Usb sticks and colourful pipes: The health effects of vape and hubbly

Bokang Selepe

Since coming back to campus it is very difficult to ignore the sweet smells of apples, strawberries and bubblegum that have now become a permanent flavour to the air we breathe.

Smoking vape and hubbly are particularly popular among young people because they do not carry the same stigma as cigarette smoking. There’s also the case that they are generally viewed as healthy alternatives to cigarettes. This increasingly popular form of smoking ironically indicates the supposed success of Life Orientation in educating the youth about the dangers of smoking cigarettes.

PDBY interviewed Nurse Winnie Sekhukhune from the UP Student Health Services, who specialises in substance abuse.

According to Sekhukhune, there are no real differences in the health effects between; vaping, hubbly, and cigarettes, as they all contain the same main ingredient, Nicotine and many other chemicals. Sekhukhune further adds that regardless of whether the substances in vapes and hubbly are flavoured or vapourised they still cause the same health effects as cigarettes. Moreover, these health effects can range from lung and oesophageal cancer, to first-degree skin burns, and heart problems such as heart attacks and coronary artery disease. Sekhukhune warns that the continuous smoking of hubbly and vapes is a gateway to additional substance abuse.

In light of these health risks, PDBY interviewed several students around Hatfield Campus to find out their views on the health effects of vaping and hubbly in comparison to cigarettes. The shared belief amongst students is that smoking a vape and hubbly is healthier in comparison to smoking cigarettes. One student stated that smoking a vape assists people in overcoming their cigarette addiction while another stated that smoking hubbly is the best option between a vape and cigarettes. The mixed responses given by students indicate the lack of knowledge around the health effects of vaping and smoking hubbly.

Many of the effects of the chemicals found in vapes and hubbly are still unknown, leaving scientists with an inconclusive understanding of the harms of smoking these devices. What is known, however, is that nicotine is the main substance in vapes and hubbly and studies indicate its harmful effects and addictive nature (hence, the Life Orientation lessons).

PDBY asked all of the interviewed students if they planned to stop smoking, and all expressed a desire to stop but acknowledged that it would only happen in the future as they were not yet ready to completely give up the habit.

Until such a time that vaping and hubbly fade out and a new vice comes in ,we will all continue to enjoy the sweet scents that fill the Hatfield Campus air as opposed to the usual smell of academic dread and despair.