Everyone knows that secondhand cigarette smoke is a lung irritant. When the vaping craze started in 2015, I watched family members switch from tobacco cigarettes to a fancy little device called a MOD. It was thought then that vaping wouldn’t affect other people.
But working in healthcare for over 20 years and having a grandmother who passed away from pneumonia, I thought about the patients in an ICU suffering from serious cases of pneumonia due to water in their lungs. It occured to me that if vaping is a water-based vapor and is inhaled directly into your lungs, how could it be safer?
We now know that vaping kills. And it can kill faster than tobacco. These battery-powered MODs can also malfunction. To date, there have been about 316 MOD explosions, 219 of them resulting in death or personal injury. Exploding MODs are known to knock out teeth — in some cases, the entire jaw. Vaping has also caused serious lung problems. Teens have have been reported as needing ventilators to help them breathe. According to the CDC, at least 1,479 lung injury cases and 33 deaths have been attributed to vaping as of Oct. 15, 2019.
The problem is serious. If you or someone you know vapes or smokes, share these statistics with them and help save a life.
ISLANDS SKILLED NURSING & REHABILITATION
205 Alexander St., Honolulu, HI 96826
Kelika Ishtol, Director of Community Relations 808-284-0003
kishol@islandsnr.com
www.islandsnr.com
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