A Melting Pot of Mail
Finally, a mixed (mail)bag of letters. Some readers tossed in their two cents about vaping (Clinician Reviews. 2016;26[6]:15-16) and the ACA (2016;26[5]:10, 12)—and not one but two clinicians stepped up in defense of today’s students in the Great Precepting Debate of 2016 (2016;26[6]:9, 55)!
VAPING DANGERS: CLEARING THE AIR
The liquid base of an e-cigarette contains either vegetable glycerin (VG) or propylene glycol, or more commonly, a proprietary combination of both. Each of these ingredients has varying effects on the body.
However, the first paragraph of Randy D. Danielsen’s editorial alluded to what I consider a bigger concern regarding the future medical complications of vaping. The description of a “… huge puff of cherry-scented smoke …” indicates that vapes are not puffed on the way cigarettes are.
Cigarette smoking is similar to drinking through a straw—the smoke is first captured in the mouth, then cooled and inhaled. In contrast, vaping involves inhaling smoke directly into the lungs. This action, along with the thick VG base, produces a high volume of smoke. Vape shops even sponsor contests to see who can produce the largest cloud of smoke.
Therefore, my concern regarding vaping is not limited to the toxicity of the ingredients; it extends to how the toxicants are delivered to the poor, unsuspecting alveoli.
Gary Dula, FNP-C
Houston, TX
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