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Does Vaping e-Cigarettes Jump from the Frying Pan into the Fire?

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Man smoking e-cigarette

People looking for a healthier alternative to smoking “real” cigarettes and teens on the lookout for something new, may find themselves with serious health issues. Taylor Hays, director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, told USA TODAY Network, “There are no FDA regulations on these products. It’s the Wild West of e-cigarettes.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported use among teens tripled between 2013 and 2014. They, as well as adults, are lured into using these through advertising, peer pressure, and enticing flavors mimicking candies, cupcakes, as well as alcohol – in fact, there are over 7,000 chemically replicated flavors on the market.

The T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard tested 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes and liquids – all sold by major brands. They tested for diacetyl, acetoin, and two flavoring compounds listed as high priority by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association. Of these chemicals, at least one was found in 47 of the 51 flavors tested. All have been proven to cause respiratory issues in factory workers. Diacetyl was above the laboratory limit for detection in 39 of the flavors tested.

Why is diacetyl such a disturbing find? It has a confirmed link to “brochiolitis obliterans,” a condition that has led to lung transplants in serious cases. This disease gained notoriety when workers inhaled diacetyl from the butter flavoring in popcorn factories, which led to naming the disease “popcorn lung.” As it is still early in the history of flavored e-cigarettes, there is not yet a definite link to the disease, but this study adds to the discussion concerning the ramifications of long-term use of e-cigarettes.

Sources: USA TODAY, Harvard Gazette

Earth Day 2015 – It’s Time to Step Up and Make a Difference

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Forty-five years ago, on April 22, 1970, an estimated 22 million people came out in force for the first ever Earth Day. It was the largest public demonstration in United States history and helped propel our nation into action. Early environmental laws were passed shortly after the first Earth Day. The EPA and OSHA were established the following year in a bipartisan effort between a Republican White House and a Democratically controlled Congress.

What was the impetus behind this movement? There were open and obvious environmental problems:  polluted rivers, hazy air quality, and problems with hazardous waste.  The measures enacted in the years after the first Earth Day had a major positive impact for all Americans. Our air is significantly cleaner, our water safer and rules now exist to provide some level of protection from environmental hazards – both at work and at home.

But the job isn’t done. The environmental issues we face today aren’t necessarily ones that can be seen looking out your window. Chemicals for instance; were you aware that thousands of chemicals in consumer goods remain untested to determine if they should be classified as toxins? The Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 was passed without sufficient research or regulatory teeth – leaving thousands of chemicals in consumer goods unclassified.

The climate crisis, possibly the defining challenge of our time, must also be tackled. Overwhelming, world scientific consensus agrees that man-made climate change is happening. The insurance industry now even urges Americans to plan for the effects of climate change. 2014 was the hottest year in recorded global history. 13 of the 15 hottest years on record have all occurred since 2000. The impact of continued climate change will reach across a myriad of issues: water, food, energy sources and medical needs to name a few.  World leaders will meet in December at an international summit aimed at reaching a framework to tackle climate change on a global scale.

Earth Day 2015 shouldn’t just be a kumbaya moment to plant a tree or have a picnic. We need to rise to the occasion. Challenge your elected officials to lead. Take the time and effort to make a difference yourself. Americans a generation ago made a difference that was real. We can do it again.

Earth Day 04.22.2014: What Can You Do for Our Planet?

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education-earthday

“Our planet is at a turning point. The massive global migration underway now from countryside to cities will demand huge investments in energy, water, materials, waste, food distribution, and transportation over the next 25 years. If the right investments are made now, this unique opportunity will be the catalyst for dramatic changes . . .”

This is a quote from the Earth Day Network. What does this mean to you?

Whether you believe in human-induced climate change or not, the Earth is our home.  Just like the home we live in, if it’s not maintained and there is no investment in its future, it will deteriorate and be a disagreeable place to live.  While few of us will have an enormous impact on the entire world, each of us can do our part to clean up, maintain, and improve our little corner to enable it to thrive.

In Your Home

• Recycling:  Do you recycle? Is there a recycling program in your community? If not, perhaps you are the one to get it started.

• Water Conservation: Is everyone in your family knowledgeable about ways to decrease water usage in your home? That includes turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, fixing even the smallest drips, using appropriate landscape watering techniques and drought tolerant plants.

• Energy: Is the thermostat set for conservation? Have you checked for leaks around doors, windows, and outlets? When replacing old appliances, select those with low energy usage. Consider replacing old windows, the cause of many high electric and gas bills. Do lights stay on for long periods in empty rooms? If so, turn them off when exiting a space.

 International Assistance  Interested in helping in other parts of the world? One program developed by the Earth Day Network is The Canopy Project.

• This project is focused on planting trees to help impoverished countries throughout the world sustain their communities and achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability. Trees protect their lands from erosion, storms, and landslides; they filter the air and provide food, energy, and income.

• In the past three years, 1.5 million trees in 18 countries, including the U.S., were planted and ten million more trees over the next five years are scheduled to be planted in impoverished areas of the world.

• One tree is planted for every dollar donated to this project.

 Do you like animals?  How about helping preserve the endangered Asian elephant? Their threats are:

• rapid human population growth that has resulted in shrinking their habitat,

• major reductions in elephant “exclusive zones” and elephant “buffer zones,” and

• increased human-elephant conflicts – including poaching and an extraordinary increase in railway accidents. Indian railways have increased in range, size, and speed throughout the elephants’ habitat.

• A donation helps the Earth Day Network organize an emergency campaign to save the Asian elephant.

These are just a few examples from the Earth Day Network.  What is one thing you can do now that you haven’t done in the past?  Every positive change helps.  Let’s work together, wherever we are, to preserve our world so that we can put out the welcome mat on a thriving Earth for future generations!