Electronic cigarettes are also known as Vape. The safety and long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes or other vaping products still aren’t well known. Federal and state health authorities began investigating an outbreak of a severe lung disease associated with e-cigarettes and other vaping productsTrusted Source. We’re closely monitoring the situation and will update our content as soon as more information is available.
Since electronic cigarettes, or vape, hit the market in the early 2000s, they have soared in popularity and use, especially among teens and young adults. Once thought a “safer” way to smoke, vaping with e-cigarettes is now called a public health crisis by many health groups.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices used for a type of smoking called vaping. They produce a mist that is inhaled deep into the lungs, mimicking the feeling of smoking regular cigarettes.
The main target market for vape is teens and young adults.
Like traditional cigarettes, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. The exact amount varies by brand. Some have as much or more than paper cigarettes. They may also have added flavors and contain a variety of other chemicals.
How does an e-cigarette work?
E-cigarettes use batteries or electricity to heat up a liquid until it turns into a mist. The mist may contain:
- nicotine
- chemical flavorings
- microscopic particles
- volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- heavy metals, such as lead, tin, and nickel
E-cigarettes can look like regular cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. They may also resemble sleek electronic devices, making them appealing to younger users.
In addition to nicotine, e-cigarettes can also be used to inhale other drugs, such as marijuana.
What are the risks?
E-cigarettes are still relatively new, so their long-term effects are not yet known. They may, however, pose multiple risks. In general, e-cigarettes are not safe for young people or for pregnant women. Vaping is no safer for developing fetuses than smoking traditional cigarettes.
Vaping may have some benefit for smokers who switch it as a complete substitute for using other tobacco products.
The risks of using e-cigarettes include:
Nicotine addiction
Nicotine is highly addictive, and most e-cigarettes include it as a main ingredient. Some e-cigarette labels have claimed that their product had no nicotine when, in fact, it was in the vapor. For this reason, it’s important to use only trusted brands if you vape.
Originally, it was thought that vaping might be helpful for people trying to quit smoking. But, this early theory has not been proven. Some people who vape also continue to smoke regular cigarettes, despite a strong desire to quit.
Drug and alcohol addiction
The Surgeon General of the United States reports the nicotine in e-cigarettes might prime the brain for addiction to other things, such as alcohol and cocaine. This is especially true for teens.
Lung disease
E-cigarettes contain added flavors that young people enjoy. Some of these additives have health risks, such as diacetyl which has a buttery taste. Diacetyl has been found to cause a severe lung disease similar to bronchiolitis.
Cinnemaldehyde, which tastes like cinnamon, is another popular vaping flavor that may be harmful to lung tissue.
Cancer
E-cigarettes contain many of the same cancer-causing chemicals that regular cigarettes do. ResearchTrusted Source published in 2017 found that the high temperatures needed to form the mist for vaping can create dozens of toxic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, which is thought to cause cancer.
Explosions
E-cigarettes have been known to spontaneously explode. This has caused injury. Vape explosions have been linked to faulty batteries in vaping devices. While rare, vape explosions can be very dangerous and can cause severe injury.
