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Young Woman Vaping

Vaping: Updated Risks

USA Today (August. 28, 2019) reported on the updated risks of using e-cigarettes and vaping. These devices can be filled with flavored liquids, nicotine products, and ‘THC oil’, a very potent cannabis derivative. E-cigarettes, have become very popular with teens and their use has become increasingly controversial as risks become more evident.

E-cigarettes are hand-held battery-powered devices that heat liquids into an inhalable vapor. The most popular brand for teens is ‘Juul’. They are small, easy to hide, and can accept high potency cannabis-infused liquid with simple modification.

Updated Risks of Vaping

  1. Vaping may be safer than smoking cigarettes, but that is not an endorsement. We know that other countries have banned vaping devices due to the risks they pose. States have begun to introduce legislation increasing the legal age of use or banning use altogether.
  2. Science has established that the inhaling of burning tobacco is carcinogenic. Smoking contributes in a major way to almost all cancers, lung diseases and heart disease. Vaping is a new phenomenon. As such, we don’t know all of the health hazards associated with vaping/e-cigarettes. Hospitals are seeing an increasing number of young people hospitalized with lung problems (450 in the summer of 2019 alone). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) continues to research this quick onset lunch disease. The CDC is also responding to this crisis, and they suspect vaping is involved.
  3. Vaping products that contain nicotine are very addictive. The body quickly metabolizes the concentrated vaping liquid. If a person tries to quit they should expect withdrawal. Vaping is actually more addictive than cigarette smoking.
  4. Many people initially thought vaping was a better option than smoking. People who tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking could reduce cancer risks by vaping. That intention changed when teens, who had never smoked cigarettes, started vaping the small, ‘Juul’ devices. The use of nicotine in this age group had declined for several years. However, it is now increasing at an alarming rate. The use of nicotine has become epidemic among teens, according to the NIH.
  5. ‘Vapes’ liquids containing high levels of THC can lead to cognitive losses and even psychosis.
  6. Vape liquids without THC are not safe either. Even those without nicotine can be quite dangerous. A University of North Carolina study (2016) found the two primary ingredients in e-cigarettes—propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin were health risks. Another study showed e-cigarettes produce dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde. These can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease. Acrolein is a herbicide that is often found in vapes. It can cause acute lung injury, COPD, and may cause asthma and lung cancer.
  7. U.S. Surgeon General warns of the risks of inhaling secondhand e-cigarette emissions. Secondhand emissions contain “nicotine; flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; benzene; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead.”

Conclusions

E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular among teens and adults. The research points to the updated risks and dangers of using e-cigarettes.  Because teens are physically developing, they are at an increased risk for the negative consequences of vaping. Therefore, parents need to be aware of the risks and share these with their preteen and teenage children. If you have a child who is vaping, call us at 513.792.1272 to find out more about CloudStop, our vaping education program.