Nowadays, people see e-cigarettes as a “safer” alternative to cigarettes. However, are they really as safe as we think they are?
“It was just a weird, freak accident”
A 14-year-old girl was having the time of her life; riding the Hogwarts Express train ride with her family at Universal Studios in Orlando. But in the blink of an eye, her joy turned into absolute horror as an e-cigarette exploded in a man’s pocket, causing her to have burns on her face, arm, and leg.
The owner of the e-cigarette had burns on his leg, as it was inside his pants pocket when it exploded.
Lieutenant Dan Brady, in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel says, “It was just a weird, freak accident.”
“It wasn’t a big explosion but was definitely enough to scare everyone who was in that cab of the train,” Brady adds.
The girl was taken to the hospital to get treatment for her burns, which thankfully were minor injuries.
Not an isolated case
There have already been previous reports of e-cigarettes that have exploded while they were in someone’s pocket. While the girl’s injuries were relatively minor, there have been cases of serious injury caused by e-cigarette explosions.
In one case, a man had suffered a broken neck, fractures on his face, burns on his mouth, as well as shattered teeth when the e-cigarette exploded.
These cases raise concern about the safety of e-cigarettes as the industry is still largely unregulated as of now. In addition to explosive risk that e-cigarettes might have, studies still have to be conducted regarding the effect that “vaping” has on the user. Some people say that e-cigarettes are a good way to quit smoking completely, but others argue that the effects might even be worse because of the various chemicals used.
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Quitting smoking
Regardless of where you stand regarding the use of e-cigarettes, one thing is absolutely clear: smoking kills. Smoking has been found to cause lung cancer as well as oral and pharyngeal cancer, or cancer of the throat. In some cases, the vocal chords are removed, leaving the patient unable to speak without using a device. Other cases result in death.
Here are some things to keep in mind should you choose to stop smoking completely:
- Know the reason or triggers – It’s important to know what factors make you want to smoke. If you smoke because your friends smoke as well, then it’s best to try and avoid them, or even better, ask them to quit with you. If smoking relieves your stress, then you can look towards things like meditation to help you relax.
- The first week will be the most difficult – The first few days will be the most difficult time, especially if you just stop outright, or quit “cold turkey.” That’s why it’s important to have a group of people that will support you and understand you as you might feel irritable or annoyed once you quit smoking.
- Don’t be tempted to smoke – This really is the hardest thing to do. It’s easy to tell yourself that “I’ll just smoke one, and I’ll stop,” but this really doesn’t work. Keep in mind that each time you resist the temptation to smoke, you’re moving closer to quitting completely.
- Look for a new hobby – Look for friends who don’t smoke, and try out a new hobby with them. You can start exercising, or doing arts and crafts; anything to keep you busy and to relax you. This will help you be more successful in quitting smoking.
- Give yourself a treat – Quitting smoking isn’t the easiest thing to do, so you should reward yourself for your decision. You can give yourself a treat for every week that you haven’t smoked. Make it something that you look forward to, so that it acts as good motivation for you to quit.
Sources: BBC, WebMD
READ: In Australia pregnant teens smoke on purpose to have smaller babies during labor
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