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Teen Vaping Dangers

Parents: Do you know about teen vaping dangers? E-cigarette and vaping are taking over high school and college campuses. The vaping industry (which includes tobacco companies) is in an uproar over the regulations around electronic nicotine delivery systems (NDS) and related products. I know that adult smokers and former smokers value vaping and eCigarettes as alternatives to cigarettes and even credit them with helping them get off cigarettes and nicotine altogether, however, I am writing this after watching a video PSA from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled, “Any Volunteers? The Risks of Ecigarettes for Young People.”

In the video, scientists (actors) want to study the safety of ecigarettes on teen brain development and are asking parents to volunteer their teen for the active treatment group. I thought it was a powerful message.

Comments on the post question the legitimacy of the presumption that eCigarettes/nicotine are harmful to young people, so I did some research and found this from the National Institutes of Health:

The prefrontal cortex……. is still in the process of developing during adolescence. This places the adolescent brain in a vulnerable state of imbalance, susceptible to the influence of psychoactive substances such as nicotine……. Studies in human subjects indicate that smoking during adolescence increases the risk of developing psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment in later life. In addition, adolescent smokers suffer from attention deficits, which aggravate with the years of smoking.

The following is just a quick brainstorm about some hot topics around the teen vaping debate(s).

• Nicotine is shown to adversely effect the adolescent, and still developing, brain. Unlike traditional cigarettes, electronic devices do not have a defined start/finish, which can result in longer, sustained periods of exposure when studying, socializing, etc.
• Electronic devices deliver nicotine in higher concentrations than a traditional cigarette so, again, exposure to nicotine is higher and the likelihood of developing a physical dependency is higher, leading to speculation that teenage nicotine addiction will quickly become the next public health epidemic. One “pod” equals ~one pack of cigarettes. Teens report using one pod/1-3 days.
• Research shows that teenage vaping is a gateway for cigarette smoking.
• Flavoring: Clearly a strategy to entice younger people. (Cotton Candy)
• Efforts to develop increasingly discreet products (JUUL)

Nicotine is known to be the addictive drug, not necessarily the harmful drug. This may be true in adults, but not children and adolescents, according to research. The harmful effects from smoking are a result of the combustion that results from the burning of tobacco leaves. Long-term effects of burning liquids and flavorings (eCigs and vaping) have not been established, but I don’t think it will be favorable.

I don’t comment politically about regulations on tobacco/nicotine products. Alpha Lifestyle Center does not exist for that purpose. But I believe concern is warranted when so much of the available research indicates that electronic nicotine delivery systems are producing a whole new generation of nicotine addicts.