Just Don’t

By Peter Galvin, MD

Although I wrote a column about e-cigarettes a few years ago, it is an important topic that bears repetition. Many people, especially teens and younger adults, think e-cigarettes are harmless – they’re not. While they don’t contain tobacco, e-cigarettes are considered “tobacco products” for regulatory purposes by both the FDA and the CDC. They can go by different names, including vapes, vape pens or sticks, e-hookahs, hookah sticks, mods, and personal vaporizers. Collectively, these products are known as electronic nicotine delivery systems. They come in all shapes and sizes and may contain flavorings such as candy, fruit, mint, or menthol. Some e-cigarettes can be used to deliver cannabis and other drugs.

There is no such thing as a safe tobacco product, yet e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle- and high-school students. In 2023, 2.1 million students (10% of high-school students and 4.6% of middle-school students) reported e-cigarette use. In 2021, 4.5% of U.S. adults reported using e-cigarettes. Vaping and smoking involve inhaling nicotine and other substances into the lungs. While cigarettes burn tobacco to produce smoke, e-cigarettes heat liquid to make an aerosol that often contains nicotine, various chemicals, heavy metals (nickel, tin, and lead), and small particles that can be inhaled deeply into the lungs.

Vaping is often thought to be safer than cigarette smoking, but vaping can also cause serious health problems. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, often at high levels, which can have negative effects on brain development in teenagers. E-cigarette use during pregnancy is associated with low-birth-weight infants and may affect fetal lung and brain development. Nicotine is highly addictive and may lead to nicotine cravings and the development of tolerance (the need to use more nicotine in order to have the same effect). Nicotine addiction can negatively affect relationships and impair performance at school, at work, or in other activities.

Aerosol from e-cigarettes can also include cancer-causing chemicals, and diacetyl, a chemical in some e-cigarette flavorings, has been linked to serious lung disease. Some people (most commonly youths and young adults) have experienced seizures while using e-cigarettes. Children and adults can develop nicotine poisoning from swallowing, breathing, or absorbing e-liquid through their skin or eyes. E-cigarette use can also result in serious injury due to defective batteries that have caused fires and explosions. Since e-cigarettes are new, detailed knowledge about both the short- and long-term health effects are either very limited or unknown.

E-cigarettes may help non-pregnant adults quit smoking cigarettes if they are used as a complete substitute for all smoked tobacco products. However, e-cigarettes are not currently approved for this use by the FDA. If e-cigarettes are going to be used as a means to quit smoking, it is important to have a plan to quit vaping. Because there is no safe tobacco product, quitting use of all tobacco products is the best way to protect your health. For more information on this subject, go to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov

Questions or comments can be sent to editor@rockawaytimes.com