Commentary: What’s the science behind Singapore’s policy on vapes?

VAPES WITH ADDITIONAL HEALTH RISKS

We have estimated the risk of harm so far by comparing it to smokes, assuming that the harmful ingredients in e-cigarettes are essentially the same as those in regular cigarettes.

Cigarettes does contain additional harmful chemicals that regular cigarettes do not.

For example, electronic- smokes use substances like ethylene glycol to generate vapour.

We do n’t know if propylene glycol is safe to breathe in for a long time, despite the fact that it is generally accepted that it is safe to use at certain levels in some foods and medications. Propylene methanol has caused a few uncommon but severe allergic reactions in some people.

Cigarettes also extract ingredients from their heating components that normal cigarettes do n’t.

Formaldehyde, a substance used to protect bodies of the dead, may be produced by the powerful combustion and oxidation of dangerous substances in vape juice. Formaldehyde may be broken into the tissues in your respiratory system.

Lastly, vapes have flavouring brokers such as vanillin, peppermint and diacetyl to render them more appealing to the customers. Particularly unsafe is diacetyl, which has been linked to “popcorn lung,” a terrible problem that has existed since the first 2000s.

According to reports of US snack factory workers who suffered severe airway injury as a result of the addition of diacetyl to microwave popcorn, it developed a buttery flavor. The damage was significant and lasting, requiring heart transplant.

Even if the flavouring providers themselves are not dangerous, they can create vaping more pleasant, leading people to smoke more. Unwittingly, this exposes the user to a higher dosage of various toxic materials of greater issue.