Vaping News

Ecig cancer death is smoke and mirrors

Vaping did not cause the death of an American teenager – the article was a work of fiction. Vapers do not take kindly to lies in the media, social or otherwise.

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This week the Infossip “news site” carried an article claiming that 17yr-old Frank Delio, from Texas, had contracted cancer following an 11-month experience “smoking E-cigarettes”. It marks a new low in fictitious stories being bandied about by those who would rather see smokers continue than convert to vaping.

Given the lack of activity on Infossip’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, and that the website is now inaccessible, all points to the story’s bogus nature. This is compounded by a lack of detail in the article, an accompanying image stolen from an article about Syria and a lack of any record in the Texan official list of obituaries. In fact the only record of a death is that of a 73yr-old in 2010. The site has form having been the source of a fabricated article concerning rapper DMX and illegal dog fighting.

That someone would seek attention by making ludicrous statements about electronic cigarettes comes as no surprise to vapers who have seen it all before from people who ought to know better.

Writing in the Portland Business Journal, Doctor Charles Bentz ran through a predictable list:

  • We don't even know yet what the long-term health consequences will be
  • The addictive nature of nicotine.
  • E-cigarettes are not just as bad as regular cigarettes, they're worse.
  • They contain more carcinogens.
  • Vaping is the inhalation of tobacco in an e-cigarette
  • There are dangerous additives including chemicals similar to anti-freeze.
  • Making purchase of e-cigarettes more difficult is sound health policy.

The nonsensical nature of his comments entirely obscured his valid point that ecigs should not be sold to minors. It drew 40 comments, all negative, highlighting his article’s flaws which prompted house journalist Elizabeth Hayes to reply in his defence: “Be careful when you cross a vaper.”

Hayes claims that Bentz “isn’t fazed or cowed” as though this is a positive thing, wearing a badge of ignorance with pride.

Offering him a further platform to display how little he knows of the research to the contrary, Bentz makes the ridiculous claim about electronic cigarettes that “they don't help people quit.” He does now concede that vaping is not "the inhalation of tobacco," but the inhalation of “a chemically-altered tobacco by-product.

No wonder then that doctors such as Carlos Gutierrez are increasingly frustrated as well. Upon signing up to the M.O.V.E. statement he commented: “I resent the tortuous manipulations that are being applied to electronic cigarettes for purely financial reasons, and without the provision of any serious scientific study as a basis for the attacks and false information being used to confuse the public.”

Elizabeth Hayes also wrote in her piece: “Many vapers feel passionately about e-cigarettes.” Yes we do, and that is why we will continue to challenge those who seek to lie about vaping or ignore the science for political, personal or financial reasons.

Dave Cross avatar

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV
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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous vape companies to develop content for their websites.

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