Introduction
Vaping e-cigarette is spreading. Is it safe than cigarette? Vaping causes environmental issues as well as mental and physical problem more than cigarette
e-cigarette and cigarette harm to the environment around us
Around 1.3 million of e cigarettes are thrown away every week in the UK. That’s like 2 e-cigarettes every second. In comparison, trillions of standard cigarette butts are discarded onto the streets and parks of the UK.
Without a second thought as to their environmental impact, gardens, bush and vases around local marts are ruined by cigarette buts. Standard cigarette butts include heavy metal such as nicotine, tar, lead, nickel and tin etc.
Such materials pollute soil, harm plants growth and dirty water supplies, rivers and oceans. Smokers’ sperm also has such heavy metal that causes malfunction in it.
E-cigarettes are fast becoming a very similar threat to the environment as well, the vaping one is causing another potential environmental threat that we need to be aware of. More people are starting to adopt them as they are marketed as less harmful smoking options.
e-cigarettes threat mental and physical health in adolescent and adult
Most e cigarettes contain nicotine that is highly addictive and makes anxiety, depression, self control and memory worse. It does harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid 20s according to a 2019 JAMA study of 30,000 e-cigarette users.
Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes contains other harmful substances as such lead, tin, tar and nickel that are likely to suffer form, stroke, heart attack and coronary disease.
Young people who use e cigarettes tend to cough, to have dry throat and headaches. Ultra fine particles of e cigarette can be inhaled deep into the lungs. Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible lung damage.
Flavouring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease. Biological changes are associated with cancer development. And they are more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.
e-cigarette’s heavy metals, chemicals and plastic waste impact on the environment
Commonly in many shapes and sizes, most are not reusable, and contain one use plastic cartridges, while others are one use inly throw away items. This presents a massive waste and pollution problem of people are not responsible in the way they dispose of them.
An organisation called Material Focus published research that found 1.3 million of such disposable e cigarettes are thrown away every week in the UK. Every several second over 100 would end up in a landfill somewhere.
Three researchers Jeremie Pourchez, Clement Mercier and Valerie Forest wrote a scientific paper on e-cigarette use. Here’s where they said about the subject:
Withe the vape market mainly owned by the tobacco industry, it’s legitimate to question whether vaping is more eco-friendly than smoking, or whether the tobacco industry has gone from bad to worse.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/issue/vol10no7/PIIS2213-2600(22)X0007-6
A new threat is now facing our planet: vape waste. E cigarette waste isn’t generally being recycled. Single use vapes don’t normally get recycled, taking into account the majority of their makeup is plastics.
e-cigarette tool has lithium that is supposed to recyle
And they also contain small amounts of some precious metals, largely in their lithium batteries which many run on. They can contain up to 0.15 grams of lithium, equating to almost 10 tonnes of lithium a year going directly to landfill.
Lithium mining needs lots of water and pollutes ground water and causes landslide. To recycle lithium in products is beneficial to environment and future generation.
Closure
These disposable e cigarettes are becoming more popular every day with young smokers, having exploded in popularity over the last few years. They tend to follow one another in habit and taste.
If these disposable e-cigarettes are not disposed of correctly, they can leak harmful chemicals and heavy metals into the environment when decomposing in landfill, and leave remains of harmful micro plastics.
Even recycling them poses a risk of fire if not handled with care.
Sources: thelancet
