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Some digital tools can be damaging or life-threatening. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are portable electronic devices that produce vapor by heating an inhaled liquid containing nicotine, among many other potentially harmful compounds. As of 2020, there were an estimated 68 million e-cigarette users worldwide. Although e-cigarettes are often marketed as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products (2017), scholarly controversy continues. Many parties have proposed alternatives to tobacco products for decades, but none have been as successful as the tobacco industry’s efforts to diversify into e-cigarettes. This article will provide relevant facts, discuss the repercussions of using e-cigarettes from the perspective of tobacco addiction, and review a recently published journal article.
Tobacco Addiction Facts
Let’s start with tobacco, then look at how e-cigarettes fit into the picture. A May 2022 statement published on the World Health Organization (WHO) website states the following:
- Tobacco kills up to half of its users.
- Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
- Over 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries.
- In 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco, 36.7% of all men and 7.8% of the world’s women.
E-Cigarette & Vaping Facts
The process of using e-cigarettes is known as “vaping” and has been marketed heavily to vulnerable groups, particularly children and teens. Factors that increase the appeal for children and teens to vape include:
- Peer influence
- Flavorings including fruit, bubble-gum, candy, method, and other pleasing tastes
- Curiosity and experimentation with electronic equipment, as is typical for…