Vaping

The CDC noted that e-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product used by young people in the United States. Over 2 million junior high and high school students used these devices in 2016.

What are e-cigarettes? They are devices that heat nicotine and other substances in an aerosol delivery system. The Ohio Department of Health stated e- cigarettes are sometimes called “e-cigs,” ‘vape pens”, and electronic nicotine delivery systems; (ENDS). People around e-cigarette users are exposed to the aerosol. The fruit flavored smoke is popular with teens.

The ENDS devices contain a mix of nicotine, fine particulate matter, nickel, lead, diacetyl and carcinogens. Acetyl is an agent that causes lung disease according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Many teens and adults use e-cigarettes because they believe the “e-cigs,” contain less nicotine than cigarettes. They think the “vape pens” can help them to quit smoking. However, the Center for Disease Control finds that dual use of cigarettes and vaping devices is common among adult smokers. The nicotine content in vape pens acts as a gateway to cigarette smoking in adolescents.

Nicotine is addictive and can harm the developing adolescent brain. Some e-cigarettes contain as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. In addition, vape pen users are sometimes injured by exploding batteries. This commonly occurs when batteries are charged. Children and adults are poisoned by absorbing or swallowing toxic vape pen contents.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is following injuries related to the use of e-cigarettes. Consumers are encouraged to report adverse events at www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov

Again, millions of teens in the United States have experimented with vaping devices. Impressionable adolescents are drawn to the fruit flavored aerosol e-cigarettes that are shaped like flash drives. These small devices can be easily hidden from adults.

Many states have enacted laws to protect young people from the harmful effects of tobacco use. States that prohibit the purchase and use of e-cigarettes or tobacco products by anyone under the age of twenty-one include Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia.  The District of Columbia prohibits the purchase of e-cigarettes by persons under the age of twenty-one.