Vape addict teen's '50-a-day' habit burned a hole in her lung... just weeks after her sister almost died from the same problem, father claims
A vape addict teenager who complained of trapped wind was stunned to discover her lung had collapsed — just as her sister's had done weeks earlier, their father claims.
Tazmin Blight, 19, who vaped the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day, was taken to hospital after suffering 'tightness' in her chest.
Having initially believe she was simply suffering digestive discomfort, doctors told her a small air pocket had formed in her lung and burst, causing it to collapse.
Remarkably, the episode mirrored problems that had hit Tamzin's younger sister Kyla, 17, just weeks earlier.
Their dad Mark, of Egremont, Cumbria, recently appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain to discuss Kyla's experience after it was revealed by Mail Online.
Tazmin thought she had trapped wind, but doctors told her a burst pulmonary bleb had caused her lung to collapse
Tazmin (left) admitted she had continued to vape even after her sister Kyla (right) nearly died
The sisters Tazmin (left) and Kyla (right) suffered a similar medical fate within weeks of each other, according to their dad Mark (pictured with them)
Tazmin said she would carry her vape everywhere and was getting through the nicotine equivalent of 500 cigarettes a day
Tazmin said she switched from disposable vapes to refillable ones, but now plans to quit
Speaking about Tazmin, he said: 'It's been an absolute nightmare. The coincidence is just unbelievable.
'It knocked me right back to where I was a few weeks ago with Kyla. It's just horrible. I'm still in shock about it.
'The doctors took us straight in because of what happened to Kyla. They told her she had pneumothorax. It's when little tiny holes appear on your lung and they burst.
'Kyla's was a great big one and Tazmin's is a tiny one. We wanted to catch it early. The doctor's said vapes are definitely what caused it.'
Tazmin has used e-cigarettes she was just 13 and says she continued to vape even after her sister's terrifying near-death experience.
She discovered her lung had collapsed on June 29 while Kyla was hospitalised on May 11.
Tazmin admitted she carried her e-cigarette with her 'at all times'. Despite seeing firsthand the dangers from her sister, Tazmin 'never believed' the same would happen to her.
The admin worker had been getting through a 10ml bottle of vape juice every five days, giving her up to 600 daily puffs, equivalent of nearly 50 cigarettes a day.
Tazmin's sister Kyla (pictured) almost died after her lung collapsed due to her vaping habit
Kyla's ordeal hit the headlines and she appeared on TV with her dad Mark to discuss it
The girls' dad Mark (pictured with Tazmin) wants to see vapes banned completely
Dad Mark said she has been put on a clinical trial by Carlisle Hospital's respiratory team. After a CT scan revealed her lung inflation had decreased, the pair are hoping surgery to drain it won't be necessary.
Mark said: 'She may not need surgery if her lung can stand up on its own. She's just been lying in her room. She's not done much for a while, she's been off work for a couple of weeks now.
'Vaping has really frightened Tazmin now and she's done really well not vaping.'
Tazmin said: 'I never thought it would happen to me. I was definitely shocked. I had in my head it would just be trapped wind or something.
'You never expect it to happen to you and it only just happened to Kyla so I just didn't expect it to be a collapsed lung.
'The pain started on Friday. I got in from work and I had loads of tightness in my chest and pain in my back and shoulders.
'I thought I'd try and sleep it off but when I woke up it was still there. It was only on one side. When I got out of bed it was so much pain.
'I thought I should get it checked out after what just happened to Kyla. She was a lot worse than me.
'I just can't wait for it to be sorted so I can breathe properly and not have this pain in my chest anymore.'
The teenager revealed she recently switched her disposable vapes for a refillable one, replacing the liquid up to four times a day, but now plans to stop.
She said: 'I'm trying to stop now. I thought it was a one-time thing that happened to Kyla but now it's happened to me as well.
'It's now shown me the long term effects of these disposable or refillable vapes. It can happen to people at any time.'
Mark said: 'I would like to see them completely banned. These vapes are marketed for kids.
'You can see they are, just the way they taste and smell. I passed a candy floss flavoured one the other day. It's not advertised for me. It's aimed at kids.
'We know what vapes are doing to people but there's just no proof. Until then, people are still going to be going out and buying these throw away things.
'I'm really pleased with what I'm doing getting this out in the open. I've had people stop me in the street and say "my daughter's stopped vaping now because of you".'
Everything you need to know about e-cigarettes
How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?
There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, containing various different nicotine levels.
The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20mg/ml equating to between 600 and 800 puffs.
The Elf Bar 600, one of Britain's most popular vapes, is advertised as coming in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg.
How many cigarettes are 'in' an e-cigarette?
The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent to 48 cigarettes, analysts say.
It delivers 600 puffs before it needs to be thrown away, meaning, in theory, every 12.5 puffs equate to one cigarette.
Experts say for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs equate to ten normal cigarettes.
Elf Bars are a brand of e-cigarettes often sold in snazzy colours and with child-friendly names and flavours, like blue razz lemonade and green gummy bear
Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?
Vaping products are considered to be better than cigarettes as users are exposed to fewer toxins and at lower levels, according to the NHS.
The health service adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulation, such as strokes and heart attacks.
Public Health England, which is now defunct, published an expert independent review in 2015 concluding that e-cigarettes are around 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes.
However vaping is not risk-free, as while levels in tobacco-products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers from the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.
And Dr Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elf bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling and bleeding.
He said this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation from a build-up of bacteria and food that can't get washed away.
Nearly 350 hospitalisations due to vaping were logged in England in 2022, which are thought to be mainly down to respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.
