Everyone has known about the dangers of cigarette smoking for decades. Even if some refuse to quit.
There have been package label warnings, a ban on television commercial advertising, countless anti-smoking campaigns.
Still, there are those who refuse to heed the warnings.
Several years back something new came on the scene. E-cigarettes were touted as a safer way to get your nicotine fix without many of the harmful byproducts.
And a lot of folks switched over. But are these e-cigarettes really safer?
Increasingly the answer seems to be no.
Dr. Matt Young of Texarkana Emergency Center spoke Tuesday to Pleasant Grove High School students, warning of the rising popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping and also of the dangers.
The devices and cartridges, which come in a variety of flavors, have proven tempting to young people. Young noted that as of last year, one in five high school students had tried vaping. And it's even becoming more popular among middle schoolers.
He also talked about the health concerns and the kind of chemicals in these devices that can be harmful.
There is another danger as well.
This week the death of a Texas man made headlines across the country. His vaping device exploded Jan. 27 and debris tore his carotid artery. He died of a stroke in a Fort Worth Hospital two days later.
It turns out between 2009 and 2016 there were 195 incidents where an e-cigarette caught fire of exploded, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
Cigarettes are harmful, even deadly. But sucking more dangerous chemicals into your lungs isn't a good alternative. Especially through a device that might be a ticking time bomb.
The answer is to never start or quit if you are already a user. And that goes for cigarettes and their electronic counterparts.