Smokers and vapers are encouraged to quit their bad habits during Stoptober. The month-long challenge sees people consider various methods to help them kick cigarettes or vapes for good – but one trend has been slammed as risky and potentially fatal.
The worrying act has seen individuals trying to stop themselves vaping by ‘killing’ the device itself by dropping vapes into water. This is meant to cause irreversible damage that makes the vape pen useless.
But, vape specialist Pascal Culverhouse, from Electric Tobacconist, warned that while such a method may destroy the vape, it poses a serious explosion risk. He said: “Vape pens are electronic devices that contain lithium-ion batteries.
“While legitimate vapes are robustly made and have safety measures built into them, dropping your vape pen into a glass of water could cause it to short circuit and make them explode. Looking through the social media videos, after these devices have been soaked in water they are then thrown in the bin.
“Even if the device doesn’t explode, if it were to malfunction in the bin, it could quickly set your home on fire and have deadly consequences. There is no reason to be doing this with your vape pens, as they aren’t designed to be put in water.”
Vapers intent on quitting are being advised to ignore the trend and responsibly dispose of their e-cigarettes. In the UK, a vape is discarded every eight seconds, contributing to the mounting waste issue and wasting valuable materials that could be recycled for use in other electronics, reports the Mirror.
The website Recycleyourelectricals.org has calculated that recycling vapes properly could save enough lithium to power 5,000 electric vehicles. It also provides guidance on more sustainable ways to get rid of unwanted vapes.
Pascal commented: “It takes a little more effort to dispose of your vapes responsibly but if you are going to get rid of them don’t throw them in a glass of water and then in the bin. You have several options such as taking them to your local recycling centre or vape shop, as some of these will take back your old vapes when you buy a new one.
“Not only do you help the environment doing it this way, but you also keep your family safe by not throwing potentially damaged electronics in the bin in your home”.
Stoptober gives you the perfect opportunity to quit smoking. According to the NHS-backed campaign, those who stay smoke-free for 28 days, are five times more likely to quit for good.