There is a surging increase of smoking and e-cigarettes in Yorkshire, the region has a smoking rate of 16% which is higher than the national average rate in England. This rate in Leeds may have decreased due to the increasing amount of teenagers and adults using e-cigarettes(also known as ‘vapes’) with a large range and combination of flavours which can attract younger people.

 

There has been a significant increase above 250% before 2021 of the amount of vapes sold. This is due to peer pressure, post-pandemic socialising or the desire to try the unique flavours and colourful designs that you wouldn’t see on a cigarette. A few brands that can be cheaply bought in store are: elf bar, lost Mary, geek bar, Elux legend bars and a newly introduced ELFA Pod kit(rechargeable). These different companies specialise in different flavours and designs such as light up vapes, neon coloured vapes, sour patch kids flavour, strawberry ice cream, watermelon, Coca Cola and unicorn shake flavour, which sounds very appealing to the younger generation. These flavours can contain harmful toxins and some may be more harmful than others and damage your DNA and cells that line your blood vessels. 

These vapes contain around 45 cigarettes, worth 20mg nicotine salt and nearly reach the maximum amount of nicotine allowed which show the significance of the toxins. Many people who have not smoked before are using vapes although they are meant to be a way for previous smokers to give up tar and cigarettes themselves.  The nicotine in the e-liquid quickly can go from your lungs into your bloodstream destroying different cells and releasing adrenaline, which raises your pulse leading to a higher likelihood of heart attacks or heart malfunctions. Nicotine also accelerates the development of arterial plaque which makes it more difficult and reduces the likelihood of blood reaching your important organs reducing messages to your brain. This disrupts brain growth with a lasting effect on your cognitive ability linking to mental health illnesses.

In addition, many believed that second hand smoking is the only type of second hand problems with nicotine, however it has now been introduced that second and third hand vaping are problems which can cause bronchitis symptoms and shortness of breath. The exposure to the ultra fine particles of the vape can go through the body and skin which can enter your lungs and cause the shortness of breath. This is also a brand-new source of environmental pollutants and the aerosols that have been emitted from a smokers mouth or nose is not just water vapour and can affect other people who don’t smoke negatively and the environment leading to the negative multiplier effect of affecting animals and their habitats.

 

Vape creates plastic waste, electronic tech waste and hazardous waste (with toxic chemicals that can accumulate in animals and soil). Each year, 10 tonnes of lithium are dumped into landfills as a result of disposable items and over 1.3 million disposable vapes each week end up in landfill which leads to a major source of pollution as the vapes will break down at a very slow rate. These micro plastics will pollute oceans and these micro-plastics can be found in your drinking water in rare cases however the likelihood is increasing . Vaping can reduce your carbon footprint if you decide to start recycling the vapes at the local recycling centres based around Leeds. Your vape will contain metal or plastic on the outside which may seem un-harmful if you litter them, however the battery inside is made from other harmful metals such as aluminium, chromium, nickel, lead and elements like lithium and carbon. The battery can be disposed of separately at a large range of Sainsbury’s, Tesco’s and Coop shops around Leeds. To find your closest site use zerowasteleeds.org.uk or recycleyourelectricals.org.uk to make a difference to this uprising popularity of littering vapes. In addition, the metal coils inside the vapes can be separated from the vape and disposed in a Leeds tip for scrap metals and the rubber bits of the coils should be dismantled to avoid recycling contamination. 

 

Lastly, buying a vape with salt nicotine e-liquids decreases your cravings by a large amount, reducing the amount of disposable vapes you’d like to buy. Also, buying a higher-quality rechargeable vape for a higher price can save you money in the long run(very cost-effective) however decrease the amount of disposable vapes you buy and litter. You can also buy a portable charging case to make the charging efficient and you will never get this with a disposable vape and not the environmental benefits either.