NEWS ON A PLANE: Plane 'Plunges' 20K feet After Co-Pilot Decides to VAPE!!!

Is it just me or is there a co-ordinated effort to try and impugn vaping? This article is a classic case of 'Fake(ish) News' that is created to sensationalize events. I'll prove it to you:

A clumsy co-pilot caused an Air China plane to plunge nearly 20,000 feet midair when he pulled the wrong switch while trying to shut off an air recycling system — so he could vape in the cockpit.

The airhead aviator was soaring from Hong Kong to the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian in a Boeing 737 jet Tuesday when he tried to stop vapor from his e-cigarette from wafting into the passenger cabin, according to CNN.

First of all, the co-pilot was just being a gentleman. Vaping doesn't cause any noxious fumes at all, so shutting off the air cycling system was not necessary.

Instead, the wingman accidentally triggered a drop in oxygen levels, prompting an altitude warning that caused the nearly fatal plunge — from 32,800 to 13,100 feet in less than nine minutes, Civil Aviation Administration of China officials told the station.

Secondly, 9 MINUTES to drop 20,000 feet isn't really much of a 'plunge'. Now, granted yes it was stupid and the plane could have very much caused a major incident. However, this isn't so much a 'vaping' issue as it is the copilot not knowing what he was doing or knowing anything about the plane he was co-piloting. In other words, this incident wouldn't have happened if the co-pilot knew the mechanics of the plane.

Pilots managed to ascend back to 24,600 feet and land in Dalian with all 153 passengers and nine crew members safe, according to Chinese news outlets cited by CNN.

The unnamed co-pilot will be hit with “severe punishment in accordance with laws and regulations,” said senior CAAC official Qiao Yin.

See, no harm no foul. I could very well be reading too much into this, however, I have seen too many msm articles that try to make vaping look evil and bad--despite there being zero evidence that vaping causes any negative side affects. This is even more troubling, considering that the msm is on one hand, touting the benefits of Marijuana (which has LOTS of negatives) and on the other hand claiming that vaping and nicotine is nothing but bad.

Live Science:

"There is no question that a puff on an e-cigarette is less dangerous than a puff on a conventional cigarette," said Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine and the director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

Because e-cigarettes create a vapor rather than produce a tobacco smoke, they generally deliver less nicotine to users than cigarettes do, Glantz said. [...]

But regardless of how the nicotine is delivered — whether through e-cigs or conventional cigarettes — it still has effects on the body. The drug is a cardiovascular stimulant, and can potentially worsen heart disease in people who already have severe heart conditions. However, it's not known whether nicotine alone can cause heart disease in people who don't have heart problems, said Dr. Michael Siegel, a tobacco researcher and professor of community health sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Key word, 'potentially'...meaning there is no cause and effect it's just speculation.

But there's some evidence that e-cigarettes can have a substantial effect on blood vessels, and may increase people's heart attack risk in that way, Glantz said.

What's more, nicotine is poisonous in its concentrated, e-liquid form, and there have been an increasing number of cases of infants and young children accidentally ingesting it, Siegel said.

Again, 'some' evidence isn't definitive. And notice how they try to couple accidental ingestion with children as this being bad. Ridiculous, propaganda. Remember the Tide Pods and children?

In addition to the nicotine, e-cigs' other chemicals may also affect health. Research on the vapors emitted and inhaled from e-cigarettes has shown they deliver particles small enough to reach deep into the lungs and that they are not the "harmless water vapor" that marketers may claim, Glantz told Live Science.

That's kind of the point...though right? You want the nicotine to go far enough to cause a buzz.

Propylene glycol, a chemical found in e-liquids, can irritate the eyes and airways, Siegel said. Early studies have also revealed that when propylene glycol or glycerin are heated and vaporized, they can degrade into formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, he said. Both of these chemicals are considered carcinogens, although it's not yet clear how repeated exposure to them may cause cancer, he said.

Again, pumping gas and standing too close to the fumes will cause irritation in the eyes and airways. So, yes this editorial isn't so much about terrible Chinese co-pilots as it is a direct attack on the vaping community...someone has to stand up for the Vapers!