Vaping – The increasing use of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people, is a dangerous trend with real health risks. For many reasons, electronic cigarettes should not be promoted as a safe alternative to smoking.
Although fewer people are smoking or starting to smoke than ever before, many others are using other forms of tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems. The increasing use of electronic roll-your-owns (also known as vaping) among children and adolescents in recent years poses a serious public health threat.
Battery-powered devices come in many forms and can resemble traditional cigarettes, pens, or even high-tech gadgets. Users inhale and exhale a vapor-like mist. This type of nicotine consumption poses health risks for both users and non-users.
Lots of Negative Aspects – Few Potential Positives
E-cigarette advocates say the devices can help people quit smoking. However, much more evidence is needed to determine if they are an effective way to quit smoking. Research suggests users are more likely to continue to smoke and vape at the same time, known as “dual use.”
The American Heart Association recommends using best practices to successfully quit smoking.
Many People Believe that Vaping
Is less harmful than smoking. While it is true that e-cigarette aerosol does not contain all of the impurities found in tobacco smoke, it is still not safe. Here are some of the reasons:
- Most e-cigarettes release nicotine, an extremely addictive substance that can damage the developing brains of adolescents and children, as well as the fetuses of women who use e-cigarettes during pregnancy. Some types expose users to even higher levels of nicotine than traditional cigarettes.
- In addition to nicotine, e-cigarette vapor contains potentially harmful substances such as diacetyl (a chemical linked to serious lung disease), cancer-causing chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead. . Consumers breathe these toxic pollutants directly, but others who are simply in close proximity also risk passive exposure.
- The liquid used in electronic cigarettes can be dangerous not only because of its intended use. Children and adults have been poisoned after swallowing, inhaling, or absorbing the liquid through the skin or eyes.
- E-cigarettes have been linked to thousands of cases of serious lung injury, some resulting in death. Although the exact cause remains unconfirmed, the CDC recommends that people not use e-cigarettes.
- The biggest public health threat posed by e-cigarettes is that the growing popularity of vaping may “return” tobacco use to normal, which has been declining for years.
- Reversing the hard-won gains in global smoking control efforts would be catastrophic. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death, killing 480,000 Americans each year.
A Danger for Children and Young People
Tobacco companies have set out to captivate a new generation of nicotine and tobacco.
In 2017 alone, they spent more than $8.6 billion on aggressive advertising, which equates to more than $23 million a day and nearly $1 million an hour.
Almost 80% of middle and high school students. Or 4 in 5 children, we expose to e-cigarette advertisements in 2016.
Electronic cigarettes are currently the most common form of tobacco use among children and adolescents. In 2018, its usage doubled from the previous year among US high school students.
Many young people say they have tried e-cigarettes partly because of the appealing taste. More than 80% of teens say their first vape product flavor.
More Effort and Research Needed
The top US health official called the use of e-cigarettes among young people a “public health alarm”. The American Heart Association shares this opinion. Therefore, we advocate the use of stricter standards that:
Include e-Cigarettes in Anti-Smoking Laws;
regulate and tax e-cigarettes like other tobacco products;
remove any flavorings, including menthol, that make these products more attractive to children and young people.
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