It seems, nowadays, that people are constantly being bombarded with information about the dangers of vaping. Even though reports of these dangers have only recently exploded throughout media, vaping is not a recent issue; the vaping epidemic has been growing and expanding for years. In fact, it is safe to say that everybody knows at least one person who has used an “e-cigarette” or vape, so people are left wondering why this issue has only recently taken a front seat in news reports. In order to answer this question, there must be an in-depth analysis of recent events and the way people have reacted.

What Is Going On?

As of September 20th, eight deaths due to vape-related lung injury have been recorded in the United States. Because the deaths occurred at around the same time and came about in a similar fashion, it is safe to assume that they have the same cause. The catalyst of these injuries is believed to be the inhalation of vaping liquid. Many professionals believe that the deadly outcomes only occurred when victims used vapes from a small companies which are less likely regulate the materials used in their e-cigarettes. However, other scientists have pointed out that even well-established vape companies use chemicals in their products that have not been checked for safety.

Another frightening fact about the growing popularity of vaping is that it mostly impacts young people. Teens and young adults often feel pressured by the media and their peers to use e-cigarettes; therefore the popularity of vaping has spiked among this age group. This results in multiple underage individuals unknowingly putting themselves at risk for lung disease.

What Has Been Done to Stop These Issues?

Many US states have decided to ban the sale of flavored vapes in order to reduce their appeal. The goal in this situation is to prevent people, especially those who are underage, from purchasing e-cigarettes. However, this strategy does little to help people who have already become hooked to the addictive chemicals in e-cigarettes. It is also being suggested that authorities crack down on bootleg vape products so that the amount of harmful, unregulated vapes decrease. This strategy is only partially helpful because, as stated previously, even legitimate vape products can contain unknown harmful chemicals. Stopping the production of particular vapes is clearly ineffective, so different measures must be taken to put vape-related injuries to an end.

What Should Be Done?

Solutions that might actually see success are limiting and altering advertisements. When people see ads that promote e-cigarettes, they become much more tempted to try these dangerous products. Radio channels, television companies, and all other sectors of media should consider regulating which ads are shown to the general public. If less people are exposed to ads glorifying vapes, the temptation to start vaping will diminish. Publishing advertisements that emphasize the dangers of vaping would have the same effect. This is because people would realize that vaping is not a habit that they want to pick up. Making e-cigarettes seem less attractive could stop numerous vaping addictions before they even start. It is obvious that advertisements play a huge role in the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, so cracking down on ads has a high chance of decreasing the number of vape-related injuries.

All Information gathered from: The Verge, CNBC, and the American Heart Association