Thread by @vaper_the

Is vaping bad for you? A cardiothoracic surgeon gives her expert opinion.
A twitter thread on #vaping in #Australia, in a news report featuring @drnikkistamp.

Report "debate rages on about whether [#eCigarette are] actually a safer alternative to regular #cigarettes"
Yes, in much the same way that debate rages as to whether #vaccines cause autism, or whether the Earth is flat.
Sans the carbon monoxide & tar of #smoking, ..

.. it'd be pretty extraordinary if they were anything less than /much/ less harmful.

Report "dozens of deaths overseas due to what is believed to be vaping-related illnesses"
#America, specifically, and there is no doubt it is related to #vaping, the relevant question is, vaping what?

Report "There is lots of chatter around from previously reformed smokers, who claim #vaping is "safer" than smoking regular #cigarettes."

1) I'm not a 'reformed' #smoker. I used to #smoke, but now I've made a #Switch2Vaping. It was not even intentional. I am an accidental quitter.
thethr.blog/accidental-qui…
2) Claim? Try instead Report. (See point 3.)

3) It's also creditable scientists and health orgs that make these reports.
thethr.blog/e-cig-safety/

"The most important thing about vaping and the science of it is that it's early days."
This, while not being /completely/ inaccurate, is nevertheless incorrect.
1) Since the 1970s, Michael Russell reported that smokers smoke for the nicotine, but die from the tar. ..

.. This has been an accepted truth for many years. #Vaping has no 'tar'.
2) Many in #TobaccoControl say it took decades to understand that #smoking caused cancer, but that was before we understood the detail of what compounds in #tobacco #smoke caused the problem. ..

.. Since then, our understanding of the #toxicology of #cigarette #smoke has increased vastly, and GC-MS allow the analysis the constituent compounds of smoke or vapour in seconds.

So no, our understanding of the potential harm is built on knowledge that is decades old.

Report "what is now being questioned is how harmful it is for non-smokers."
What, #vaping itself, or what a #vaper exhales?
The first is irrelevant, since those who are non-smokers or not interested in smoking should not #vape. Simple.

The 2nd has been analysed and the levels of HPHCs have been shown to be negligible. What is exhaled is primarily water vapour.

"There are a number of chemicals that may be present in vaping that could be harmful for our lungs."
'May be' .. 'could be' is just so much #FUD. Go make the measurements and ask a toxicologist. It isn't rocket science to understand you're out of your depth here.

"Cartridges, especially those bought overseas, may contain nicotine, which is highly addictive"
No it's not. Sans MAOI's (found in #tobacco #smoke), #nicotine has minimal habituation effect. Sans definable harm, it does not fit the definition of addiction.

"..there is some research to suggest that in teenagers, vaping use may lead to cigarette smoking"
You're probably basing that on headlines you read. Read the studies and, even more importantly, read the expert reactions to those studies. ..

They are largely coming out of two researchers in America, one of whom works in a state that looks to default on bonds issued against shrinking returns from the TMSA (which relates to #cigarettes sold). The other is from a state whose TMSA payments, per person, exceed the first.

"It's just far too early to say that they are absolutely safe at the moment."
Nothing is absolutely safe. The correct (for the sake of #PublicHealth) question is, are they safer than #smoking cigarettes, and all indications are that the are /vastly/ safer.

"If you want to consider using them as a quit aid"
No, I as well as about 1 in 7 of people who used to #smoke, were not even intending to quit when we tried #vaping (as discussed above). #Vaping is a consumer product, not a 'therapy'.

"I'd strongly advise talking to your doctor about all of your options before settling on vaping."
A lot of people who #smoke do not discuss this with a doctor before trying #ColdTurkey, because they don't want a 'therapy'. ..

It's the same with #vaping. But even if those objections did not exist, doctors in #Australia have been fed a load of bullsh*t and if they know /anything/ about #vaping, it's typically wrong.
So .. no thanks, WE got this. Keep your (uninformed) opinions out of it.

"..in Australia, you cannot sell cartridges containing nicotine or any other drug"
While not of Earth-shattering importance, this is also incorrect. What, do you mistake yourself for a lawyer, now?
It is not legal to supply #nicotine due to legacy regulations in the SUSMP. ..

.. I could legally sell #eLiquid containing #caffeine or #AcetylsalicylicAcid without any problem (if it made any sense to do so). I'd just have to be sure not to make any medicinal claim.

"..they are very easy to buy online so be mindful that if you're buying overseas, you may not know what you're getting."
I'd have more chance of knowing what was in #eLiquid bought in the #UK than the same bought in #Australia. ..

.. The #UK has taken the sensible route of specifying that the liquid cannot contain HPHCs like #diacetyl (the causative agent in #BronhiolitisObliterans - common name #PopcornLung).

#Australia does not, but should, have such sensible regulation, but what we get is the #WildWest if prohibited #nicotine and uninformed 'experts' like you who think you're qualified to comment.
(If you have not realised it yet, YOU'RE NOT.)
/fin

In all the excitement, I forgot to link the article it referred to!
Though in all fairness to @beck_sullivan (the reporter), it would be better retracted / withdrawn, than tweeted. 🤦‍♂️
nowtolove.com.au/health/body/is…

@drnikkistamp @threadreaderapp unroll, please.