Don't Let Vaping Fool You This April

Companies design packaging to enhance the appeal of vaping for teens; for example, vape cartridges are available in candy, fruit, and dessert flavors, like doughnut, cotton candy, apple pie, chocolate, cherry, “Belgian waffle,” “strawberry milk,” watermelon, bubble gum, etc. And labels of “vape sauce” resemble candy wrapper designs, like Jolly Ranchers and Blow Pops. In addition, companies promote vaping with campaigns that appeal to teens. Young people believe that vaping products are safer than other forms of nicotine consumption, such as cigarettes. While vaping aerosol doesn’t include all the contaminants in tobacco smoke, it does contain many dangerous chemicals. Vaping is easier to hide from parents than smoking. They don’t give off as much smoke as traditional cigarettes. Also, unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are odorless or have a sweet smell. Plus, vaping devices often resemble pens or electronic equipment, so it’s easier for teens to use them without getting caught. For example, Juul designers wanted to make their product appear as if it was a flash drive. How many teens are vaping? The number has skyrocketed over the last few years, but hard numbers as of 2022 are still uncertain. The most recent Monitoring the Future study’s statistics (2020) on teens and e-cigarettes show 25 percent of high school seniors vape nicotine, as compared to 11 percent in 2017. Furthermore, 19 percent of 10th graders and 10 percent of 8th graders vape nicotine.

“Given that nicotine is involved in most vaping, and given that nicotine is a highly addictive substance, this rise in vaping nicotine and vaping in general presents a serious threat to the hard-won progress that we have tracked since the mid-1990s in the reduction of cigarette smoking among adolescents,” states Monitoring The Future. Many parents and adults may feel vaping is safe and not harmful, as it is generally considered safer than smoking tobacco. Many think the smoke produced by vaping is harmless water vapor. In fact, vape “smoke” contains nicotine, shown to increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A Harvard study found that the vaping flavoring chemical called diacetyl is linked to a condition called “popcorn lung,” which causes scarring and obstruction in the lungs, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead are also common ingredients. Moreover, the CDC reports that the vaping-related lung disease known as EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury) resulted in the hospitalization of some 3,000 people and 68 deaths as of early 2020, when prevalence of the disease peaked. EVALI was associated with Vitamin E acetate found in some vaping products containing THC.

The health risks of teen vaping are both short and long term. Increased likelihood of cancer may prove to be one of the most significant long-term vaping health risks. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found substantially increased levels of five carcinogenic compounds in the urine of teenagers who vape. In addition, a study found that some common chemicals used to flavor vape juice could damage endothelial cells, the cells that line blood vessels and lymph vessels. Along with these long-term health risks of teen vaping, there are also short-term effects of vaping, including: nicotine dependence, which can lead to disruptions in brain development and chemistry, increase in shortness of breath, coughing, and fevers, acid reflux.

What to do as a parent?  Start an open conversation. If you know or suspect your teen is vaping, or simply want to start the conversation, ask questions without being angry, or judgmental. Find out if they know others who are vaping, if they’re curious about trying it, or if they have tried it. If yes, ask them why they are vaping. Is it due to peer pressure, or are they are feeling anxious and trying to find ways to stay calm? Continue this open dialogue over time to make sure your teen knows that you care about what they’re doing. Give them language to combat peer pressure: Support teens to strategize ways to deflect the pressure to vape. For example, they might say simply, “No, thanks,” or they could “blame” it on you: “My parents would kill me if I vaped!” They can also choose to spend time with friends who don’t vape. Make sure your teen has information about what is in vape and how those chemicals can affect them, as well as the health risks of using nicotine and THC. Share the research on how vaping can lead to cigarette smoking and using other dangerous drugs.

Make sure teens get the help they need. If anxiety or depression are prompting your teen’s vaping, they may need the support of a mental health professional to help them find healthy coping mechanisms. Help starts with a caring conversation.