BY JACK WATSON

Vaping, according to Wikipedia, involves the use of ‘an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapour.’

The original ‘vapes’ were refillable but the latest generation of vapes are disposable, and people are not disposing of them responsibly. These come in many brands – for example Elf Bars which make them sound like a chocolate bar for elves – and in a variety of flavours. They come in different sizes with different limits of puffs (how many times you can use them before they run out). These are meant to be a better alternative to smoking and, often the marketing spiel goes, they have been manufactured to try to reduce the number of smokers in the world. There are many who argue that it is good to see something that is aimed at cutting the number of cigarettes smoked but are they actually good for you and the environment?

For example, the ingredients for the watermelon Elf Bar (other brands are available) include vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, natural and artificial flavours, and nicotine benzoate. Despite having fewer ingredients than a normal cigarette, these ingredients can cause some harm: vegetable glycerine is considered safe, but there is a possibility of allergic reaction, headaches, nausea, thirst and stomach upset in some people (the packets do not even give you information about any allergy concerns). Propylene glycol can irritate the skin and lead to vomiting, natural and artificial flavours can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and asthmatic problems. Nicotine benzoate can cause irritation in the throat and lungs. I know that you will have to smoke a lot of these for these negative effects to happen but you would be surprised by how many people get through per day – just as some smokers chain smoke. 

Some supermarkets in the UK – Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s – are removing this highly addictive product after illegal levels of nicotine were found. The watermelon flavoured Elf Bars were found to have at least 50% more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid. They will be allowed back on the shelves once they fully adhere to UK legislation.

The first person that I saw using these things was a young teenager and as time went on more younger children had their hands on them.

I know people who buy one that has about 3500 puffs in it. They take a few puffs every five minutes and once they run out they buy a new one – this process is repeated day after day.

Social media influences the use of these disposable vapes. For example, there have been videos on Tik Tok praising how good these things are and the lush flavours. Some videos have been banned. Yet there have been reports of young users having lengthy nosebleeds, coughing up blood, having headaches, suffering chest pains and dizzy spells. It appears they have become just as addictive as any other product that contains nicotine, but the harms do not stop there. 

They have the same amount of nicotine as cigarettes.

Nicotine is a dangerous and highly addictive chemical. It can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries, which may lead to a heart attack. It can also cause irritation, burning sensations, nausea and abdominal pain. Studies show that an Elf bar has the equivalent of 48 cigarettes‘ worth of nicotine. While these vapes do not produce tar or the other harmful chemicals that cigarettes do, they do have their own harmful contents that can cause gum disease, dry mouth, tooth decay, lung damage, cancer and cardiovascular damage. Finally, there has been a story where someone was rushed to hospital after her lung collapsed after vaping.

Due to the mass production and the amount of careless users, these products have ended up scattered in the streets and over 1.3 million disposable vapes a week are ending up in landfill or incineration. We already have a huge problem with the amount of plastic in the litter system and these things are just adding to it. This will result in more animal deaths due to choking, more pollution, blockage of channels, rivers and streams and landscape disfigurement.

Overall, these Elf Bars and similar products are having a huge effect not just on people, but positive plans for making a cleaner and plastic-free environment. These were made as a better alternative to smoking but, in fact, they are probably just as bad, they are more addictive and they are making a mess of our streets.

Jack Watson is a 14-year-old schoolboy, who has a Substack about being a Hull City fan. You can subscribe to it here.