The Dangers of Vape

With aggressive campaigns funded by e-cigarette companies and social media sensationalizing – as teens call it- vape, it’s no surprise that e-cigarettes have become increasingly trendy over the last few years. According to the 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey by Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 37.7% of high school students and 13.5% of middle school students have tried or currently use e-cigarettes. As for the remaining students, a projected 32.1% of middle school students and 38.4% of high school students will be susceptible to trying e-cigarettes in the future. Besides persistent advertisements and social media what are potential other reasons why e-cigarettes are relevant among the youth?

Another plausible factor that contributed to this growth is the lack of regulation among stores. Although all states require buyers to be at least 18 – sometimes even older- to buy e-cigarettes, only some retailers uphold these state laws. Diamond Bar High School Bullseye, after interviewing e-cigarette users who were current students at Diamond Bar High School, reported that shops did sell e-cigarettes or its components to underage customers. Without vendors strictly following these decrees, the public is left alone to combat one of e-cigarettes companies’ key strategies.

Labeling and marketing could be another reason why there is a surge of e-cigarette usage. Many e-cigarette companies specifically choose to use vibrant colors, fruity smells, and captivating flavors to create the illusion that e-cigarettes seem exciting and enjoyable. However, e-cigarettes do, in fact, have health risks. Nicotine, a major ingredient inside e-cigarettes, is ranked as one of the most addictive substance in the world by a study done by Professor David Nutt et al. Ramôa et al. found that some e-liquid inside e-cigarettes can contain as large as or even larger amounts of nicotine than conventional cigarettes. In addition to being addictive, it also causes various types of cancer:

• Pancreatic cancer
• Liver cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancer
• Breast Cancer

Moreover, effects such as

• Chronic kidney disease
• High blood pressure due to constriction of arteries and plaque buildup
• Gastroesophageal reflux disorder
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Weakening of the immune system
• Blindness

are possible when ingesting nicotine in any method. Even if nicotine isn’t present inside e-cigarettes, there are still other toxic chemicals produced from e-cigarettes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory detected a total of 31 harmful chemicals during the vaporization process. Some of the compounds created are

• Acetone
• Acrolein
• Formaldehyde
• Acetaldehyde
• Diacetyl
• Acetylpropionyl
• Crotonaldehyde

, of which some could be either probable carcinogens or irritants. In conclusion, e-cigarettes should not be a lifestyle a non-smoker or teenager engage in. Despite the fact that researchers are still investigating the exact effects of e-cigarettes, what they can conclude is that e-cigarettes do come with health risks.