Contributed by Omar Aref
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It is gradually becoming a common sight seeing someone holding some weird thing that looks like a box with a chimney mounted on top, taking a puff out of it and blowing huge clouds of smoke. If you’ve ever came to witness a scene of that sort and wondered what the heck that person was doing, you should know that you caught them in the act of vaping. You can consider it the evolution of that old pen-like electronic cigarette that was used to quit smoking and never really worked, but this is definitely a different phenomenon.
What is vaping anyway?
Without getting too technical, vaping is the inhalation of water vapor from liquid that’s been heated to the evaporation point using a Mod/Personal Vaporizer or that weird box if you wish to call it.
Why are people vaping?
People do it for various reasons. Some use it as a method to quit smoking and some use it as a safer alternative to smoking without having to deal with tar, the burning of chemicals, and the bad smell associated with smoking. There are also some non-smokers who Vape zero nicotine liquid just for the fun of it. Vaping offers flavors ranging from basic tobacco and fruit flavors up to Vanilla Custard on the inhale topped with creamy strawberry on the exhale.
What are the safety concerns?
Up until this point there is no clear answer whether it is 100% safe or not as the technology is completely new, though studies show that it is at least 95% safer than smoking in terms of ingredients. The vaping liquid consists of 4 ingredients, versus 4000 in regular smoking. There are concerns about the effects of the hot vapor on your lungs, and if it does more damage to the lung walls due to the heat.
Is it just a fad?
The vaping phenomenon is on rise and it looks like it is here to stay. The United States, UK, and Malaysia are where it is currently most popular. The latest survey by Reuters shows that 10% of adults in the US are currently vaping, it is expected that by the year 2018 the number of vapers will catch up to the number of smokers. The “Vaping Culture” is currently emerging in Egypt as well with at least 5,000 people vaping across the country. Time will tell if it will take hold as strongly here in Egypt as it did elsewhere.
