Vaping is the inhalation of the vapor created by electronic cigarettes or other vaping devices. These devices are battery-powered smoking devices that are often advertised as safer than regular cigarettes and come in many flavors like fruit, candy, and mint, making them more attractive to youth.
The Health Risks Of Vaping
While vaping’s long-term health effects are not known, there are known health risks found from recent studies. Some of these risks include
- Substance dependence
- Lung inflammation & other injuries
- Injury from overheating and exploding batteries
- Harm to brain development
It can be challenging to tell what is in a vaping product, but it can contain:
- Nicotine
- Volatile organic compounds
- Ultra-fine particles
- Cancer-causing chemicals
- Heavy metals like nickel, tin, and lead
- Diacetyl, a chemical linked to severe lung disease
Electronic cigarettes and vaping devices can also be used to deliver marijuana and other substances. In some brands like JUUL, a single pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes!
Vaping Devices Can Explode & Cause Serious Injury
Yes, these devices can explode! Even though they appear rare, there were more than 2,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. between 2015-2017 to treat burns and other explosion-related injuries from battery-powered vaping devices. These injuries included:
- Burns
- Deep cuts
- Broken bones
- Loss of teeth
These injuries can lead to scarring and, in the worst cases, death.
Why do the batteries of vaping devices explode? To start, there is little regulation of the vaping industry when it comes to their batteries. Many of these batteries are a bit bigger than A.A. batteries and are lithium-ion. A 2017 report from the U.S. Fire Administration stated that “The shape and construction of electronic cigarettes can make them (more likely than other products with lithium-ion batteries) to behave like ‘flaming rockets’ when a battery fails.”
There Is Secondhand Vape Exposure
Vaping affects not only the health of its users but those in the vicinity. Like regular cigarettes, the vapor these devices produce can be breathed in by bystanders when the user exhales into the air. Alongside nicotine, nonsmokers can be exposed to the ultrafine particles of secondhand vapor, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Vaping Make Teens More Susceptible To COVID
In a new study at the Stanford University School of Medicine, data showed that “teenagers and young adults who vape face a much higher risk of COVID-19 than their peers who do not vape.” Among the young people tested, those who vaped were five to seven times more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who did not.
Reach Out To PreventEd For Intervention & Resources
As a parent, you can positively influence your teen and prevent addiction.. Talk to your teens about nicotine use and if they are trying to quit vaping, lend them your support.
Not sure where to start? Contact a professional PreventEd counselor today. Our experienced counselors are available to you to help answer your questions, find resources, or schedule an assessment or intervention.
