Vaping

 Recently, I have noticed a spike in vaping and smoking levels among teens; whether it's at school or on social media, there is an undeniable increase. Not only does this harm your health, but it also hurts the environment, which harms others. With roughly 1.3 million disposables being thrown away, the impact on our environment is becoming more evident. 

Vapes are meant to be recycled, but most people must be aware of this. As a result, there is e-waste, plastic pollution, and hazardous waste. Lithium, which is found in vapes, is hard to manufacture. When disposed of incorrectly, we lose precious nonrenewable material, but lithium can also contaminate our waste streams, water, and soil and cause catastrophic fires due to its chemicals. 

Plastic pollution: the plastic used in vapes never fully decomposes; instead, it turns into microplastics, which will continue to pollute our environment. 

Electronic waste: Vape vaporizers contain a circuit board, which includes plastics, lithium-ion batteries, and heavy metals, making vapes one of the worst types of e-waste. 

Hazardous waste: Since 1980, the EPA has declared nicotine hazardous waste. Discarded devices tend to leach chemicals such as cobalt, lead, and other substances into the environment. These toxic chemicals can accumulate in animals, soil, and aquatic ecosystems, leading to contaminated drinking water and food and causing risks to human health.

Even if the environmental damage doesn't bother you, why should others suffer because of your choices? It's unfair to the people around you to breathe in the chemicals your vape produces. Vaping doesn't just harm your health; it directly harms the health of individuals around you and pollutes the environment, causing health risks in the long run. Think before buying your next vape, is this addiction worth the cost of mine, others, and the health of the world.