Will Vape Detectors Appear In Schools?

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With the ongoing public paranoia that vaping is going to corrupt the youth and bring them one step closer to nicotine addiction, it’s hardly surprising that there is now a vape detector on the horizon. Despite current studies which have revealed that, despite popular opinion, experimental vaping does not lead to smoking, or even regular vaping, the media chooses to run with the idea that young people are being faced with an enormous threat to their health and well-being in the form of e-cigarettes.

Now, companies have cashed in on these apparently unfounded concerns, and have developed a clever surveillance tool to snoop on teenagers when they least expect it, in an attempt to catch them at an early stage and so put them off vaping for life. While sensible people might then reason that teens could well take up smoking instead, this does not seem to have occurred to school administrators, who appear to be seriously considering installing these nanny state devices in educational establishments.

Digital Fly, a company based in New York, have developed their own software suite and offers its services to assist schools in dealing with a range of issues that threaten today’s young people. The list of problems that they have set themselves up to tackle include such serious issues as suicide and pupil violence – and now vaping is set to be added to the list.

The system involves installing a sensor in potentially covert areas of the school where staff cannot go, such as student bathrooms, to keep an eye on students and to alert teachers whenever a threat is detected – threats that include bullying, self-harm and, yes, you guessed it, vaping. The manufacturer’s of the device state that whenever a student vapes in the bathroom, the air will be contaminated and it will be picked up by the sensor in order to alert a member of staff straight away via an alert direct to their cell phone. As well all know, over-worked teachers have nothing better to do than to burst into the bathrooms during their lunch break to break up a crowd of teenager vapers.

It seems that the media frenzy surrounding the dangers of teen vaping has become so widespread and so ingrained that even cash-strapped school authorities are seriously considering investing in these snooping measures to eradicate vaping amongst young people. However, it would make more sense if they actually acknowledged that vaping could actually be a good thing – after all, would they rather that the kids were puffing away on cigarettes behind the science blocks? It seems quite clear that, until the public at large recognises that e-cigs have a key role to play in reducing the harm that can be caused by smoking tobacco, this is likely to be just the first in a long line of similar innovations. Over the next few years, we can expect to see devices like this popping up in public spaces everywhere, so watch out covert vapers everywhere!

5 ingredients that make up e-cigarettes

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Many cigarette smokers promise to themselves every year that they will quit smoking. But most of them fail. Some people have moved to e-cigarettes. But many people don’t know what’s the e-cigarette devices and juices. These are unregulated in the US.  So, it’s important to know what’s inside the e-cigarette that you are inhaling.  Here are the ingredients that make up e-cigarettes.

Water

It is a reservoir for liquid and a heating element. A wicking material, like cotton, pulls the liquid toward a metal coil. Here, the heat turns it into droplets that cannot be inhaled.

Vegetable Glycerin

It acts as a preservative or a texture enhancer and increases the thickness of the vape. You will often find this in food as a low-glycemic sweetener.

Propylene Glycol

It is a tasteless, colorless and odorless alcohol that is used in antifreeze solutions to decrease the freezing temperature of water. It is considered to be safe for tropical use. It is used in many fog-machine juices as well. This can act as allergens and cause eye or airway irritation. It also results in dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches.

Nicotine

The E-cigarette juice contains nicotine. It is safe to inhale, but you should keep it away from children. But if nicotine comes in contact with the skin in the liquid form, tiny amounts of nicotine can induce vomiting, seizures or even death. So, when you refill your vape tank, you must wear gloves.

Flavoring

There are lots of flavorings that are added to e-cigarettes, and they have very interesting names. These include Unicorn Milk, Krispy Krack Doughnut, etc. The flavorings are a ‘trade secret,’ so no one knows what is added to make the flavoring.

In Spain and Wales e-cigarettes fall under the public smoking restrictions. France may have this restriction soon. It may be safer than cigarettes but doesn’t eliminate the possibility of causing health issues.

E-Cigarettes: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly – A Doctor’s Viewpoint

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E-cigarettes are the new flashy thing to have. They have replaced the flash of having a cell phone because everyone, and I mean everyone, even homeless people, have a cell phone today. E-cigarettes have taken over the ‘must have’ bling of humans.

Their intended purpose was to help a smoker quit smoking. Is that working though? And are they safer than traditional cigarettes? A doctor recently wrote an article about this new gadget and what he found from his own experience. Let’s look at what Dr. Marc Siegel had to say about them in his article from 2014 published by Fox News.

First, he found e-cigarettes to be a definite effective method to cut back or even quit smoking for smokers. Because ezigarette are a nicotine replacement therapy while providing a total smoking cessation from the vaping.

This doctor had found a technique that hypnotized smokers to quit smoking, however, the biggest obstacle he found that had to be overcome was the physical fixation that smoking provided. While under hypnotization, the smoker would have to imagine themselves with a cigarette. E-cigs allow a smoker to perpetuate this image as well as the nicotine while losing the tar and other toxins from cigarettes that cause cancer and other illnesses like emphysema.

Long Term Studies Aren’t Proof …. Yet

Still, there aren’t any long-term studies to prove this doctor is correct about e-cigs other than the desired smoking cessation. However, the British journal, Lance, released a recent study that did prove e-cigs had just as much success as a nicotine patch.

The doctor went on to say that while he could see e-cigs were a potential tool for adults to use in helping them to quit, he had concerns for teenagers and the growing role e-cigarettes were having, especially for those whom had never smoked and an e-cig was their first time to try any such “recreation”. Even though there are a dozen states that have banned the sale of e-cigs to minors, they can purchase them on line.

The Centers for Disease Control has stated that e-cig with high schoolers has increased by 10 percent. That is double from the year before. Dr. Tom Frieden, an expert on the subject and head of the CDC spoke to this doctor and said that e-cigs could be a gateway drug that could create a nicotine addiction and lead to more use of tobacco.

In addition, with liquid nicotine that are sold in a variety of flavors on-line, have a higher concentration than an e-cigarette purchased in a store. Those nicotine levels are almost 2% to almost 2.5% range.

It takes just one table spoon of the concentrated liquid nicotine being sold to cause harm. Nicotine is a neurotoxin that when absorbed or ingested can cause the heart beat to increase, seizures, and vomiting. This alone should cause safety concern if the nicotine addiction doesn’t.

There Is Good To Be Had

While the doctor did state his concerns about e-cigs, he did go on to say that if e-cigs are handled right in the right hands, they do have the potential of being an effective way to help smokers quit, and currently, they may be the best tool available.

Regrettably though, e-cigs are not always getting in the right hands, and the doctor feared that while both traditional cigarettes and e-cigs both available to a smoker, they may not actually cut down on their use of tobacco.

While the FDA is presenting proposal to increase the regulations on e-cigs, the doctor in this article, and others aren’t sure that will have much effect on the use of them. This doctor is one of many that feel that making them a prescription only product could make them more of a treatment therapy and less of a recreational therapy. And that most likely won’t be happening.

Or Could It Happen?

The MHRA has indicated intentions of regulating them as medicinal products. Many believe this could restrict the industry’s growth. In the meantime, there are cities, such as NYC, that are talking about proposed plans of restricting the advertising and marketing and advertising of electronic cigarettes. This would significantly reduce the exposure of e-cigs.

The pros of e-cig use fear that all the good things about e-cigs could be undone by these measures. Remember, as we stated above, there are findings from research and studies that have found e-cigs have been effective in aiding smokers to quit smoking just as much as nicotine patches have.

The National Institute for Health performed a study of smokers that had stated they wanted to quit. 289 of them were issued standard e-cigs, 295 were issued nicotine patches, and 73 of them were issued nicotine-free e-cigs. At the end of the six-month study, the group that received the standard e-cigs had a higher success rate of stopping.

Almost 90% of those who use e-cigs say they would recommend the method to any fellow smoker that wants to quit. For nicotine patch users, the recommendation rate was just over 55% in comparison. These numbers only provide proof that stricter regulations could have an opposing effect in helping people quit smoking.

Not Going Down Without A Fight

The electronic cigarette industry isn’t going to go down without a fight. There are initiatives in place for saving this relatively new industry and squash the possibility of over-regulation. There are as many as 7 million users of e-cigs and the proposed restrictions have caused them concern. They all are hoping that studies such as that one and the many success stories will support their cause.

While the original intentions of e-cigs were very well intended, as with anything that is new, there are the nay-sayers and the skeptics. It will be several more years before we know the full benefits and/or detriments of the e-cig phenomenon. Just as it has taken us years, even decades, to realize what that automobile could do to the world, so it will for the electronic cigarettes.

3 reasons why E-cigarettes and vape pens pose health concern

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Many people think of E-cigarettes or vaping as a safer alternative to cigarettes as there is no tobacco smoke in it. However, recent studies have found that they are not that safe. Here are three reasons why.

The can blow up

There have been reports of E-cigarettes blowing up. A man in Colorado lost some of his teeth, broke his neck and had some facial fractures when his e-cigarette exploded. There have been other reports of teenagers having injuries caused by E-cigarettes. The number of such accidents is rising.

Use of lithium-ion battery

E-cigarettes and vape pens use a small lithium-ion battery to heat the aerosol cartridge for releasing a vapor that’s inhaled. If the battery is damaged, then it can be a problem. If there is a short circuit, it will cause the battery to overheat and catch fire. Not everyone uses a high quality battery for their e-cigarettes. So, there is a chance of exploding.

No regulatory rules

The chemicals that are found in the devices may be toxic. There are no regulations for these yet. FDA may soon classify electronic cigarettes and vaping products like tobacco. They will have warning labels, and sales of the minors will be banned.

The e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco, but their use must be limited as well. Good quality batteries should be used, and consumption must be restricted just like tobacco. Otherwise, they might have same problems that tobacco consumption has. They will pose a serious threat to public health.

What are the differences between e-cigarettes and vapes?

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Both e-cigarettes and vapes are alternatives to tobacco smoking. But many people don’t know the difference between the two. Here are the differences between the two.

E-cigarettes

1

It started in 2003 by a Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik. E-cigarettes were designed to imitate the look and feel of smoking cigarettes. They look similar to the traditional cigarette but have three parts: a cartomizer, a silicon mouthpiece, and battery. When the user inhales, the end of the battery glows. This resembles the burning tip of a cigarette. The cartridge within the cartomizer contains the e-liquid.

Vapes

2

They were invented after e-cigarettes. They have captured the market and are now more popular than e-cigarettes. They look like a large fountain pen. They offer customizable options. There is a large battery on one end, a mouthpiece, and a clear reservoir tank in the middle. They offer more choice of flavors, e-liquid supply, and tastes. You can mix and match if you want to. They also deliver nicotine more smoothly. They have transparent cartomizer so you can tell how much e-liquid it is left. In the case of e-cigarettes, it is hard to tell the amount of e-liquid left in the reservoir tank. They are refillable, whereas e-cigarettes are disposable. So, vapes are cheaper in the long run.

Whether you choose e-cigarettes or vapes depends on your personal preference. You should read reviews and choose the best brand for e-cigarettes or vapes. If you want something to look like a cigarette, then you should go for e-cigarettes. If you want something cost effective, then you should choose vapes.