Mercedes owner goes viral using vape to test vehicle's high-tech air filter

It’s known that vaping can negatively impact one's health, but a viral moment shows just how bad it can be.

Sheldon Shuffield of Fort Worth, Texas, posted a video to his TikTok account (@thisdadtiktoks) in August for his more than 600,000 followers, which now has more than two million likes and 22 million views.

"Oh my God, I just got a new fancy-schmancy Mercedes," he began. "Do you want proof that vaping is bad for you?"

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Shuffield, who once worked in health care, explained that his Mercedes came with a HEPA filter that is "similar to what’s in the operating room," he said in the video.

(Left to right) Image of the Mercedes HEPA filter screen showing a normally-filtered and clean interior, next to the interior after the vape smoke was blown. (Sheldon Shuffield/TikTok @thisdadtiktoks)

The filter is meant to purify the air that enters the car to create a healthier environment.

Shuffield’s husband took a puff of his vape and blew it down onto the floorboards.

As he puffed out the light plume of smoke, the filter’s interior numbers shot through the roof, quickly changing from a "Good" 1 PM2.5 (particulate matter) rating, to an "Unhealthy" rating of 63, to a peak "Very Unhealthy" rating of 200, before the car began filtering out the poor air.

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"Y’all!" Shuffield yelled in reaction. "You’re blowing that around with your kids in the car!"

"I’m so thankful that my car [has] that feature, because it just opened my eyes … that was just a little bit of vape smoke in my car."

Sheldon Shuffield (@thisdadtiktoks) posted his video to TikTok in August. It now has nearly 23 million views. (Sheldon Shuffield/TikTok @thisdadtiktoks)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Shuffield claimed that fumes from vehicles on the road register lower harm ratings than vape smoke.

"I'm shocked that so many people willy-nilly inhale this all day long," he said. "It just blows my mind."

In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, a Mercedes spokesperson said the company offers the optional HEPA filter as part of its "Energizing Air Control Plus" feature in the Mercedes EQS and EQE Sedan and SUV models.

"This advanced filtration system significantly improves air quality by capturing fine dust, micro-particles and pollen, and reducing harmful pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides," the spokesperson noted.

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"With a filtration efficiency exceeding 99.65% for particles as small as PM 0.3, it ensures a clean and safe environment inside the vehicle, comparable to clean rooms and operating theaters."

While traditional cigarettes produce much higher levels of harmful chemicals, e-cigarettes "should not be considered safe," an expert said. (iStock)

Theodore Wagener, PhD, director of the Center for Tobacco Research and co-leader of the Cancer Control Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that this video is "not at all surprising."

"The car is measuring PM2.5 (aka particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less), which is small enough to travel deep into the lungs," the expert said.

"This type of information can increase motivation to stop vaping and smoking to improve overall health."

"While traditional cigarettes produce … a greater amount of harmful chemicals than e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes … should not be considered safe, but instead considered less harmful than cigarettes." 

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The benefit of having a HEPA filter in a vehicle, Wagener said, is that it provides "real-time feedback of the impact of your behaviors."

"This type of information can increase motivation to stop vaping and smoking to improve overall health," he added.

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Shuffield's video proves that "vaping is not benign," Wagener said.

"It should only be used as a method of harm reduction for cigarette smokers who have been unable to quit smoking using FDA-approved products like nicotine lozenges and patches," he said. 

"Mercedes-Benz was the first automotive manufacturer to receive the ‘OFI CERT’ ZG 250-1 certification from the Austrian Research and Testing Institute (OFI)," Mercedes told Fox News Digital. "Air filters with this certificate reduce bacteria and viruses directly at the filter." (iStock)

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"For smokers, switching completely to vaping nicotine will likely produce a health benefit, but the ultimate goal should be to completely stop use of all nicotine."

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Shuffield and his husband have "scaled back" on their vaping habits, he said, as they intend to be good role models for their kids – a son, 7, and a daughter, 14.

For people who are addicted to vaping, Shuffield's advice is to "put it down and step away from it as much as you can."

"Don’t let it be glued to your hand like a cellphone."