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Background Information

What is vaping? Vaping is known as using electronic cigarettes or electronic smoking devices as a subsitute for smoking. The way and e-cigarette works is by heating up a flavored liquid inside the device to create an inhalable liquid. The range of flavors for the liquids used in these devices continues to grow everyday with more names and tastes that you could think of. The electronic cigarette was orginally designed as a tobacco therapy product that could be used by smokers to help aid in quitting tobacco. The liquid used inside can contain nicotine which is way it may prove effective for some smokers. Overall the use of these products is known to be a healthier alternative when compared to smoking. However, due to the new nature of these products the long term health effects caused cronic use cannot be claimed. Also the human lungs were designed for one thing, to inhale oxygen, so it is not reccomended that these devices be used for recreational purposes. That being said, the multitude of flavors is appealing to the youth, and the growing community behind the media scene of vaping has even created convetions where people meet up  to discuss vaping and show off their moded devices. Even the e-cigs have been around for less then a decade the product has created a multi-billion dollar industry. 

Things parents should know:

While the invention of the e-cigarette and vape products was created with good intentions, the product has now captured the attention of teens all of the country. Last year the CDC stated that the amount of middle school and high school students that used e-cigarettes had tripled. This fact alone promotes a justifiable concern. Vaping appeals to the younger generation with its media presence. Celebrities like Stephen Dorff are beginning to get endorsements from e-cigarette companies. Competitions, like Vape Blast (http://www.vapeblast.com/), promote the appeal as a recreational device through doing tricks with the smoke(1). Vaping may be a better alternative than smoking tobacco, but as Tom Frieden, director of the CDC said, “Adolescence is a critical time for brain development. Nicotine exposure at a young age may cause lasting harm to brain development, promote addiction, and lead to sustained tobacco use.”(1) As previously mentioned nicotine is found in some of the liquids made for e-cigarettes and vaping devices, but since the liquids don’t have many regulations on them it is possible for liquids marketed as “nicotine free” to actually contain some nicotine. So without even knowing it, teens can create an addiction to vaping. The concerns do not stop here, recently it has been found that teens have been using the vaping devices to smoke marijuana. The reasons these devise have grown in popularity can be attributed to two main reasons. As mentioned, e-cigarette companies like Blu are getting celebrity endorsements for their advertisement, and the flavors of the liquids available for purchase are enticing to the younger crowd where any possibility of flavor exists. When compared to smoking tobacco, vaping may be better for your children just remember that does not mean that it is healthier. 

Smoking vs Vaping.

Over the recent years thanks to the success of many anti-tobacco smoking advertisements, smoking tobacco is decreasing in popularity. There are no health benefits from smoking tobacco, but the health effects created by smoking is now common knowledge for Americans. Smoking tobacco is linked to promoting multiple forms of cancer as well as creating an addiction to the product itself from the ingredients that it contains. Most people that smoke have trouble quitting the habit that they know is possibly killing them, and overtime products designed to help aid in cutting back on smoking cigarettes were developed. E-cigarettes fall into this category. The main question surrounding the use of e-cigarettes is if smoking using an e-cigarette healthier than smoking tobacco? The answer is yes. In regular cigarettes there are thousands of chemical used that are toxic to the body. Many of the chemicals found in tobacco products are considered carcinogens. The liquid used in the electronic devices is made up of only a few substances. Nicotine, Propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and flavoring. Nicotine is an addictive substance and is known for causing addiction among tobacco smokers. However, unlike cigarettes nicotine seems to be the only toxic substance in the liquid used for vaping. Propylene glycol is used in food and medicine like Dayquil. Vegetable glycerin is an organic substance that is found in multiple food items. While the consumption of these substances cannot be classified as healthy they cannot be called carcinogens either. In terms of lesser adverse health effects vaping reigns over smoking tobacco products. Some doctors even recommend smokers to switch to the electronic version for this reason. Either way nothing beneficial can be obtained from inhaling anything besides air so it is again, strongly not recommended to use these products recreationally.(3) 

References: 

 

"E-cigarette Use Triples among Middle and High School Students in Just One Year." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2015. (1)

 

"Celebrities Pitching E-Cigarettes Make a Nightmare for Public Health Officials." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Web. 17 Dec. 2015. (2)

 

"Health - What Is in E-liquid, and the Vapour That It Produces?" E-CIGARETTE & VAPE HELP. Web. 17 Dec. 2015. (3)

 

"Smoking vs. Vaping: Which Is Healthier? [VIDEO]." Medical Daily. 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.(4)

 

 

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