WHY VAPING IS BAD FOR YOU

How inhaling this flavoured aerosol affects your lungs and impacts the body

- AILSA HARVEY ETTY

PILLOWS OF FRUITY-FLAVOURED MIST ARE A COMMON SCENT ON TODAY'S PARTY HIGH STREETS. THEY PLUME from electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes or e-cigarettes, and are exhaled from the mouths of young and old alike. But the liquid in vapes contains many harmful ingredients and a total of around 2 000 different chemicals.

Despite the device's name, the mist that escapes vapes is inaccurately described as vapour. A vapour is a substance in gas form, while an aerosol contains small particles of liquid - called e-liquid in vapes that are suspended in the air.

Although e-cigarettes were invented as a cigarette substitute, feeding nicotine cravings caused by smoking without exposing the body to many deadly toxins, vapes are a new craze that come with their own set of health hazards for a new generation of vaping addicts. Health agencies, such as those in the UK government, have previously misinformed people that vaping is a healthy alternative to smoking.

Based on limited information about modern vaping devices and known ingredients, these groups promoted e-cigarettes as being 95 per cent safer than standard cigarettes. This information, which was intended to steer smokers away from tobacco products, has also steered younger nonsmokers to these nicotine products.

The sweet-tasting vape flavours are marketed like candy, appealing to younger generations, while their hidden and potentially deadly chemicals can damage developing bodies. This includes your brain, which isn't fully developed until you reach your mid-20s - vaping can hinder this process.