Source: Texas Children's Hospital
What is Vaping?
Vaping is inhaling a mist (or "vapor") into your lungs using a portable electronic
device. A liquid containing nicotine, flavoring, propylene glycol, and other additives is heated in an electronic cigarette, vape pen, or other nicotine delivery device (ENDS) to create an aerosol that is inhaled through a mouthpiece.
Despite the fact that e-cigarettes have been around for more than ten years, the rate of vaping has dramatically increased recently, especially among teenagers. Since 2.1 million middle and high school students smoked e-cigarettes in 2017, they have surpassed conventional combustible cigarettes as the most popular tobacco product among teenagers.
Why do teenagers vape?
The use of E-cigarettes by teenagers has become an epidemic over the past few years. The most prominent reasons for this include:
Teens believe vaping to be safe: Despite the fact that e-cigarettes emit a mist rather than tobacco or secondhand smoke, many teens believe that vaping is safe. Even worse, a lot of parents believe vaping doesn't pose as much of a risk to their kids' health.
Kids enjoy the sweet flavorings of e-cigarettes because they taste nice. There are countless flavor choices, including strawberry milk, cotton candy, and gummy bears. They seem trusting: E-cigarettes are frequently packaged to mimic a pen or a flash drive by many businesses, including the well-known Juul brand, making it less likely that parents and teachers will notice it.
They cost little: E-cigarettes may cost less per use than traditional cigarettes.
E-cigarettes (before) had no regulations: E-cigarettes could formerly be purchased by anyone, including kids, until a few years ago.
Risks of Vaping
It's unclear how vaping impacts our general health. Nevertheless, it seems clear from the research that vaping is not "less harmful than smoking," as some have stated.
Users of e-cigarettes can breathe in and exhale aerosol that contains hazardous and potentially hazardous compounds, including:
Diacetyl, a flavor associated with a serious lung condition
Nicotine
Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
Volatile organic compounds that cause cancer
Heavy metals like nickel, tin, and lead
Asthma -. Vaping can increase your risk of developing asthma and other respiratory diseases. It might exacerbate any asthma you already have.
Scarring of lungs - Diacetyl, a flavoring additive, can lead to bronchiolitis obliterans (sometimes known as "popcorn lung"). Your lungs get permanently scarred as a result of it.
Organ injury - Nicotine and other ingredients in e-liquid can harm your heart, brain, and lungs. We are aware that nicotine can impair brain development, increase blood pressure, and constrict arteries.
E-cigarette or vaping product usage related to lung damage, or EVALI - Vaping leads to the dangerous lung disease EVALI. You have symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and extensive lung damage. EVALI can be deadly.
Addiction - Addiction to nicotine is quite strong. Your brain changes as a result, making you want more and more nicotine. If vaping starts to affect your health or if you wish to stop it, you might not be able to. Even e-liquids that advertise being nicotine-free contain trace amounts of the drug.
Using cigarettes - Many vapers eventually switch to smoking cigarettes, which have more dangerous substances in them. Indirect exposure. While vaping doesn't produce smoke, it does expose those around you to nicotine and other toxins.
Explosions - Batteries in vaping devices have been known to explode, leaving victims with severe burns and injuries.
Cancer - There are some e-liquid components that are known to cause cancer.
Conclusion
Teenagers should avoid vaping. In addition to containing dangerous chemicals, vaping is just as hazardous as smoking, despite the claims of many users that it is a safer choice. Research on the long-term impacts of vaping is scarce.
Citations:
https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/#:~:text=Besides%20nicotine%2C%20e%2Dcigarettes%20can,volatile%20organic%20compounds
https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-issue-of-vaping-among-teenagers-its-effects-and-
danger/#:~:text=To%20conclude%2C%20vaping%20should%20not,about%20vaping's%20long%20term%20effects.
https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/why-vaping-is-dangerous-for-teens
https://childmind.org/article/teen-vaping-what-you-need-to-know/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21162-vaping
Comments