Is vaping safe for teens? - Lincoln Journal Star

Since first hitting U.S. markets in 2006, electronic cigarettes have become a booming, billion dollar industry on track to outsell tobacco products within a decade.


And, it isn’t just adults vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products report that current e-cigarette use among middle and high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014.


The use of e-cigarettes among teens in the United States remains high. A 2015 Monitoring the Future survey conducted by the University of Michigan revealed that 9.5 percent of eighth graders, 14.0 percent of 10th graders and 16.2 percent of 12th graders reported using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. The study surveyed 40,000 students in about 400 schools throughout the contiguous United States.


When asked why they used e-cigarettes, more than half of the students said the primary reason was curiosity and to see what they were like. Only about 10 percent of users said they were using e-cigarettes in an attempt to quit smoking regular cigarettes.


More alarming was that when asked what they were inhaling when vaping, more than 60 percent reported that they were vaporizing “just flavoring,” not realizing e-cigarettes contain nicotine.


Southwest Family Health’s Dr. Robert Rhodes has noticed a huge and growing marketing effort initiated by e-cigarette companies.


“Unfortunately teens are one of the fastest growing markets because they think they are safer or better due to this marketing,” Rhodes said.


E-cigarettes were created to look like and feel like the real thing. The end even glows as the person inhales.


E-cigarettes are not lit but are battery-powered. They include a heating element and a cartridge filled with nicotine and other chemicals and flavorings.


The heating element converts the liquid into vapor, which the person inhales. As users exhale they puff out a cloud that looks like smoke but is actually vapor — hence, the name “vaping.”


A variety of products are available on the market offering various features at different prices. Some e-cigarettes are disposable, while others include rechargeable batteries and refillable cartridges.


First and foremost, e-cigarettes contain no health benefits. However, they do not contain tobacco, which means users are not inhaling the harmful tar and carbon monoxide of a traditional cigarette.


Even though e-cigarettes don’t “burn,” Rhodes said they are still not good for cells and tissue and can cause danger over time.


“Most states are even unsure how to rate their safety,” he added.


E-cigarettes contain the highly addictive drug nicotine, which is absorbed through the lungs when a person vapes. The brain, nervous system and heart are all affected by nicotine. It raises blood pressure and heart rate, and the larger the dose the more serious the effects.


After the initial effects of nicotine wear off, a person’s body starts to crave it. This nicotine withdrawal can cause a person to be depressed, tired and crabby. Users need more nicotine to relieve these symptoms, which creates a dangerous cycle of continued use. Over time, nicotine use has been known to lead to heart disease, blood clots and stomach ulcers.


Opinions vary on whether or not e-cigarettes are a good or bad thing. Because they do not include tobacco, many health experts see them as a benefit to smokers who are trying to kick the habit and avoid health problems and diseases caused by using tobacco.


Opponents see the addictive nicotine in e-cigarettes as a “gateway drug” that could lead nonsmokers and teens to eventually turn to tobacco.


Others fear that vaping will reach a new chic status and negate years of effort and progress to educate the public on the dangers of smoking and to convince an entire generation to quit or never start smoking.