Squirrels are ‘vaping’ e-cigarettes after mistaking fruity aromas for food
https://nypost.com/2026/03/24/science/squirrels-are-vaping-e-cigarettes-mistaking-aromas-for-food/
https://nypost.com/2026/03/24/science/squirrels-are-vaping-e-cigarettes-mistaking-aromas-for-food/
136 Comments
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 193 pts · 132d
Disposable vapes are genuinely evil. With the lithium inside the batteries they are significantly more dangerous than throwing a cigarette out your car window. They have chips inside them with metals that can be recycled and they are made of a hard plastic that'll be around for thousands if years. Whenever I mention this to people I know they agree with me that it's evil but continue to use disposable vapes because it's more convenient. I keep telling my roommates that it's massively cheaper to get a refillable one and they always agree but never buy one. Every time I go to the vape shop to get juice and coils I drop off a literal tub of disposable vapes from my roommates.
I'm so tired of people being complacent in this and I'm tired of making this rant. People will get nervous about batteries when they see a phone explode in someone's pocket but they'll throw that shit on the ground or in the trash without a second thought. Just go back to smoking if you wanna throw shit on the ground. It's better for the environment and public safety that way anyway.
pipi1234@lemmy.world · 37 pts · 131d
Have you seen this shit?
Factory workers test 1000 of these contraptions per day.
it's truly evil.
Human beings will get extinct due choosing convenience over sustainability.
Aralakh@lemmy.ca · 23 pts · 131d
Wtf that's all kinds of messed up
pipi1234@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 131d
Welcome to capitalism.
Consume shit that harms you while also harming poor workers and the environment
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 14 pts · 131d
That's so incredibly messed up
It reminds me of the radium girls
p03locke@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 28 pts · 132d
Why vape in the first place?
mEEGal@lemmy.world · 52 pts · 132d
Using it to quit smoking is a good idea, and the only one actually.
But disposable !? FUCK ME this world is doomed...
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 131d
I remember reading somewhere that vaping is more addictive than smoking. Sure it is not as bad as smoking health wise but the bar is set extremely low.
skulblaka@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 131d
I believe it, it can have a much higher nicotine concentration if you want it to and vape juice is tasty.
The one saving grace of cigarettes are that they taste like garbage so it's harder to get proper addicted to them. But a good vape will taste like candy even to a non smoker, so you can get drunk with your buddy one night and take a couple rips off of his watermelon flavored vape and exit that night with an intense craving for more, ask me how I know.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 132d
Not really. You are just exchanging one addictive habit for another. Tobacco companies have been selling vapes as safe alternatives to smoking driven by social media bots and MD shills, but it's a big fucking lie.
Heating glycerol to make vapor breaks glycerol, a safe compound into DHA dihydroacetone, which causes DNA damage which can trigger cancer in lung.
But that's just DHA. We have no idea and have no testing or regulation of what goes into vapes coming out of Chinese chemical plants. No one is looking at this.
village604@adultswim.fan · 16 pts · 132d
Vapes don't typically get hot enough to break glycerin down into DHA. The normal temperature range is 400-450F while glycerin breaks down at 536F
That's an invitro study which is basically worthless.
That's a valid point about Chinese eliquid, which is part of why disposables aren't a good option.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 131d
That is wrong.
It's in cell models, not in vitro.
Here's a mouse study.
We'll just wait for the human data to eventually show up, but the studies running on this were killed by Trump when he killed the NIH last year. No way inhaling huge quantities of DHA isn't dangerous. This is a major concern in sunblock cremes and that's not even deep ingestion into lungs.
village604@adultswim.fan · 2 pts · 131d
Bro, they were firing old school clearomizers with a starting wattage that's at the top of what's recommended. You can tell by the conversation graphs because EC3 is a more modern tank and it's an order of magnitude lower.
There's a reason why clearomizers didn't stay around long. They designed this study to produce DHA. You can tell because there was no change in EC3 across the temperatures, yet they scaled their graph to make it look comparable to the clearomizers. And the levels in EC3 were so low that it could have easily been machine error given the way they had to measure it.
The amount EC3 produced is 50x lower than the lowest amount the mice were exposed to.
If you use a temperature controlled mod, this is all a non-issue.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 131d
Remind me in 10 years
village604@adultswim.fan · 2 pts · 131d
I've been vaping for 15 years now. Lungs are perfectly healthy. But I make my own unflavored e-liquid with nicotine purchased from a pharmaceutical producer so I know exactly what's in it
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 131d
Most smokers are fine with 15 years. Have you have a pulmonary work up or is this just feels?
UltraBlack@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 131d
Replacing a cig with something that has no immediate downsides and is always available. Hmm
neo2478@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 132d
People have been quitting smoking for a lot longer than capes existed. Vaping is not safe.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 132d
it can be a better method for some people than the other extant methods.
kittenzrulz123@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 12 pts · 132d
The grand majority of people vaping aren't quitting smoking and probably never smoked
village604@adultswim.fan · 9 pts · 132d
That's not the topic of discussion.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 132d
yeah, that's their choice. weird how that works, isn't it.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · -6 pts · 132d
You have no "choice" when you are drug addicted to nicotine.
kittenzrulz123@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -10 pts · 132d
Yeah but stop pretending like vapes are some magic device to help with addiction. If they were actually meant to help with addiction they would be prescribed and come with additional medical help. Time after time we have seen this exact situation play out, something comes around to decrease addiction and does nothing more than induce it this is no different.
WhirlpoolBrewer@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 131d
I was under the impression that there are metal flakes in the flavors that absolutely wrecked your lungs. More so than regular cigarettes, was my understanding.
jve@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 130d
Metal flakes? From what?
WhirlpoolBrewer@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
My understanding is from the heater coils
Mangoholic@lemmy.ml · -2 pts · 132d
Actually the stats say that only a fraction of people quit, but instead increase the nicotine content.
village604@adultswim.fan · 9 pts · 132d
Do they?
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 131d
"A total of 87 clinical trials were identified, of which only seven were related to smoking cessation through vaping as a form of treatment. "
Had to scrape the pubmed barrel pretty deep for that one.
Meta analysis is best done by Cochrane, and they see a slight to mild effect, but indicate huge bias in the CTs. Also the conflicts sections is three pages long as the number of MDs running these studies funded by Vape companies is hilarious.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 132d
Whack ass study alert. 7 studies used… just read the titles of the studies.
village604@adultswim.fan · 7 pts · 131d
It's a meta study, and 7 studies is more than sufficient to establish statistical significance. There's also no issue with the study titles.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
Would you like to pick which of those seven studies was most correlated and effective at proving OP point?
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 130d
I gotta be honest with you chief if I was a scientist, trying to establish a point. And I had the choice between a meta-analysis and running an actual study….. I would run a study and not a meta analysis. For only the fact that he examined 87 studies and could barely find 7 to use for his analysis. The bar for scientific publishing is in hell. But hey look at the audience.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 130d
Really? Ones about women vaping on opioids. Two of them were about dual users of cigarettes and ecigarettes. None of them came close to correlating with OP‘s statement.
would you like to summarize those seven studies with me and see if there’s any relationship in there?
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 131d
But he concludes (one author) what we want to hear!
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
I just want to see someone present a study and not a meta analysis of the 10 worst studies they could find for once.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 132d
lol the vapes have higher nicotine content and are more consumable. Your smoking habit will just double.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 131d
It's almost like the tobacco industry doesn't have your well being at heart. Vaping is actually way more profitable than smoking since there is less social stigma around it. Vaping companies market themselves as clean and healthy but in reality they are still preying off people who are hopelessly addicted.
Your smoking "habit" (addiction) will go away but it gets replaced rather than removed.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 130d
Ya notice how there’s no good studies on the topic. Big tobacco loophole for the next generation of smokers:
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 132d
Used to be a pack a day smoker. Personally I don't think it's better for my health, but I don't smell like an ash tray so I got that going for me.
wide_eyed_stupid@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 131d
Really? It didn't make you feel better either?
When I got rid of cigarettes and started vaping, the differences were noticeable within a week or two, and they were astronomical. No more couching, no more headaches, less difficulty breathing, more energy, no more hoarse throat. Food tasted better too!
Now, I know, this is not to say that vaping is healthy, but it does seem to suggest that it is at the very least healthier (or less unhealthy, if you want) than smoking cigarettes, unless feeling much better and getting rid of pain is a sign of worse health? In addition my clothes didn't stink anymore and vaping is way cheaper too.
Admittedly it took me almost 3 years, but I eventually got my nicotine content down to zero.
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 130d
It did at first but after a couple years of vaping it basically feels the same now. Even got the smokers cough back even though I'm just vaping.
To be fair, I've also gained like 40 lbs so it's entirely possible I'm just outta shape lol (and yes I'm currently working on fixing that)
NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 131d
smoking was worse for my immediate health. -That's why i vaped.
my allergies, migraines, and other bodyaches settled way down when I switched to vaping.
hoch@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
I like nicotine
5in1k@lemmy.zip · 15 pts · 131d
I wish there was a $1/vape return scheme. Like we do here where I live with pop bottles. People would pick them out of the trash to return.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 131d
Yeah, I'm not one for banning things willy nilly, but disposable vapes need banned. I'd much rather people vape a liquid refilled repairable vape like the kids used when I was young, but even pod type vapes are better. This is just reprehensibly avoidable e waste.
NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 131d
If you're familiar with how regulation of the nicotine-industry in the u.s. works then you probably know disposable vapes polluting the streets can be directly connected to the regulation of vape-juice and "e-cigareettes" from a few years back when the fda banned disposable flavored cartridges like menthol.
no more disposable cartridges now but lots of disposable whole e-smoking devices.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 131d
Yeah it's wild to me that the ban wasn't a blanket "no product may be sold containing both nicotine in psychoactive doses and pleasant flavorings other than menthol or those found naturally in tobacco or intended to recreate the flavor of tobacco may be sold". Like they could've killed those gross flavored swishers that exist solely for making blunts while they were at it.
Like, I don't mind a "buy a flavor bottle and it has room for you to mix in a bottle of one of the various concentrations of unflavored nicotine sold right next to it" situation, but that level of inconvenience is good. It always forces you to choose your dose and means that when kids get ahold of the stuff it's easier for them to get ahold of the nonaddictive version. What we have now is a bunch of e waste that also ensures that there's a lot of access to nicotine for children.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 131d
Or maybe we could just get rid of vaping all together
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 131d
I ain't in favor of vice policing. You want to vape, go for it. You'd find a way regardless. But we can make the more environmentally destructive ways to do it the hardest and most expensive.
AmmenDegen@pawb.social · 9 pts · 132d
I vape cannabis. Whenever I go to the dispensary, it always surprises me how many disposable products there are. Some strains it's not even possible to buy them as non-disposable carts at some of the IL dispensaries I go to. I always try to pick standalone carts, but I have also had it where I've ordered a cart online and they ended up trying to give me a disposable replacement without asking.
It's nuts to me that people are buying these rechargeable things with batteries to throw out as a default (it's definitely seems more popular than re-usable carts at dispensaries I've been to). Why wouldn't you want your own device with your settings saved if you vape versus using some random piece of shit attached to the very expensive goop you're smoking? I don't get disposables at all. You start saving money after 3 or so carts if you buy your own battery.
Even worse: if you wanted to recycle one of them many are designed with housings that make it nearly impossible to open them up and replace the cartridge.
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 131d
Those things clog/shit the bed so easily that I've become a master maintainer of them. But that's pretty much what I did in the army, only with radios.
Binette@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 132d
Reminds me of that one guy that made a homeserver on a disposable vape.
village604@adultswim.fan · 4 pts · 132d
It would really help a lot if gas stations actually carried refillable tanks. Shit, even the replaceable pods are better.
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 132d
Well, they did have the pods more widely available back when I started vaping to quit smoking. Unfortunately, big tobacco companies lobbied to get all the pod flavors banned and now the only ones you can get at gas stations are menthol and tobacco flavor which both taste awful. Disposable vapes filled the market gap that was created and now we have disposable vapes with lithium batteries plaguing the places cigarette butts used to be.
village604@adultswim.fan · 3 pts · 131d
That wasn't big tobacco, actually. Big T fought against the FDA on it.
The reason the FDA went so hard on it is because states had already spent their expected revenue from tobacco taxes and vaping cut into that heavily.
Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 130d
They're vaping. They're not intelligent to begin with.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 132d
What, people still smoke?
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 132d
Yeah, surprisingly. But it's just vaping now. I started vaping to quit smoking but you have to account for half of gen z getting hooked on juuls awhile back. When those first became popular I was more surprised when I found people that didn't vape.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 131d
Honesty I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing people with major health issues because of vaping. Vaping gives the illusion of being clean but in reality the vapors are fully of all sorts of nasty chemicals.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 131d
No one actually knows what is in vapes. No one checks, no one regulates anything with vapes. Walk through a hardware aisle and huff random solvents.
kittenzrulz123@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 132d
Not really, its pretty uncommon these days
teyrnon@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 132d
Cigs are like 12 bucks a pack now too here.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d
Ya I got some tobacco for $30 a lbs you want some? You can chew it too.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 131d
I'd rather keep my teeth
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 131d
But I didn't smoke!
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
Yuck. Reminds me of those over seas cigarettes with the health gore porn all over them.
NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 131d
are you suggesting the nicotine isn't a known-carcinogen?
quips@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 130d
Blame Trump
devfuuu@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d
I don't think I've seen anyone smoke disposable vapes yet. It's insane if people are behaving like that.
LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 132d
Seriously? That’s wild because I almost never see anything but disposable. Everyone everywhere seems to like them, rare for me to see a refillable in the wild.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 131d
Refillable these days have become the vaping equivalent of the self roll and pipe smoking. It didn't used to be like that. That said these days I mostly just see people smoking a cig or a joint if they're smoking in public
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 131d
Visit any school ground. thousands of them.
Scotty_Trees@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 131d
there's a lot of things destroying the world, I don't think a few random vape users you know are the ones destroying it, but the companies and 3 letter agencies that let this to continue. You're attacking the wrong vector and coming up short every single time. You're simply focused on the wrong people, thinking you can change people. Good luck with that.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · -1 pts · 131d
You should just quit vaping
The heavily metals and questionable ingredients end up in your lungs. Vaping also is more addictive since they can put way more nicotine in.
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 131d
Easier said than done. I used to smoke a pack a day for 10 years and I've tried to quit entirely many times in the past. I've tried every method there is out there and it never sticks. If anything, vaping has helped me cut down on my nicotine input significantly because sometimes I don't even use it for half the day and having it next to me is enough to get rid of cravings.
dizzle18@lemmy.zip · 69 pts · 132d
The squirrels were sighted shortly afterwards in a poorly modified Subaru WRX.
Codilingus@piefed.social · 64 pts · 132d
Next they're gonna start getting broccoli hair cuts, frfr.
Triumph@fedia.io · 6 pts · 132d
Tru biz
Zahille7@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 131d
That hairstyle is the modern mullet. It looks so trash.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 132d
I already seeing a few with gold chains and tiny black track pants.
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 3 pts · 132d
I think you saw Alvin and the chipmunks
Zahille7@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 131d
You sure it wasn't the Kia Hamsters?
LittleBorat3@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 132d
Not the onion but NY Post, which is almost the onion
quick_snail@feddit.nl · 15 pts · 132d
It's not a satirical outlet. It's just lies half the time
CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 131d
Only half? Thats generous
wesdym@mastodon.social · 2 pts · 132d
@LittleBorat3 I assume you mean in terms of superficial absurdity, because that there is NO similarity between them.
LittleBorat3@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 131d
Yes it's such yellow press BS that it's like the onion.
wesdym@mastodon.social · -4 pts · 131d
@LittleBorat3 You either don't understand satire, don't understand propaganda, or don't understand media in general. I suggest you take a Media Studies course. Many are offered through extension programmes or to audit. I also suggest you consult Media Bias Fact Check regularly, and study the chart that its creator, Ad Fontes, updates regularly.
Good luck.
sydd@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 131d
I think maybe it was in journalistic integrity but again, the onion wins.
grvtrkr05@piefed.social · 31 pts · 132d
This is horrible
BigBananaDealer@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 132d
for real. squirrels need to switch to a plant based, biodegradable alternative
AMillionMonkeys@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 131d
They need to switch to Linux.
some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 131d
Tried vaping linux once, now I'm hooked
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 131d
We have quite the impact on nature
Stormy@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 132d
Smoogs@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 132d
Doesn't mean it's not bad
CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 131d
I wouldn't be surprised to learn those are AI generated images. Both photos look nearly identical just with different disposables being held by the squirrel.
Even if they're real, what about all the other garbage squirrels gnaw on in a city environment? Furthermore, what about all those starving birds out there who couldn't eat because these bastards keep eating all the bird seed in bird feeders? That's the real story here.
grvtrkr05@piefed.social · 2 pts · 131d
Odd time to throw "what about?" shade at the squirrels, friend
SailorFuzz@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 131d
What tobacco? The whole point of a vape is that it doesn't burn tobacco...
blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 131d
They just wanted to do some alliteration
Notyou@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 130d
Why stop there? A terrifying tobacco-toting treehoper named Terry the terrible tarantula towers above in tree tops.
glitchdx@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 131d
plenty of vapes have nicotine.
SailorFuzz@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 131d
nicotine != tobacco. Tobacco contains nicotine... but a vape is a substitute for tobacco... that's the whole point of it, to get nicotine without using tobacco.
Meat contains protein. If someone uses a protein substitute you don't call it a "meat-shake".
Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 131d
Don't you tell me what to call my meat shakes
Skv@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
But is it shaken meat or shakes you get from meat depravation?
Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 130d
It's secretly raspberry milkshake with chunks of raspberry but the straw is shaped like a bone.
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 2 pts · 131d
Reminds me of this song by Ugly Duckling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv6Mljf830c
ipd@universeodon.com · 1 pts · 131d
@Hadriscus @SailorFuzz
it's a cognative disonant song.
On the basis of you posting it, and nothing else, I hate you.
I'll get over it,though, when the earworm goes away,
glitchdx@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
eh, it was the best I got
axexrx@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 131d
Synthetic nicotine is a thing, but not the majority of vape juice. Most of its still just extracted from tobacco.
To continue your metaphor, I wouldnt call beef stock steak, but i wouldnt call it vegetarian, either.
Skv@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
How would you like your steak?
Drank.
Skv@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
I think I'll add that to my lexicon, like "meat-bag" and "meat popsicle".
blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 130d
What about "spam purse"?
Skv@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 130d
That's just a purse with Spam inside.
M0oP0o@mander.xyz · 4 pts · 131d
What does nicotine have to do with claiming they are ingesting tobacco?
Solumbran@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 132d
But everything is fine
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 9 pts · 131d
...We can make nicotine bird feeders, which have little hookah straws, through which critters can enjoy life. 🤔
Bot@sub.community · 6 pts · 132d
Can they hook on nicotine addiction?
Spacehooks@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 132d
Getting flashbacks of the tomacco incident
kepix@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 130d
source says 1 squirrel, nyp says its an epidemic
FreeAlchemist@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 132d
No mistake, they're just fly as fuck.
finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d
Cultural appropriation!
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 132d
Based