Ban Menthol Vapes Now: Protect Our Health!
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Menthol vapes are putting our health at risk, especially young people, leaving a legacy of lung damage, addiction, and death. Take action and ban menthol vapes now!
Sign the petition now to ban menthol vapes and protect our health.
Menthol vapes are posing a significant risk to individuals, particularly young people, and we need to take action to protect our health. A recent study published in Respiratory Research found that adding menthol flavoring to electronic cigarettes could damage the lungs more than regular e-cigarettes1. It also showed that the common mint flavoring helps deliver many more toxic microparticles compared to e-cigarette pods that don't contain menthol.
Menthol is a substance that can lead to addiction when inhaled, which makes it easier for individuals to inhale and hold smoke in their lungs. It reinforces addiction and poses a significant health risk. In fact, menthol vapes contain a high concentration of nicotine, which is highly addictive and can lead to various health problems, such as cardiovascular problems and respiratory problems like asthma and chronic bronchitis2.
Moreover, menthol vapes also contain other harmful chemicals such as propylene glycol, glycerin, and flavoring agents that can produce harmful compounds such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which are known carcinogens3.
The use of menthol vapes can cause lung inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and airway hyper-responsiveness that can trigger asthma, according to a study published in the FASEB Journal4. Menthol, in particular, is such a toxic substance. These substances can cause lung damage that impairs lung function. A study published in Frontiers in Physiology found that menthol flavoring leads to a significantly higher number of particle counts that one would take into their lungs by vaping them5.
Menthol vapes are highly toxic, addictive, and pose a severe risk to our health, especially among young adults and teenagers. Many manufacturers are now producing menthol vapes targeting young adults and teenagers, making them more accessible to those who are most vulnerable to its adverse effects6.
The Food and Drug Administration has already proposed banning menthol cigarettes, as have several countries, but menthol vapes are still widely available in the market7. It's time for us to take action and call for a ban on menthol vapes to protect our health and well-being.
Together, we can make a difference, but we must act now to protect our health and those of our loved ones. Join us in calling on the federal government to ban menthol vapes in the United States.
- Divay Chandra, Rachel F. Bogdanoff, Russell P. Bowler & Kambez H. Benam, Respiratory Research (11 April 2023), "Electronic cigarette menthol flavoring is associated with increased inhaled micro and sub-micron particles and worse lung function in combustion cigarette smokers."
- Ting Yu, Boston University (3 December 2019), "Why Is Menthol So Addictive to Vapers?"
- Michael Joseph Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins Medicine (2023), "Vape Flavors and Vape Juice: What You Need to Know."
- Mahmoud S. Eid, Mohamed G. Ewees, Mohamed A. El-Mahdy, Jay L. Zweier, FASEB Journal (13 May 2022), "Chronic Exposure to Electronic Cigarettes Induces Lung Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Fibrosis, and Impaired DNA Repair."
- Henrique Silva, Frontiers in Physiology (7 April 2020), "Current Knowledge on the Vascular Effects of Menthol."
- Truth Initiative (2023), "Flavored tobacco use among youth and young adults."
- United States Food and Drug Administration (28 April 2022), "FDA Proposes Rules Prohibiting Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars to Prevent Youth Initiation, Significantly Reduce Tobacco-Related Disease and Death."
The Petition:
To the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Commissioner of Food and Drugs,
As the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you have a responsibility to protect the public from harmful substances, and I implore you to take immediate action to revise product standards and prohibit menthol vapes in the United States.
Menthol vapes are a dangerous and deadly product. They are marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, but this is a myth. In fact, menthol vapes are even more harmful than regular cigarettes because they contain menthol, a flavoring agent that makes it easier for users to inhale toxic chemicals deep into their lungs.
Research shows that menthol vapes can cause severe lung damage, respiratory illness, and even death. Moreover, the use of these products has skyrocketed among young people, putting them at even greater risk of addiction and long-term health problems.
According to a recent study, the use of menthol vapes has increased substantially among high school students in the last decade. This alarming trend is directly linked to the marketing strategies employed by the manufacturers of these products, who use bright colors and fruity flavors to lure in young people.
As a society, we cannot allow this to continue. We must take action to protect our children and future generations from the harmful effects of menthol vapes. Prohibiting the sale and use of these products is the only way to ensure that our citizens are safe from this deadly threat.
I ask you to take swift action to revise product standards and ban menthol vapes in the United States. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Every day that these products remain on the market, more and more young people are put at risk. It is up to us, as responsible adults and citizens, to take action and protect our children from harm.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
