Vapeboss – Recently, there has been a lot of news that seems to discredit e-cigarettes. This ranges from negative health impacts due to e-cigarette use, depression, sexual dysfunction, high risk of stroke, severe shortness of breath, to being the primary cause of lung damage.

In response to this, Hokkop Situngkir, representing the Organized Vape Consumers (KONVO), spoke out regarding the slander and various negative accusations against vaping, especially EVALI (E-Cigarettes or Vaping Associated Lung Injury) which is claimed to cause lung health problems, based on an article in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review in late August 2022.

EVALI is defined as an acute lung disease caused by inhaling aerosol from vapes. EVALI also became a major epidemic in North America in late 2019 and ended in early 2020. The aftermath of this incident created public fear about switching to vaping. However, it turned out that there was no evidence stating that e-cigarettes were the source of the epidemic.

"However, as time went on and the news became sensationalized, it turned out that there was no evidence from the medical world that it was all related to inhaling e-cigarettes," Hokkop explained.

In fact, all problems regarding the EVALI outbreak were revealed to be due to economic crime factors in America that made e-cigarettes a scapegoat. VEA (Vitamin E Acetate), which was accused of being the main ingredient causing lung damage, is not found in nicotine e-liquids and cannot be mixed in.

Even if VEA could be mixed in, it would have no effect whatsoever. To be more convincing, Hokkop presented 4 well-known health organizations in America such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and American Thoracic Society, which uncovered that EVALI was developed as anti-vaping propaganda.

Hokkop also explained that the news of the lung disease outbreak had been spread worldwide, and e-cigarettes were blamed as the cause. However, Public Health England, an executive agency of the UK Department of Health, had long since warned that there was no connection between EVALI and the use of nicotine vapes. More precisely, EVALI arose due to the black market for vapes mixing ingredients such as cannabis with VEA.

In addition to the cases above, Hokkop presented several other cases related to EVALI, and it turned out that when diagnosed, the cause was not from vaping but rather from congenital diseases. These cases included a teenager diagnosed with a urinary tract infection that spread to the lungs, and a 70-year-old elderly person who suffered from lung infection due to complications of emphysema caused by 40 years of conventional cigarette use.

Hokkop added that a recent study conducted by the Yale School of Public Health and published in the Journal Addiction supports and refutes these cases, stating that the high number of cases with e-cigarette use is not at all the cause of EVALI. According to assistant professor Abigail Friedman PhD from the Yale School of Public Health, the research results show figures that contradict these accusations.

Hokkop's conclusion regarding the news that inhaling nicotine vapes causes EVALI is that it is a hoax.

"Those who accuse, and also the media, including health authorities in our country, must honestly and bravely state what is true," said Hokkop.

He also regretted that there is still a lot of news that badly incites and presents the dangers of vaping by falsifying themes, rambling, and, sadly, confusing vape consumers with unanswered questions.

"Hopefully, such wrong prejudices about vaping will soon disappear," Hokkop concluded.

Source: Sinarharapan