The Risks of Vaping
Today, more American teenagers vape than smoke, according to the National Institutes of Health. Vaping is the use of a battery-powered electronic device that heats a liquid (often containing nicotine) and produces a vapor for the user to inhale. Vaping devices come in many forms and have many names: e-cigarettes, e-hookahs, vape pens, vapes, tank systems, mods, and more. The size and shape of a vape device is different depending on the type. Some vape devices look like regular cigarettes or pipes. Others look like pens, USBs, and everyday objects. Many health risks come with vaping. Some of these risks are:
- Most vapes (99% according to the CDC) contain nicotine, which is harmful for brain development and extremely addictive.
- Nicotine affects attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
- Nicotine also raises your blood pressure and adrenaline, raising your heart rate and therefore, increases your chance of a heart attack.
- Because of how addictive nicotine is, evidence has shown that many individuals who use vaping to cease smoking end up continuing to smoke and vape.
- Vapes may contain other dangerous substances beyond nicotine. What vape devices contain is still relatively unknown. Thus, vaping exposes both the user and those around them to potentially dangerous substances.
- Vaping is linked to lung injury and disease, such as chronic lung disease and asthma.
- Those who vape while they are young are more likely to smoke cigarettes when they get older.
- Due to their battery-powered nature, some vape devices have caused fires and explosions, which leads to serious injuries.
- Some children and adults have been poisoned by exposure to the liquid from vapes.
- Many of vaping’s long-term health effects are still unknown.
Although vaping is considered less harmful than smoking and can help people quit smoking, vaping is still not safe or healthy. Consider the importance of not only your health but those around you too before you pick up a vape device. Vaping’s long-term health impacts are still unknown.
Photo: ©iStock.com/Pascal Kiszon
