responses in the respiratory tract of smokers and e-cigarette users. Some studies, including some at UNC have detailed how different chemicals in various e-cigarettes including chemicals that make up thousands of different flavours, have adverse effects on airway cells. The Jaspers lab, which has been at the forefront of such research, set out to study the effects of different varieties of e-cigarette devices.

    For this study, her team collected central away (sputum) samples from non-smokers, smokers and users of both third generation and fourth generation e-cigarette devices.

    Third-generation devices include vape pens and box mods. Fourth generation include nicotine-salt containing e-cigarettes and disposable e-cigarettes, which have become increasingly popular following restrictions on the sale of certain products.

    Fourth generation e-cigarette users had significantly more bronchial epithelial cells in the sputum and this suggests airway injury because normally, bronchial epithelial cells make up an intact barrier in the airways and are not found in sputum samples. Levels of two proteins were significantly lower in fourth generation e-cigarette users compare to all other groups. These proteins are important in fighting infections and other diseases.

    Reply
53. 
    Simple Living Global

    July 15, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    University of Southern California – Keck School of Medicine – 11 July 2022

    https://keck.usc.edu/largest-ever-study-of-tobacco-content-on-social-media-links-exposure-to-tobacco-use/

    The largest ever study of Tobacco content on social media links exposure to tobacco use.

    Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC led the global meta-analysis of 29 studies. The study draws on data across age groups, countries, content types and platforms and is the first large scale study linking social media content to tobacco use.

    Jon-Patrick Allem PhD., Senior Author and Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences said “The proliferation of social media has offered tobacco companies new ways to promote their products, especially to teens and young adults.
    Of particular importance is the fact that people who had never before used tobacco were more susceptible. This suggests that exposure to tobacco-related content can pique interest and potentially lead non-users to transition to tobacco use.”

    Reply
54. 
    Simple Living Global

    November 12, 2022 at 7:11 pm

    Press Release | Massachusetts General Hospital – 7 November 2022

    https://www.massgeneral.org/news/press-release/analysis-reveals-increasing-addiction-intensity-of-e-cigarette-use-by-us-adolescents

    Analysis reveals increasing Addiction and Intensity of E-Cigarette Use by U.S. Adolescents between 2014 and 2021.

    By 2019, more e-cigarette users were using their first tobacco product within 5 minutes of waking – an indicator of addiction – than for cigarettes and all other tobacco products combined.

    Protonated nicotine is created by adding acid to the e-cigarette liquid, which makes the nicotine easier to inhale. Pioneered by one electronic cigarettes company, it has been widely adopted by other e-cigarette companies.

    2022 – National Youth Tobacco Survey data shows
    2.22 million adolescents use e-cigarettes
    27.6% of adolescents use e-cigarettes daily

    Reply
55. 
    Simple Living Global

    November 28, 2022 at 8:28 am

    Tufts University – 23 November 2022

    https://now.tufts.edu/2022/11/23/using-vapes-may-set-stage-dental-decay

    Using vapes may set the stage for dental decay, according to a new research study from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. This study is the first known specifically to investigate the association of vaping and e-cigarettes with the increased risk for getting cavities.

    Data was analyzed from over 13,000 patients over age 16 who were treated at Tufts Dental Clinics from 2019 to 2022.

    Patients who used vaping devices were more likely to have a higher risk of developing cavities.

    9.1 million American adults and 2 million teenagers use tobacco-based vaping products, according to CDC.

    “The findings of this study on the association between vaping and risk of caries, the term used for dental cavities, serve as an alert that this once seemingly harmless habit may be very detrimental”, says Karina Irusa – Assistant Professor, lead author.

    Over the last few years, public awareness has increased about the dangers of vaping to systemic health – particularly after the use of vaping devices was tied to lung disease.

    Some dental research has shown ties between e-cigarette use and increased markers for gum disease and separately, damage to the tooth’s enamel, its outer shell.

    Relatively, little emphasis has been placed on the intersection between e-cigarette use and oral health, even by dentists, says Irusa.

    One reason why e-cigarette use could contribute to a high risk of cavities is the sugary content and viscosity of vaping liquid, which when aerosolized and then inhaled through the mouth, sticks to the teeth.

    A 2018 study published in the journal PLOS One likened the properties of sweet-flavoured e-cigarettes to gummy candies and acidic drinks.

    Vaping aerosols have been shown to change oral microbiome making it more hospitable to decay-causing bacteria. It has also been observed that vaping seems to encourage decay in areas where it usually does not occur, such as bottom edges of the front teeth. “It takes an esthetic toll,” says Irusa.

    On that note, is this WHY we are seeing more and more people having the Hollywood teeth because they have found the solution and get dental work done overseas if the costs are too high in their country?

    Can we simply stop and pause at this point made above – taken from the university news release –

    VAPING SEEMS TO ENCOURAGE DECAY IN AREAS WHERE IT USUALLY DOES NOT OCCUR.

    Reply
56. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 3, 2022 at 9:59 am

    University of Rochester Medical Center – 3 November 2022

    https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/banning-fruity-flavors-did-not-deter-vapers

    BANNING FRUITY FLAVORS DID NOT DETER VAPERS

    6 February 2020
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of many flavoured e-cigarettes, with some important exceptions.

    According to a survey conducted by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers, adults did not quit vaping in response to the FDA ban of flavoured e-cigarettes and researchers said that it may have driven some back to smoking regular cigarettes. The researchers point to policy loopholes as the main reasons the policy failed to push people to quit.

    Less than 5% quit using e-cigarettes in response to the ban.

    Rest of the respondents in the survey switched to other forms or flavors of e-cigarettes not covered by the ban or other types of tobacco products.

    30% switched to tank-based or disposable flavored e-cigarettes and another
    30% switched to menthol or tobacco-flavored pods
    14% switched to combustible products, like cigarettes

    Lead author, Dongmei Li, Ph.D., – Associate Professor of Clinical and Translational Research, Obstetric and Gynecoloogy and Public Health Sciences at URMC said that a large part of the problem is that the ban did not cover newer products, like disposable e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes that use tanks rather than cartridges/pods.

    After the FDA policy, other forms of flavoured e-cigarettes, especially disposable have become very popular. The FDA policy did not ban menthol or tobacco flavored products and our study shows many people switched to menthol flavoured e-cigarettes after the ban, Li said.

    Reply
57. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 12, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    Reuters – 9 December 2022

    A large e-cigarette maker has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to resolve around 10,000 lawsuits as a major cause of a U.S. vaping epidemic. This would cover 5,000 cases in California.

    The company is partly owned by a famous traditional cigarette maker and it agreed in September to pay $438 million to settle claims from 34 U.S. states who said the company had downplayed its products’ risks and targeted underage buyers.

    Reply
58. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 18, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    AAAS American Association for the Advancement of Science – 13 December 2022

    https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/974029

    Most adults who both smoke and vape are likely to carry on smoking or continue dual use over the long term, according to a new observational research study published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

    Vaping does not seem to help smokers quit more easily at the population level, emphasising the need to help dual users ditch both products, conclude the researchers.

    Dual vaping and smoking is harmful and current evidence suggests that it is common. It is not clear how each product is used over time and how these patterns of use might interact.

    Reply
59. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 31, 2022 at 9:37 am

    U.S. FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION – RESULTS FROM THE ANNUAL NATIONAL YOUTH TOBACCO SURVEY – 20 DECEMBER 2022

    https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey

    2022
    Findings on Youth Tobacco Use

    Youth E-Cigarette Use

    2.5 million high and middle school students currently use e-cigarettes

    1 in 4 use e-cigarettes daily

    4 in 10 report using e-cigarettes at least 20 of the last 30 days

    85% use flavoured e-cigarettes
    Most common fruit flavours, candy, desserts or other sweets

    55.3% – among current users, used disposable device

    Reply
60. 
    Simple Living Global

    March 2, 2023 at 8:32 am

    American Heart Association – 28 February 2023

    https://newsroom.heart.org/news/depression-anxiety-symptoms-linked-to-vaping-nicotine-and-thc-in-teens-and-young-adults

    A study of more than 2,500 teenagers and young adults led by the American Heart Association found that vaping nicotine and THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana was associated with self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety.

    The use of pod-based e-cigarettes has surged among youth and young adults in recent years. Previous studies have identified links between vaping and symptoms of both anxiety and depression among young adults.

    Joy Hart, PhD – Professor of Communication at the University of Louisville in Kentucky said, “Younger people have long been vulnerable to tobacco use, may experience greater harm from nicotine and other drugs and may be targeted by tobacco advertisers and marketers. E-cigarette devices are still relatively new compared to other tobacco products, such as combustible cigarettes and pipes, so more research is needed to try to better understand the popularity of e-cigarettes, including reasons for vaping and the associated health risks among youth.”

    70% of the THC-only vapers and 60% of the nicotine-only vapers and dual vapers reported experiencing anxiety symptoms – such as worries, flashbacks, panic attacks and situational anxieties within the past week, compared to about 40% of participants who had never vaped.

    Over 50% of the nicotine-only vapers, THC only vapers and dual vapers reported experiencing symptoms of depression, such as difficulty engaging in or being interested in activities normally enjoyed, whether they felt that depression interfered with their ability to do the things they needed to do at work, at school or at home and whether depression interfered with their social life and relationships within the past week, compared to 25% of non-vapers.

    More than 50% of people in all vaping groups reported having suicidal thoughts within the past 12 months, compared to only one-third of the non-users.

    25% of the dual vapers and nicotine-only vapers started vaping nicotine to calm down or feel less stressed and one third of participants in both groups reported that they currently vaped nicotine to cope with feelings of anxiety.

    Half of THC-only vapers started vaping THC and currently vape THC to relieve anxiety symptoms.

    20% of nicotine-only vapers and dual vapers started vaping to help feel less depressed and currently vaped for this reason.

    One third of THC-only vapers started vaping THC and nearly half currently vaped THC to feel less depressed.

    Dual vapers were significantly more likely than nicotine-only vapers to indicate addiction to nicotine, which was defined in this study as behaviour such as waking up at night to vape. Dual vapers of nicotine and THC were also significantly more likely to say they felt less depressed after they started vaping, whereas nicotine-only vapers were more likely to report that vaping had no impact on their feelings of depression. This may be related to dual users’ stronger addiction to these products, rather than the positive impacts of the products on the mental health, the researchers said.

    Hart said, “Although we knew that THC was commonly vaped, we were surprised to have so many dual vapers – more than double the nicotine-only vapers. Dual use may either compound the addictive nature of vaping or attract people who are more prone to addiction, as well as have an impact on symptoms of depression”.

    Dear World

    Does a better coping skill need to be developed, do we need to manage symptoms or do we need to consider another approach?

    This article which focuses mainly on e-cigarettes and vaping is from our Tobacco treatise. It is a valuable presentation for humanity and an opportunity and an offering for us all to consider as it is clear, e-cigarettes are not the answer that at the beginning was circulating around the world, as a replacement for the original tobacco, nicotine cigarette smoker.

    While we continue to wait for more research, it is very evident thus far that no form of vaping has health benefits. No different to smoking cigarettes.

    Are we going to go another century, like we did with cigarette smoking, to then be told the inevitable which is – Smoking harms the human body and so does vaping?

    Reply
61. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 16, 2023 at 9:17 am

    University of Pittsburgh | Health Sciences – 4 April 2023

    https://www.upmc.com/media/news/041123-vape-juice-toxic-to-lungs

    Adding mint flavor to e-cigarette liquids produces more vapor particles and is associated with worse lung function in those who smoke, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburg in Respiratory Research.

    Researchers showed that commercially available e-cigarette liquids containing menthol generate a greater number of toxic microparticles compared to menthol-free juice.

    An accompanying analysis from a cohort of e-cigarette smokers patient records revealed that menthol vapers took shallower breaths and had poorer lung function compared to non-menthol smokers regardless of age, gender, race, pack-years of smoking and the use of nicotine or cannabis-containing vaping products.

    “Many people, especially youth, assume that vaping is safe but even nicotine-free vaping mixtures contain many compounds that can potentially damage the lungs. Just because something is safe to consume as food, does not mean that it is safe to inhale.”
    Kambez H. Benam, Senior Author – D. Phil.,
    Associate Professor – Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at University of Pittsburg School of Medicine.

    This new study suggests that menthol additives could be just as dangerous as vitamin E acetate, which was strongly linked to lung injury in users of e-cigarettes and vapes.

    The market for vaping products worldwide continues to expand and mint and menthol flavors remain among the top most popular among the 2.5 million youth who reported smoking e-cigarettes in 2022.

    Reply
62. 
    Simple Living Global

    May 31, 2023 at 5:34 am

    BBC News – 31 May 2023

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65753868

    Under new laws in Australia, vapes will be only available on prescription. There is also a ban on recreational vaping.

    This has come as the number of vaping teenagers in Australia soared in recent years as authorities said it is the “number one behavioural issue” in schools across the country. “These products contain nicotine and are actively designed to encourage young people to become addicted.

    There is growing concern that the people selling these devices are concealing them within pens or USB sticks as a way of concealing them, potentially from teachers,” said UCAC Teacher and Union Secretary Chris Shaw.

    Shaw is concerned about a worrying trend as vape shops are opening and some close to schools as they can target children.

    Dr. Sinan Eccles, a consultant in Respiratory Medicine said he has seen patients admitted “with severe respiratory problems due to vaping” and who have “become extremely unwell”. He added that some needed to go into intensive care and be on a ventilator while they recovered.

    Common Bronchitis symptoms, breathlessness, cough and wheezing are seen by Dr Eccles and the majority are teenagers and young adults in their early 20s.
    He is concerned that the number of young people vaping is “increasing at a rapid rate” and that it is partly due to marketing and partly because of disposable vapes coming onto the market.

    The UK government said this week it would close a loophole allowing shops to give free vape samples to children.

    The Welsh government said it would publish its plan for preventing children and young people vaping. The First Minister Mark Drakeford said he favoured tighter regulations and admitted that Welsh ministers had “failed to do it when we had the chance in 2016 and we must not fail again”.

    The UK vaping Industry Association said these products “are not designed for children”.

    Dr. Julie Bishop – Director of Health Improvement at Public Health Wales has said that the kind of tactics being used by certain sections of the industry suggests that they are seeking to recruit a new generation of addicts which is cause for concern. She added “We have been inundated with requests from school for help”.

    The Welsh government said “It is absolutely wrong and irresponsible that retailers can give children free e-cigarettes and this practice must be stopped”.

    Reply
63. 
    Simple Living Global

    June 24, 2023 at 7:17 pm

    ABC News – 22 June 2023

    https://abcnews.go.com/Health/e-cigarette-sales-increase-pandemic/story?id=100302444

    Monthly e-cigarette sales skyrocketed during the first 2 years of the pandemic, according to a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Between January 2020 and December 2022, monthly unit sales increased by 46.6% from 15.5 million units to 22.7 million units, the study found.

    Researchers found the surge was mostly driven by disposable e-cigarettes in flavours, including fruit and candy, which are popular among youth and young adult users.

    The CDC noted in its report that e-cigarette use is more common among young people than adults overall. The CDC also says aerosol from e-cigarettes can contain heavy metal potentially cancer-causing chemicals and other substances that can damage the lungs.

    The CDC states that “use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teenagers and young adults.”

    Reply
64. 
    Simple Living Global

    July 5, 2023 at 5:59 pm

    The Guardian – 23 June 2023

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/23/millions-of-vapes-seized-in-uk-in-three-years-data-shows

    Millions of Illegal Vapes have been Seized by Trading Standards in the UK.

    Experts warn of “tip of the iceberg” and a “tsunami” of illicit e-cigarettes which could contain harmful ingredients.

    Illicit vapes have been found to contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium as well as nicotine in excess of UK regulations.

    2.5 million e-cigarettes were collected since the beginning of 2020.

    1.35 million were seized at Hillingdon council in West London alone.

    These e-cigarettes could have higher nicotine concentration levels, contain banned ingredients or have oversized tanks for nicotine liquid.

    Previous analysis found illicit vapes to contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium.

    The lead officer at Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Kate Pike said “I get calls from colleagues at the port almost every day. They are mainly coming from China.
    Non-compliant vapes were particularly popular with underage consumers because they were cheap and could be bought in places that were less likely to check ID and that research showed a third of products sold in UK shops were likely to be illegal.

    We don’t need sniffer dogs to find these products as they are all on shelves in high street shops in full view of the public.”

    Doctors have called for an outright ban on disposable vapes, which come in bright colours and a variety of flavours – to reduce their popularity among young people as the long-term impact remains unknown.

    Phil Jenkins – senior officer at London Tradings Standards who oversaw the seizure of 1 million vapes at Heathrow airport in 2022, said these vapes came in on commercial flights as standard cargo. They are declared as atomisers on the paperwork but when they come through we can see in the packaging they will have a battery warning and say they are vapes.”

    He said businesses were factoring in that some vapes would be intercepted, so they would over order. Also officials had confiscated 6 tonnes of illegal vapes this week which means the figures for Hillingdon were already out of date.

    “They are not hidden of smuggled in but brought in openly and people pay import duties. There is nothing illegal about transporting goods across borders but they are illegal to sell’” said Jenkins.

    Reply
65. 
    Simple Living Global

    August 20, 2023 at 8:36 am

    U.S. News – 16 August 2023

    https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-08-16/vaping-can-hamper-breathing-in-the-young

    According to researchers, when teenagers vape, their lungs are affected.

    Following a detailed analysis of smoking habit histories shared by over 2,000 U.S. teenagers, it was reported that those who used electronic cigarettes in the month prior to being surveyed saw their risk for wheezing and shortness of breath rise by 80%.

    Vapers were also twice as likely to struggle with bronchitis-related issues.
    Most of the hits to respiratory health linked to vaping held up even after taking into account whether the teenagers also smoked cigarettes or marijuana.

    The lead author, Alayna Tackett from the Center for Tobacco Research at The Ohio State University, Columbus said e-cigarettes are not risk free, especially for youth or young adults who have never used any other tobacco product.

    While the debate continues that self reported data lacks control over examined variables and limits the conclusions that can be drawn, we can use common sense while we wait for more ‘rigorous research’ which is now being demanded.

    We have real life evidence in our face and we ALL know that there is nothing healthy or worthy of our body ingesting a toxic poison via an electronic device called a vape.

    Do we really need even more robust evidence to tell us what we knew back then about cigarettes, or are we going down a different road this time as it’s electronic cigarettes and the same threat is not yet acknowledged because the demand is so high and those that profit are not going to ever consider that there is a root cause to WHY anyone picks up a vape in the first place?

    If we put our resources there, we could end this once and for all.

    Reply
66. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 16, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    European Respiratory Society – 11 September 2023

    https://www.ersnet.org/news-and-features/news/young-people-who-vape-more-likely-to-report-chronic-stress/

    Young people who have used e-cigarettes are more than twice as likely to report experiencing chronic stress, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

    Senior Scientist, Dr. Teresa To from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada said “Research is starting to show how vaping affects young people’s physical and mental health.
    Chronic stress can lead to mental health conditions, such as Anxiety and Depression.
    Vaping is not an effective way to cope with stress but stress and anxiety can trigger vape cravings and make it harder for the user to quit.”
    For example – our previous research has shown that those who vape are more likely to suffer an asthma attack.

    The data showed that although young people who vaped were more likely to be physically active, they were also more likely to report experiencing extreme chronic stress in their lives.

    The results indicated young people using e-cigarettes had poorer quality of life but lower risks of some signs of ill health, such as high blood pressure, although these findings did not reach statistical significance.

    Reply
67. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 21, 2023 at 6:04 pm

    Environtec – September 2023

    https://envirotecmagazine.com/2023/09/08/government-support-called-for-as-single-use-vape-disposal-quadruples-to-over-5-million-per-week/

    The number of single use disposable vapes thrown away has quadrupled to over 5 million per week.

    4 x the number since the research was first conducted last year.

    £200 Million is the yearly cost of collecting and recycling these vapes.
    Vape producers, importers and retailers are not paying for this cost.

    Findings show UK adults buy over 360 million single-use vapes per annum, containing valuable and critical materials such as lithium and copper that are regularly being trashed/binned.

    If littered, they are toxic and damaging to the environment and wildlife.

    The number of battery related waste fires continues to rise, some of which are considered to have been sparked by vapes being thrown away instead of being recycled.

    700 fires were caused by batteries hidden inside electricals such as vapes in the waste stream last year.

    Single-use vapes are now the fastest growing and most dangerous waste stream in the UK.

    30 Million single-use vapes are bought a month by UK adults aged 16+

    3 million single-use vapes a month are being hoarded in UK cupboards.

    73% of UK vapers say they throw away single-use vapes.

    Reply
68. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 23, 2023 at 4:51 am

    Texas A & M University – 18 September 2023

    https://today.tamu.edu/2023/09/18/researchers-find-association-between-vaping-and-asthma-among-us-adolescents/

    Researchers Find Association between Vaping and Asthma among U.S. Adolescents.

    A new study from the Texas A & M University School of Public Health suggests that vaping increases the risk of asthma in adolescents who have never smoked conventional tobacco products.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S009174352300275X

    The use of electronic cigarettes among adolescents has grown dramatically over the past several years. They contain a mixture of harmful chemicals and raise the risk of respiratory diseases.

    Data was collected on more than 3,000 teenagers in Texas aged 13 to 17 between 2015 and 2019. Over 32,000 adolescents’ data in the United States were also included for comparison.

    The study identified an association between e-cigarette use and asthma in adolescents who had never smoked conventional tobacco products. This demonstrates that vaping increases the risk of asthma independently from conventional tobacco product use in adolescents.

    The researchers also found evidence that some demographic factors, behaviours related to substance use and the presence of depressive symptoms are associated with e-cigarette use.

    Adolescents who used conventional cigarettes, alcohol and other substances were more likely to use e-cigarettes, as were subjects with depression.

    Reply
69. 
    Simple Living Global

    March 7, 2024 at 5:44 pm

    University of Calgary – 4 March 2024

    https://ucalgary.ca/news/vaping-and-other-lifestyle-factors-linked-frequent-headaches-youth

    Vaping and other lifestyle factors linked to frequent headaches in youth, according to a new study

    Other lifestyle factors linked with frequent headaches are drinking alcohol or binge drinking, not having regularly timed meals, staying up late, more than 14 hours of screen time per week and being exposed to household smoking.

    Researchers found a strong link between frequent headaches, vaping and not having regularly timed meals.
    Example – teenagers who were vaping daily had twice the rate of frequent headaches compared to their peers. With frequent headaches, a child may also be more likely to develop chronic migraine.

    “These results are important because there is surprisingly little research looking at lifestyle and headaches in kids and teenagers.
    As a headache neurologist, it is critical to understand the role that lifestyle factors play because prescribing medication alone is not the ideal way of treating headaches at any age.
    We looked at a sample that is representative of over 5 million Canadian youth and were able to show that substance use, particularly vaping was associated with high-frequency headaches in teenagers.
    In youth aged 5 and over, meal irregularity, staying up late, screen time and passive exposure to household smoking were linked to high-frequency headaches.”
    Dr. Serena Orr, MD, Paediatric Neurologist and Assistant Professor in the Cumming School of Medicine

    The study was published in the medical journal Neurology
    https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209160

    Reply