HJBR Jan/Feb 2020

48 JAN / FEB 2020 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE COLUMN SECRETARY’S CORNER Vaping Deaths Highlight the Need for Reporting and Smoking Cessation In November, Louisiana gained the unfortunate distinction of becoming one of 25 states that have recorded deaths tied to vaping devices and the lung injuries they cause. Ever since vaping devic- es were introduced in the United States in 2006, there have been questions about the safety of va- ping. The prevailing perception among users is that vaping is a form of harm reduction because the aerosol vaping produces does not contain the harmful tar that we know is extremely dangerous in cigarettes. However, the absence of tar does not make vaping safe. Vaping is not safe, and the two deaths Louisiana recorded in November, along with more than 30 people severely sickened by vaping products, underscores the danger.