While many vaping products typically contain about half of the nicotine found in a cigarette, users still face many health risks.what is vapping ,Vaping has become one of the more popular ways to consume both tobacco and marijuana. But, as with anything, with popularity comes added attention to the potential risks.
Vaping was designed to be addictive.
Vaping manufacturers knowingly put you at risk
A “vape,” or electronic cigarette, is a device that heats up a liquid to create a vapor you inhale. Some types of vaping devices include pens, e-cigarettes (like JUUL), and hookahs. While vaping appears to be a healthieralternative to smoking cigarettes, there are still many health risks involved. Here’s everything you need to know.
Vaping devices can vary in shape, size and color. Devices produce an aerosol byproduct from heating up a liquid that sometimes consists of flavorings and other chemicals that make vaping seem less harsh (initially at least) than smoking. This liquid delivers nicotine, marijuana, or other drugs to the user via a mouthpiece that is inhaled into the lungs then expelled via the mouth or nose.
Vaping Health and Safety Risks
While many of these products typically feature a liquid containing one-third-to-half the nicotine found in a cigarette—for example, one 5% strength JUULpod is designed to replace an entire pack of cigarettes in nicotine strength—vaping users still face many health and safety risks.
Nicotine, a stimulant which can harm the developing adolescent brain (which continues to grow until approximately 25 years of age), is found in many e-cigarettes, though not always listed on the label, according to a recent CDC study.
The use of nicotine in developing adolescent brains can harm parts that control:
Learning
Mood
Attention
Impulse control
Nicotine use affects how the synapses—connections between brain cells—are formed. Regular usage in adolescence can also increase the risk for future addiction to cigarettes and other drugs.
Cancer-causing chemicals
Heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead
Flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to lung disease
Volatile organic compounds
Ultra-fine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
Scientists are still actively learning about the effects of vaping, especially surrounding Vitamin E acetate, a chemical added to some vaping liquids to help dilute. There were morethan2,500 cases of users being hospitalized for vaping-related injury as of December 17, 2019. Vaping has also led to 54 deaths across 27 states and the District of Columbia.
According to 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data, 3.6 million children in middle school and high school use e-cigarettes. Use, defined by at least once per day over the past 30 days, has increased 78 percent from 11.7 to 20.8 percent in 2018.
The rise of e-cigarette use among middle school and high school students has resulted in an increase in overall toacco use by 38 percent in high school students and 29 percent among middle schoolers.
E-cigarette use isn’t limited to adolescents: nine percent of U.S. adults say they “regularly or occasionally” vape.
E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, Blaha says “There’s almost no doubt that vaping exposes you to fewer toxic chemicals than smoking traditional cigarettes.”
However, thre has been an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping. In February 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and 68 deaths attributed to that condition.
“Thes cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids. This is especially true for vaping products containing THC,” explains Blaha.
The CDC has identified vitamin E acetate as a chemical of concern among people with EVALI. Vitamin E acetate is a thickening agent often used in THC vaping products, and it was found in all lung fluid samples of EVALI patients examined by the CDC.
Both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine, which research suggests may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. what is vapping What’s worse, says Blaha, many e-cigarette users get even more nicotine than they would from a combustible tobacco product: Users can buy extra-strength cartridges, which have a higher concentration of nicotine, or increase the e-cigarette’s voltage to get a greater hit of the substance.
