In the past several years, vaping has quickly climbed in popularity, and as the number of people vaping grows, we have more and more cases of accidents and fatalities concerning vaping. But because vaping is popular, there are several people trying to get rich quick using the vaping industry- one of these schemes is vaping apps. Unfortunately for them, Apple is taking a proactive stance on vaping and is banning all vaping apps from its App Store.
A Vaping Epidemic
In an effort to slow the growth of vaping, as well as halt the many deaths that have occurred by vapors, Apple has removed and banned any future vaping apps from their store. Any application that encourages or helps people to vape has been prohibited according to their updated App Store guidelines. For those who have already downloaded a vaping app- it will continue to be available and will be downloadable on all of your Apple devices.
“Experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic,” an Apple spokesperson said. “We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted.” [1]
Slow the Death Toll
This decision comes shortly after an increase in skepticism after multiple people have had vaping related deaths. There have been over 2,000 cases of vaping illness and 42 deaths, according to the CDC.
Medical experts are researching the cause of illness and death- specifically the outbreak of lung injuries. Last week they announced that vitamin E acetate could be what’s causing everything. Although the research is ongoing, they recommend avoiding any e-cigarettes or vape products that contain THC. “Particularly from informal sources like friends or family, online dealers or the illicit market,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said last week. “Until the relationship between Vitamin E acetate and lung health is better characterized, it’s important that Vitamin E acetate not be added to e-cigarette or vaping products.” On Smoking and Health, Cdc’s Office. “ [2]
Notes:
- ^“Apple to remove vaping apps from its App Store.” Axios, 15 Nov. 2019, www.axios.com/exclusive-apple-to-remove-vaping-apps-from-store-8669fd94-e92a-4ce4-a9e2-ce5afa598b67.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top. (go back ↩)
- ^Smoking and Tobacco Use; Electronic Cigarettes.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Nov. 2019, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html. (go back ↩)
