Regular tobacco cigarettes contain seven thousand chemicals, many of which are toxic. Smoking cigarettes harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Almost one-third of all deaths from heart disease result from smoking and second-hand smoke.
Many smokers have turned to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other non-disposable and disposable vaping devices) to ease the transition from traditional cigarettes to not smoking.
E-cigarette-makers have been promoting it as an aid to help you quit smoking. However, e-cigarettes have not received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as smoking cessation devices.
What Is An E-cigarette?
Both smoking and vaping involve heating a substance and inhaling the resulting fumes. In E-cigarettes and vapes, a liquid called vape juice or e-liquid gets heated until it turns into a vapor you inhale. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings, and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale.
E-liquid concoctions usually contain some flavorings, aromatic additives, and nicotine or THC (the chemical in marijuana that causes psychological effects) dissolved in an oily liquid base.
E-cigarettes and vape devices have a delivery system similar to a nebulizer, which people with asthma or other lung conditions may be familiar with.
Nebulizers turn liquid medicine into a mist that patients breathe in. It’s a highly effective way of delivering medication to the lungs.
The Use Of E-cigarettes And Vapes Is An Epidemic
A new generation is getting hooked on nicotine. E-cigarette use has become an epidemic among our nation’s young people.
E-cigarette use, especially the disposable kind, is more prevalent among youth than traditional tobacco products.
Nicotine, a toxic substance, is the primary agent in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Nicotine is highly addictive and can raise your blood pressure and spike your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.
According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, more than two million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, with more than eight in ten of those youth using flavored e-cigarettes.
Users can buy extra-strength cartridges with a higher nicotine concentration or increase the e-cigarette’s voltage to get a more significant hit of the substance.
A recent rise in acute lung injury linked to vaping has heightened awareness of the consequences of vaping across disciplines in healthcare.
There has been an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping in Louisiana.
E-cigarette And Vape Injuries
E-cigarettes and vape devices can also explode, leading to severe injuries and even death among users. E-cigarettes and vape pens can overheat and burst while charging, explode while someone uses them, or blow up while someone carries these products around in their pocket.
Injuries from exploding e-cigarettes and vape pens involve burns to the legs, face, chest, arms, hands, and mouth. The acid in these batteries can cause third-degree burns, and victims often require skin grafting and reconstructive surgery. Victims may need extensive, expensive treatment and spend the rest of their lives with debilitating injuries.
The leading cause of E-cigarette and vape pen explosions is the battery inside these devices, which contains dangerous chemicals and can cause severe damage when they overheat and burst.
Popcorn Lung
Popcorn lung” is another name for Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BO), a condition that results from damage to the lungs’ small airways.
Diacetyl is a food additive used to flavor e-cigarettes. Inhaling Diacetyl is known to damage tiny passageways in the lungs. It causes inflammation and may lead to permanent scarring in the little branches of the airways. Popcorn lung has no lasting treatment. There are, however, treatments that manage BO symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lung) From Vaping
Usually, Primary spontaneous pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, occurs when there’s a hole in the lung through which oxygen escapes due to an injury such as a gunshot or knife wound or when air blisters on the top of the lungs rupture and create tiny tears. E-cigarette use and vaping are associated with an increased risk of bursting these blisters, leading to lung collapse.
Proving Liability in Louisiana E-cigarette And Vape Injury Cases
In some e-cigarette and vape injury cases, the defective design is to blame for injuries. In others, the battery may overheat and discharge inside the vape, leading to an explosion, or the instruction manual did not warn of foreseeable risks involved in using e-cigarettes and vapes.
At Bart Bernard Injury Lawyers, our Louisiana personal injury lawyers can help you determine if the design or faulty battery n of your e-cigarette or vape led to your injuries.
The attorneys at our Louisiana personal injury law firm will enlist the services of experts to satisfy the required elements to establish negligence on the part of the manufacturer, distributor, or vendor.
It’s also possible to sue if you’ve suffered a collapsed lung or got popcorn lung from electronic cigarettes. Depending on the cause and source, the liable parties may include the makers of e-cigarette companies that produce or distribute Diacetyl.
The legal landscape is evolving all the time. You need experienced legal representation to navigate the emerging area of e-cigarette and vaping-related injury lawsuits.
At Bart Bernard Injury Lawyers, our keen-eyed attorneys keep up with the latest developments, scientific research, and legal precedents related to e-cigarette and vaping injury claims.
In Louisiana, you only have a year to file a personal injury lawsuit, so contact us immediately for a free consultation to learn more about your rights.
