E-cigarettes, sometimes referred to as vapes, cannot be purchased in the United States by anybody under the age of 18. However, it hasn’t prevented minors from using the product. In reality, 13.4% of eighth kids, 22.8% of tenth graders, and 31.4% of twelveth graders reported vaping in the previous year, according a 2021 poll from The National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The growth of youth vaping has caused severe public health concerns. The American Medical Association and other public health groups demanded that the American government take all flavored e-cigarettes off the market in a statement they released in 2019. And in June 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered retailers to remove Juul vaping pods and e-cigarettes off the stores (this order is now on hold until investigation into the brand’s safety is being done).
What you should know about e-cigarettes and the potential health hazards they provide is provided here.
What Are E-Cigarettes?
According to Sanjivan Kohli, M.D., a pulmonologist at Providence Mission Hospital in southern California, e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are battery-operated devices that contain a heated liquid that is then smoked like a traditional cigarette. Nicotine extracted from tobacco, flavorings, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and other substances are present in the liquid itself. Inhaled aerosol is created when a liquid is heated. According to Dr. Kohli, many smokers mistakenly believe that converting to an e-cigarette or another kind of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), such a vape pen, is a healthier option since they inhale water vapor rather than tobacco smoke.
In fact, the FDA has not examined the components in e-cigarette aerosol. As a result, they cannot be suggested as being secure, says Dr. Kohli.
What Is in E-Cigarettes?
According to Dr. Kohli, the vaping liquid used in e-cigarettes contains nicotine, propylene glycol, an odorless liquid with a pleasant taste, as well as other tastes and compounds. E-cigarettes may resemble conventional cigarettes, pipes, pens, and cigars. They are available in a variety of sizes and forms.
Many e-cigarette tastes are created to appeal to young people. The tastes of e-cigarettes may vary from fruity to candy or dessert flavors, to chocolate, to mint, in accordance with a recent research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaping might appear harmless because of the “fun” flavors, but the research found that the ingredients in e-cigarettes are anything from safe. E-cigarettes can include heavy metals including nickel, tin, and lead, as well as cancer-causing substances in addition to nicotine. They also frequently contain ultrafine particles that may be absorbed deeply into the lungs and the chemical diacetyl, which has been related to lung illness.
What Is JUUL?
According to David Krol, M.D., medical director of the Connecticut Children’s Care Network in Hartford, Connecticut, JUUL is a brand of e-cigarette that is particularly well-liked by young people. According to him, the battery-operated USB flash drive-shaped gadget has a same amount of nicotine in it as a pack of 20 cigarettes. Youth report getting JUUL through physical shops, friends and relatives, or online, despite the product’s minimum age limit of 18+ (and 21+ in certain regions).
According to Dr. Krol, JUUL Labs Inc. received marketing denial orders (MDOs) from the FDA in June 2022 for all of its products sold in the United States. These orders asked that the business stop marketing and selling the JUUL e-cigarette gadget and a number of its vaping pod items, stating that the brand is disproportionately responsible for the rise in underage vaping.
On July 5, the FDA temporarily suspended its order in order to perform further safety investigation on the product. Products from JUUL and other e-cigarette manufacturers that are unaffected by the order are still available for purchase while this evaluation is ongoing.
What Are the Health Risks of E-Cigarettes?
E-cigarettes, like conventional cigarettes, carry significant health risks when used for extended periods of time.
Lung and Heart Damage
According to Dr. Kohli, studies continue to demonstrate that using e-cigarettes may seriously harm one’s lungs. He cites nicotine as an example of a strong vasoconstrictor—a substance that raises blood pressure. Vaping may be particularly dangerous for the heart and lungs since e-cigarettes deliver nicotine to the body so fast.
Additionally, vaping juice includes chemical components and chemicals that have their own set of health hazards. According to Dr. Kohli, inhaling the vapor from an e-cigarette may exacerbate severe side effects that researchers are only starting to study. Among these dangers are:
- Respiratory irritation and lung disease. “This is a very real problem that doctors are seeing more and more of,” says Dr. Kohli, “especially in [young people] who get admitted to the hospital due to lung disease related to vaping and electronic cigarettes.”
- An increased risk of heart disease. According to Dr. Kohli, this is a result of breathing in very tiny chemical particles. According to Dr. Krol, these particles may include acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde, which are serious cardiovascular poisons.
- A higher chance of developing cancer as a result of breathing in carcinogens such formaldehyde, lead, and acrolein.
- An increased risk of blood clots, particularly for individuals using certain birth control methods
- Chronic breathing issues. According to Dr. Krol, teen e-cigarette usage is significantly linked to an increase in chronic cough, bronchitis, and asthma.
Nicotine Addiction
According to a 2017 research that was published in the American Journal of Public Health, up to 99% of e-cigarettes that are marketed in the U.S. contain nicotine, even when it isn’t listed as an ingredient on a product’s label. Due to the surge of endorphins, or feel-good hormones, that it causes, nicotine is very addictive. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that raises dopamine levels and encourages vaping.
It may be challenging to break the habit since withdrawal symptoms including irritability, anger, problems focusing, restlessness, sleeplessness, melancholy, and anxiety can appear when the benefits of the nicotine wear off.
Teen Smoking
Although e-cigarettes were first designed as a tool to aid in the cessation of smoking, they may really be breeding a whole new generation of smokers. In the United States, more over two million middle and high school kids reported using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, according to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Dr. Krol says that e-cigarettes provide the same psychoactive substance (nicotine) as traditional cigarettes—sometimes at a larger dosage. “The growing brain is susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of nicotine, and adolescent brain development is fast. The addiction becomes stronger and quitting is harder the earlier in childhood someone uses nicotine-containing products like e-cigarettes, says Dr. Krol.
According to Dr. Krol, adolescents and young adults who use e-cigarettes have a larger risk of switching to regular cigarettes than those who do not. According to a 2020 article in Mobile Medical Education, teens and young people who have used e-cigarettes are 3.6 times more likely to report consuming regular cigarettes in the future.
Are E-Cigarettes Safer Than Regular Cigarettes?
According to Dr. Kohli, using an e-cigarette is no safer than using a regular cigarette. “We’re still discovering about the effects that heating e-liquid has on general health. Additionally, the vaping vapor that you breathe in and out might harm the health of your friends, family, and other loved ones, the author says.
The last word? If you smoke cigarettes of any kind, you are endangering your health, claims Dr. Kohli.
There are more effective methods available if you’re attempting to stop smoking than e-cigarettes. Working collaboratively with your doctor to create a smoking cessation plan is a fantastic choice, advises Dr. Kohli.
How to Talk to Kids About E-Cigarettes
Before speaking with your children, Dr. Krol advises that you first educate yourself on e-cigarettes and their risks. The societal pressures that kids may experience are also crucial to take into account—many parents likely experienced such demands when they were younger.
Dr. Kohli advises starting the discussion about cigarettes and e-cigarettes early on and pointing out the reasons why smoking is a bad habit. According to Dr. Krol, it’s essential to remain composed, impartial, up forward, and truthful. If you can, try to answer their queries, or if they’re willing, try to find the solutions together.
Encourage your children to have an open dialogue with you after your first discussion about smoking, and pay attention to what they say when they share their challenges and experiences.
“Ask them about it, and be prepared to learn that they may have used e-cigarettes before. If they admit it, be grateful for their honesty and direct any resentment or anger at the e-cigarette manufacturers rather than your kid, advises Dr. Krol. Then, express your worries about their health and how e-cigarettes may influence the things they value, such as their general well-being, their capacity for athletic activity, their ability to save money, etc.
According to Dr. Krol, if your kid is already addicted to vaping, you may support them in quitting by getting in touch with their physician or other reliable sources. Last but not least, strive to set an example by abstaining from smoking and using e-cigarettes, as well as by keeping your house a smoke-free zone.