Experts Speak about E-Cigarette Dangers at Local LUNG FORCE Expo

Kansas City medical experts will address the youth e-cigarette epidemic on June 14 at the American Lung Association in Kansas & Greater Kansas City’s LUNG FORCE Expo at the Crowne Plaza Kansas City downtown.

Dr. Alvin Singh of Children’s Mercy, Dr. Thuylinh Pham of the Division of Urgent Care for Children’s Mercy Kansas City, and Dr. Matt Sharpe of KU Medical Center will present on “Youth and E-Cigarettes – Discussion about the epidemic of youth vaping, what it means to you and how you can fight back.”

“Teen e-cigarette use is an urgent issue here in Kansas City and across the nation. We are concerned about e-cigarettes creating a new generation addicted to harmful and deadly nicotine products,” said Sara Prem, advocacy specialist for the Lung Association. “It is critical to educate not only teens, but parents, school officials and healthcare professionals on the dangers of e-cigarettes. We hope this session will help spread this vital information to the public.”

The need to take action to protect youth from tobacco is more urgent than ever, with youth e-cigarette use reaching epidemic levels due to a 78 percent increase in high school e-cigarette use from 2017 to 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey. This equals one million additional kids beginning to use e-cigarettes, placing their developing bodies and lungs at risk from the chemicals in e-cigarettes as well as a lifetime of addiction to a deadly product. This has caused the U.S. Surgeon General to declare e-cigarette use among young people an epidemic in an Advisory issued in December 2018.

The Lung Association invites the public to attend the Luncheon and E-Cigarette panel from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on June 14 for just $25. The e-cigarette panel will begin at 12:30 p.m. To register for this session, go to the LUNG FORCE Expo website, choose Health Professional and use discount code LUNCH.

This LUNG FORCE Expo is designed to educate health professionals, people who suffer from lung disease and caregivers about the latest trends, resources and research surrounding lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and other respiratory diseases. More information and registration is available on the LUNG FORCE Expo website.