it is known Vaping can have negative effects on one’s healthBut a viral moment shows just how bad it can get.
Sheldon Shuffield, of Fort Worth, Texas, posted a video to his TikTok account (@thisdadtiktoks) to his over 600,000 followers in August, which now has over two million likes and 22 million views.
“Oh my God, I just got a new fancy-schmancy Mercedes,” he began.
“Do you want proof that vaping is bad for you?”
Shuffield, who once worked in health care, explained that his Mercedes came with a HEPA filter that is “similar to the operating room,” he said in the video.
The purpose of the filter is to purify the air entering the car to create a healthy environment.
Sheffield’s husband took a puff of his vape and blew it onto the floorboard.
As he exhaled a light puff of smoke, the filter’s internal numbers hit the roof, rapidly changing from a “good” rating of 1 PM2.5 (particulate matter) to an “unhealthy” rating of 63, then to a peak of “very” . Unhealthy” rating of 200, before the car starts filtering bad air.
“All of you!” Shuffield shouted in response.
“You’re blowing it with your kids in the car!”
“I am very grateful that my car [has] That convenience, because it opened my eyes… It was just a little vape smoke in my car.’
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Shuffield claimed that smoke from vehicles on the road has a lower harm rating than vape smoke.
“I’m amazed at how many people breathe it all day long without even thinking,” he said.
“It blows my mind.”
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, a Mercedes spokesperson said the company offers optional HEPA filters as part of its “Energizing Air Control Plus” feature in Mercedes EQS and EQE sedan and SUV models.
“This advanced filtration system significantly improves air quality by capturing fine dust, particulates and pollen and reducing harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides,” the spokesperson said.
“With more than 99.65% filtration efficiency for small particles such as PM 0.3, it ensures a clean and safe environment inside the vehicle, which is equivalent to clean rooms and operating theaters.”
Theodore Wagner, PhD, director of the Center for Tobacco Research and co-leader of the Cancer Control Program at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that the video is “not surprising at all.”
“The car is measuring PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less), which is small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs,” the expert said.
“Although conventional cigarettes produce greater amounts of harmful chemicals… than e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes… should not be considered safer, but rather less harmful than cigarettes.”
The benefit of having a HEPA filter in a vehicle is that it provides “real-time feedback on the impact of your behavior,” Wagner said.
“This type of information may increase motivation to stop vaping and smoking to improve overall health,” he said.
Sheffield’s video proves that “vaping is not benign,” Wagner said.
He added, “It should be used only as a method of harm reduction for cigarette smokers who are unable to quit smoking using FDA-approved products such as nicotine lozenges and patches.”
“For smokers, switching completely to vaping nicotine will likely have health benefits, but the ultimate goal should be to completely discontinue all nicotine use.”
Sheffield and her husband have “toned down” their vaping habits, she said, because they intend to be good role models for their children — a son, 7, and a daughter, 14.
For People who are addicted to vaping“Put it down and stay away from it as much as possible,” Shuffield advises.
“Don’t let it stick to your hand like a cellphone.”