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Health Risks Of Vaping: Let's Stick To The Science And Speculate Less

Despite increasing evidence that vaping is safer than smoking, uncertainty surrounds the long-term effects of electronic cigarette use. Many in the tobacco control field have used the lack of data to speculate about these unknown risks. Here's a better way to deal with the uncertainty.

A growing body of evidence gathered over the last 15 years has shown that using an electronic cigarette ("vaping") is probably far safer than smoking and likely to help smokers quit their deadly habit forever. Certain segments of the public health establishment have reacted oddly to these results—they've ignored them and treated vaping as a serious threat. The American Heart Association, for example, has even called for e-cigarettes to be taxed and regulated as stringently as tobacco products are. [1]

Fortunately, this view doesn't seem to be as predominant as it once was; we're beginning to see more physicians, scientists, and public health organizations make statements based on the available science instead of what they think the evidence might show one day.

Consider this May 24 review article published in Prescriber : E-cigarettes: informing the conversation with patients  by Anna Kate Barton. The author, a clinical research fellow at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, helpfully outlined the history, anatomy, and science of e-cigarettes with the aim of helping doctors more knowledgeably discuss vaping with their patients. Compared to the typical news report about vaping —"Vaping is not better than smoking, and it still causes long-term lung damage"—Barton's article illustrated how we should talk about scientific issues when the evidence surrounding them is evolving. Let's consider a few examples.

Smoking cessation

What does the current evidence say about vaping and smoking cessation? ACSH has previously reported that vaping very likely helps smokers quit cigarettes, and maybe even nicotine , for good. Citing some of the same literature we have, Barton reached a similar conclusion about smoking cessation. While acknowledging the limitations of these studies ( discussed here ), she explained:

Patients using e-cigarettes also often report greater satisfaction and greater reduction in smoking than those using nicotine patches, and e-cigarettes are regarded as the most popular form of smoking cessation aid with smokers wishing to quit. Current position statements and the existing evidence base advocate their combination with stop smoking counseling, the most effective smoking cessation tool.

This comes down to a concept known as “ harm reduction .” Ideally, people would never take up smoking. But since they do, the goal should be to help them mitigate the risks when abstinence isn't feasible. More experts are beginning to embrace this approach in order to enhance smoking cessation campaigns, as Barton noted:

E-cigarettes as aids to smoking cessation are advocated by several organizations including Public Health England. This is based on the principle of risk-reduction – simply, e-cigarettes provide nicotine in a much safer form that traditional cigarettes. Although neither are entirely risk-free, e-cigarettes are generally accepted to confer less risk to both the user and passive smokers than traditional cigarettes.

Health risks of vaping

After contrasting the overall risk of vaping with smoking, Barton added that some preliminary studies have indeed associated e-cigarette use with various negative outcomes. For example, an onslaught of headlines in mid-2019 warned the public about an outbreak of “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury” (EVALI). Under-reported at the time was the fact that the injury-causing devices were typically purchased illegally and contained THC or certain dangerous additives, which made them far more harmful than the nicotine-containing devices adult customers can legally purchase in licensed vape shops in the US and UK. Surveying the literature nearly two years later, we get a better sense of the problem:

Interestingly, 82% [of EVALI cases] reported use of THC-containing [vape] products. Vitamin E acetate is sometimes added as a condensing agent in e-liquid, particularly in those containing THC, and this has been associated with EVALI. As such, the CDC discourages use of THC-containing [vape products], particularly those sourced informally from family or friends.

The point, then, is that proper regulation and vigilance by individual users can minimize these types of injuries. The UK, where vaping has proven to be a similarly popular smoking cessation approach, “has not thus far experienced a similar epidemic of EVALI as the USA,” Barton added, though she mentioned two severe cases that apparently weren't related to THC or Vitamin E acetate .

About those long-term effects

Opponents of vaping often point to the dearth of research on its chronic health effects as a first line of criticism. This is a fair enough point, but I hasten to add that it cuts both ways. If we don't know the long-term effects of vaping, we don't know the long-term effects of vaping. “At present,” Barton observed in reference to chronic lung disease, “we can only reflect on potential consequences of 10–15 years of widespread e-cigarette use.”

But that's often not what tobacco control advocates do. “The long-term risks of exclusive use of e-cigarettes are not fully known,” The American Cancer Society claims, “but evidence is accumulating that e-cigarette use has negative effects on the cardiovascular system and lungs. Without immediate measures to stop epidemic use of these products, the long-term adverse health effects will increase.” Retired University of California, San Francisco tobacco researcher Stanton Glantz has even suggested that  e-cig users would “be better off just smoking.”

The impulse to reject anything tobacco-related is understandable. But we have to stick with the data we have, which suggests vaping is far safer than smoking, and wait for the long-term results to come in. What we can't do is minimize the existing evidence while simultaneously making statements about the future. Uncertainty is acceptable when we don't have enough evidence, as Barton wrote:

It seems unlikely that e-cigarettes will be without pathological consequences within the human lung and elsewhere, though when we will be able to prove or disprove this is less clear … Regular monitoring of suspected adverse events arising from e-cigarettes … will aid recognition of new complications in [the] future, though it is unlikely we will appreciate the full picture of any long-term harms until well into this century.

[1] The FDA classifies e-cigarettes as tobacco products, but this designation makes little sense. According to Nicotine and Tobacco Research , "If all products containing nicotine derived from tobacco were labeled as 'tobacco products' internationally, then nicotine-replacement therapies would be classified as tobacco products, which they are clearly not."

View the discussion thread.

By Cameron English

Director of Bioscience 

Cameron English is a writer, editor and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.

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The Unexpected Harms of Vaping

The growing popularity of e-cigarettes raises safety and mental health concerns..

Posted September 25, 2023 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

• What Is Vaping?
• Find a therapist to overcome addiction
• Vaping, which was originally marketed as a way to quit smoking, has become a problematic behavior in itself.
• Vaping can be harmful to a person's physical and mental health.
• Self-control, mindfulness, and other interventions can help people resist the lure of vaping.

What is vaping?

E-cigarettes heat liquids known as vape juices or e-liquids and transform them into an inhalable vapor containing nicotine and other hazardous compounds.

These devices were initially marketed as an effective way to quit smoking . Nevertheless, their recent surge in popularity has given rise to a distinct vape culture that now seems far removed from the initial aim of helping smokers quit.

A 2023 report from “Action on Smoking and Health” found that roughly 12 percent of adults who had never smoked had tried vaping, with more than half saying they started “ just to give it a try .” In Britain, 21 percent of children aged 11-17 reported having tried vaping, and the popularity of e-cigarettes among young people continues to rise.

Despite the frequent use of e-cigarettes among former non-smokers, much of the available health advice still frames the issue as “vaping vs. smoking.” It is true that e-cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes. Nevertheless, given that a significant portion of new vapers have no prior history of smoking, we should stop assessing the harms of vaping in comparison to smoking and instead regard it as an independent behavior.

The advice from England’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty, is clear, “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”

The obvious harms of e-cigarettes

Vaping poses a number of health harms. The American Lung Association has stated that it is very troubled by the growing evidence about the impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs. They highlight that e-cigarettes produce a number of dangerous chemicals that can contribute to heart and lung disease.

A recent report from Harvard highlighted that the aerosol emitted by e-cigarettes that users inhale into their lungs contains substances that are harmful and potentially hazardous, including nicotine, ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead, and other cancer-causing chemicals.

Furthermore, long-term use of e-cigarettes can significantly impair the body’s blood vessels, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Despite non-nicotine vaping products being available, a CDC study found that 99 percent of e-cigarette products sold in the U.S. contained nicotine. The harmful effects of nicotine have been well studied, and it seems that vaping is paving the way for a new wave of nicotine addiction .

Considering the relatively recent surge in e-cigarette popularity, the long-term health implications of vaping are yet to be fully understood. However, common sense tells us that repeatedly inhaling a complex concoction of chemical compounds into your lungs is likely to result in both immediate and prolonged health repercussions.

Vaping and mental health

The pathways between inhaling a chemical cloud of harmful substances and the resulting harm to the lungs and cardiovascular system are clear and intuitive. Less obvious are the connections between vaping and mental health.

A growing body of research highlights the negative effect that vaping can have on depression and suicidal ideation. These effects can be particularly harmful to young people. In a large-scale review of the available literature, adolescents who used electronic cigarettes reported much higher levels of depression and anxiety than non-vapers.

It is important to note that research into the relationship between vaping and mental health remains in its infancy. We should be careful when making direct causal claims about the impact of e-cigarettes on a variety of mental health conditions. That said, it is vital that researchers consider the interplay between vaping and a range of psychological factors, including self-control .

Self-control

Self-control refers to the deliberate management of urges and desires that can obstruct the pursuit of more enduring objectives. It can be viewed as both a foundational mechanism and an inherent individual characteristic rooted in identifiable biological factors. Self-control is an ever-present aspect of human existence, as competing objectives, enticements, and impulses vie for our attention .

The cultural zeitgeist in recent decades reflects a growing emphasis on the pursuit of instant gratification with a single click. There are various behavioral examples of this, such as addictions to social media , smartphones, online gaming, and gambling. In recent years, the number of people experiencing behavioral addictions has increased.

Vaping may be reintroducing the highly addictive substance nicotine into an environment dominated by one-click dopamine -focused stimuli, creating conditions that can make it progressively more difficult to cultivate self-control and resist the urge for immediate gratification.

While many vapers use e-cigarettes as a means to cope with life’s stressors, in reality, they might be undermining the ability to endure the everyday irritations, discomfort, and boredom that we all face.

Moving forward

There is a large body of research on tackling nicotine dependence , which remains beyond the scope of this article.

As a simple strategy for addressing vaping behaviors at an individual level, perhaps there is a need to acknowledge that the pursuit of instant gratification is an ineffective strategy for sustaining a happy and healthy life.

One approach for cultivating this mindset is mindfulness , and many researchers have advocated for the role of meditation in tackling addiction . Meditation is undoubtedly beneficial. Simply noticing the fleeting desires and irritations that can lead someone to reach for their vape and accepting them as a normal part of life can serve as a valuable starting point for curbing the habit.

One last aspect to reflect on is the influence exerted by powerful corporate and governmental entities in shaping our behaviors. Researchers are increasingly highlighting the potential unfairness of assigning blame and responsibility to individuals for health behaviors while they contend with environmental pressures that can compel them to act in specific ways. Our environments are saturated with marketing pressures, enticing allurements, and temptations aimed at evoking sensations through mechanisms that are carefully designed to exploit our most basic instincts.

As individuals, being mindful of our own health choices and cultivating self-control where we can is vital for safeguarding our well-being. At the societal level, we must advocate for increased regulation over entities seeking to profit from harmful products and promote interventions that are accessible and beneficial to all.

Richard Brown is a research psychologist investigating differences in health behaviors and how to promote healthier living.

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The youth vaping epidemic: Addressing the rise of e-cigarettes in schools

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, nandeeni patel and np nandeeni patel intern, the brown center on education policy - the brookings institution diana quintero diana quintero former senior research analyst, brown center on education policy - the brookings institution, ph.d. student - vanderbilt university @quintero05diana.

November 22, 2019

Last December, the U.S. surgeon general raised an alarm regarding the rise in e-cigarette use among the nation’s youth, saying it has increased “at a rate of epidemic proportions.” According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey , over 5 million youth are currently using e-cigarettes, primarily the JUUL brand, with nearly 1 million youth using the product daily. This substantial increase in teenage vaping is seriously impacting middle and high schools across America.

Teen vaping has gained a significant amount of media attention since President Trump expressed concern about vaping’s public health effects in a September meeting with the FDA. While Trump had suggested a ban on flavored e-cigarettes, it seems that he has backed away from that idea due to political fallout among voters .

Vaping is on the rise in schools

Of the youth population, 27.5% regularly use e-cigarettes, approximately 22 percentage points higher than high schoolers who smoke normal cigarettes. These numbers are alarming because vaping has various types of negative impacts on health. First , e-cigarettes have been linked to severe lung and heart diseases. Second , e-cigarettes with high levels of nicotine can put youth at risk for developing a nicotine addiction which subsequently hinders brain development. Third, e-cigarettes expose youth users to harmful substances, like heavy metals, and are a gateway to smoking cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are causing public health and disciplinary concerns in schools nationwide. Teenagers are being hospitalized for vaping-related diseases, with at least one confirmed death . Teachers and school administrators are trying, yet failing, to prevent students from vaping in classrooms and on school campuses. Administrators are struggling to combat vaping with both punitive and restorative disciplinary measures , and students continue to vape even when facing penalties as serious as suspension. With the number of youth e-cigarette users increasing in the last decade and roughly doubling since 2017 , there may be a need for new policies that could standardize an approach to combating teenage vaping and help curb the impact on students.

President Trump proposed two routes to tackle vaping: a ban on flavored e-cigarettes , and raising the minimum age of purchase on e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. According to recent reporting , Trump has delayed a flavor ban. In response to Trump’s inaction, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a bill on Tuesday that would ban flavored tobacco products, raise the minimum age of purchase to 21, and restrict online sales of tobacco products. Despite the bill in the House, Trump is meeting with vaping industry executives and public health advocates. It is unclear how vaping regulations will unfold, but it is worthwhile to examine potential plans and their implications on students.

Examining a potential ban of flavored e-cigarettes

Major vaping companies, like JUUL Labs, have pushed against the flavor ban, which may have influenced Trump’s sudden decision to pull back from the policy. JUUL, which controls three-fourths of the e-cigarette market and has a forecasted 2019 revenue of $3.4 billion , is being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for allegedly illegally advertising its products as less harmful than regular cigarettes. Consequently , JUUL altered its leadership and marketing practices by suspending all advertising in the U.S. and replacing its CEO.

Banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes would have hefty implications on vaping companies since they employ thousands of small shop owners and hardware designers. Banning the legal sale of flavored vaping products would also create a robust black market for e-cigarettes. A black market for vapes could be lethal for youth who find themselves smoking from cartridges cut with cheaper substances.

Trump faced pressures from the vaping lobby, which flocked to the nation’s capital claiming, among other things, that flavored e-cigarettes help smokers quit regular cigarettes. It is unproven , however, if there are health benefits to a regular smoker who instead becomes a long-term vaper. Research further suggests that while e-cigarette use was associated with high rates of smoking cessation, more than 80% of smokers who entered a randomized trial to stop smoking with the help of e-cigarettes continued to smoke e-cigarettes a year later. This is especially concerning given that smoking e-cigarettes has a negative impact on health.

Should the age limit be increased?

Whether by congressional action or Trump’s executive authority, the age minimum to purchase e-cigarettes can be changed from 18 to 21. Some vaping advocates believe that youth vape because of the nicotine in e-cigarettes. While the nicotine content in e-cigarettes can get students addicted to vaping, our analysis of the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey indicates that the most students report vaping for the flavor (about 35%) and because their family and friends use e-cigarettes (about 30%). Increasing the age of purchase to 21 would not address either of those incentives to vape.

Changing the age limit to 21 might fail to prevent many minors from getting their hands on e-cigarettes; in fact, 19% of youth report first trying an e-cigarette before the age of 13. Starting at the age of 13, rates of youth vaping in each age group increase. In 2018, 22% of 16-year-olds and 24% of 17-year-olds reported smoking an e-cigarette. This is an increase from 2017, when 11% of 16-year-olds and 14% of 17-year-olds reported smoking an e-cigarette. This shows that students are gaining access to and using e-cigarette products at an age well below the current age limit of 18. Further, over 70% of youth e-cigarette users report buying e-cigarettes from people rather than a shop, and 27% of frequent users reported living with someone who smoked. Youth vapers are typically not going to shops to buy vapes, they are buying vapes from their peers. Thus, minors who vape may still have access, although slightly restricted, to flavored e-cigarettes from friends and family who are over the age of 21.

We cannot know what will happen to e-cigarettes if the minimum age increases, but we can look to the experience of increasing the minimum age on alcohol for some suggestive evidence. According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 30% of youth drank some amount of alcohol while 14% of youth engaged in binge drinking. Though raising the age limit for purchasing alcohol helped reduce youth alcohol consumption , youth consumption of alcohol persists.

State and local action

Federal action to stop the teenage vaping epidemic will likely fall short on some, if not most, metrics. Consequently, the onus will fall on state governments, boards of education, and local school districts to combat the issue of teen vaping. Several localities have already taken vaping into their own hands. For example, four states have banned vaping on school grounds, seven states have enacted or will enact a ban on flavored vaping products, and 18 states have raised the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 in the past three years. While the numbers show that vaping has increased drastically even with these state-level bans placed in populous states like New York and Texas, the effect of these state policies is largely unknown.

Beyond traditional tactics like monitoring bathrooms and hallways to confiscate vaping devices, states could also take a new approach to fighting the e-cigarette epidemic, like offering grants to schools to invest in on-site counseling. South Portland High School has been addressing teen vaping by offering mental health services and guiding students away from the social influences that encourage vaping. This school—and others, like Arrowhead High School in Milwaukee—have also been getting students involved in their anti-vaping campaign via peer-to-peer education.

The teenage vaping crisis calls for innovative solutions. In collaboration with federal and state action, local actors can look at the FDA’s Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan for insight on ways to initiate community-supported approaches that restrict access to vaping products, curb teenage-focused marketing tactics, and educate teenagers about the harmful, long-term effects of vaping.

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The Risks of Vaping

A Look at Safety

You’ve probably heard a lot about vaping lately. You might also know about the recent outbreak of lung injuries and deaths linked to vaping in the U.S. But those aren’t the only risks that come with vaping. Here’s what you need to know.

Vaping devices, also known as e-cigarettes, vape pens, and e-hookahs among other terms, come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Others are shaped like every-day objects, such as pens or USB memory sticks.

While they may look different, most vaping devices work in a similar way. Puffing activates a battery-powered heating device. This heats the liquid in a cartridge, turning it into vapors that are inhaled.

Vaping exposes the lungs to a variety of chemicals. These may include the main active chemicals in tobacco (nicotine) or marijuana (THC), flavorants, and other ingredients that are added to vaping liquids. Plus, other chemicals can be produced during the vaporizing process.

“If the liquid has nicotine in it, then the user is inhaling nicotine along with the other ingredients in the liquid,” explains Dr. Thomas Eissenberg, an expert on tobacco research at Virginia Commonwealth University.

While vaping devices work similarly, some are more powerful than others. They create more vapor and deliver more chemicals.

So how safe is vaping? Studies suggest nicotine vaping may be less harmful than traditional cigarettes when people who regularly smoke switch to them as a complete replacement. But nicotine vaping could still damage your health.

“Your lungs aren’t meant to deal with the constant challenge of non-air that people are putting into them—sometimes as many as 200 puffs a day—day after day, week after week, year after year,” Eissenberg says.

“You’re inhaling propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavorants that were meant to be eaten but not inhaled, and nicotine,” he explains. “And all of those are heated up in this little reactor, which is an e-cigarette. When they get heated up, those components can turn into other potentially dangerous chemicals.”

One harmful chemical may be a thickening agent called Vitamin E acetate, which is sometimes used as an additive in THC-containing vape products. The CDC identified it as a “chemical of concern” among people with vaping-associated lung injuries. They recommend avoiding any vaping product containing Vitamin E acetate or THC, particularly those from informal sources like friends, family, or in-person or online dealers.

Vaping is now more popular among teens than smoking traditional cigarettes. One in four high school seniors say they vaped nicotine in the past month. And studies have found that teens who vape nicotine may be more likely to go on to smoke traditional cigarettes.

Marijuana vaping has also increased dramatically among teens. About 20% of high school seniors vaped marijuana in the past year. The rates have more than doubled in the past two years.

New laws are aimed at curbing vaping among teens. People must now be 21 to buy any tobacco product, including vaping products. And companies can no longer produce and sell flavors that appeal to children like fruit and mint.

If you’ve already started vaping or smoking cigarettes, it’s never too late to quit. See the Wise Choices box for tips on stopping.

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Conclusions about the effects of electronic cigarettes remain the same

An updated Cochrane Review provides an independent, rigorous assessment of the best available evidence to date about electronic cigarettes for quitting smoking.

Scroll to the bottom of this article for a round-up of media coverage

The conclusions of this updated Review are unchanged since the last review was published two years ago: electronic cigarettes may help smokers stop their smoking, and the included studies did not find any serious side effects associated with their use for up to two years.

Many studies are now underway which may help us understand more about their effects in the future.

The first Cochrane Review, published in the Cochrane Library in December 2014, showed that electronic cigarettes may be an aid to smokers in stopping their smoking. The updated Review did not find any new randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with long-term outcomes looking at the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes in helping people to stop smoking. However, this is an active area of research, with a large number of ongoing studies that will add to the evidence in the next few years.   

Smoking is a significant global health problem. Despite many smokers wanting to stop, they often find it difficult to succeed in the long term. One of the most effective and widely used strategies to help combat the cravings associated with nicotine addiction is to deliver nicotine by patches and chewing gum.

Electronic cigarettes have been around in some form for a number of years, but over the past few years their popularity has increased significantly, and they have begun to look and feel less like conventional cigarettes. Unlike chewing gum and patches, they mimic the experience of cigarette smoking because they are hand-held and generate a smoke-like vapour when used.  They help to recreate similar sensations of smoking without exposing users or others to the smoke from conventional cigarettes, and can be used to provide smokers with nicotine. Though they are used by many smokers, little is still known about how effective they are at helping people stop smoking.

This version of the updated Cochrane Review includes no new RCTs. The original Review included two RCTs involving more than 600 participants, and found that electronic cigarettes containing nicotine may increase the chances of stopping smoking within six to 12 months, compared to using an electronic cigarette without nicotine. The researchers could not determine whether using electronic cigarettes was better than a nicotine patch in helping people stop smoking, because there were not enough people taking part in the study.

This updated Review now includes observational data from an additional 11 studies.  Of the studies which measured side effects, none found any serious side effects of using electronic cigarettes for up to two years. The studies showed that throat and mouth irritation are the most commonly reported side effects in the short to medium term (up to two years).

The lead author of this Cochrane Review, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group, said, “The randomized evidence on smoking cessation is unchanged since the last version of the Review. We are encouraged to find many studies are now underway, particularly as electronic cigarettes are an evolving technology. Since the last version of the Review, 11 new observational and uncontrolled studies have been published. In terms of quitting, these can’t provide the same information we get from randomized controlled trials, but they contribute further information on the side effects of using electronic cigarettes to quit smoking. None detected any serious side effects, but longer term data are needed.”

Read this Press Release in French, Spanish or Polish .

Editor’s notes Full citation: Hartmann-Boyce J, McRobbie H, Bullen C, Begh R, Stead LF, Hajek P. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation . Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD010216. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub3.

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About Cochrane Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers, and people interested in health. Cochrane produces reviews which study all of the best available evidence generated through research and make it easier to inform decisions about health. These are called systematic reviews. Cochrane is a not-for-profit organization with collaborators from more than 130 countries working together to produce credible, accessible health information that is free from commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest. Our work is recognized as representing an international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

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Selected Media Coverage:

E-cigarettes can help smokers quit, says study in The Guardian . Why can't scientists agree on e-cigarettes? blog post in The Guardian . E-Cigs Might Help Some Quit Smoking, New Study Reveals on Consumer Reports .

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The Impact of E-Cigarettes on the Lung

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E-cigarettes are a relatively new tobacco product that have been sold in the U.S. for about a decade The e-cigarettes currently in the U.S. marketplace have not been systemically reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration to determine their impact on lung health. While much remains to be determined about the lasting health consequences of these products, the American Lung Association is very troubled by the evolving evidence about the impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs.

The Inhalation of Harmful Chemicals Can Cause Irreversible Lung Damage and Lung Disease

In January 2018, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine 1 released a consensus study report that reviewed over 800 different studies.

That report made clear: using e-cigarettes causes health risks. It concluded that e-cigarettes both contain and emit a number of potentially toxic substances. The Academies' report also states there is moderate evidence that youth who use e-cigarettes are at increased risk for  cough  and wheezing and an increase in asthma exacerbations.

• A study from the University of North Carolina found that the two primary ingredients found in e-cigarettes—propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin—are toxic to cells and that the more ingredients in an e-liquid, the greater the toxicity. 2
• E-cigarettes produce a number of dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde. These aldehydes can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease. 3
• E-cigarettes also contain acrolein, a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds. It can cause acute lung injury and COPD and may cause asthma and lung cancer. 4
• Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine have warned about the risks of inhaling secondhand e-cigarette emissions, which are created when an e-cigarette user exhales the chemical cocktail created by e-cigarettes.
• In 2016, the Surgeon General concluded that secondhand emissions contain, "nicotine; ultrafine particles; flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead."
• The Food and Drug Administration has not found any e-cigarette to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit. If smokers are ready to quit smoking for good, they should call 1-800-QUIT NOW or talk with their doctor about finding the best way to quit using proven methods and FDA-approved treatments and counseling.

NAM Report - https://www.nap.edu/resource/24952/012318ecigaretteConclusionsbyEvidence.pdf

Sassano MF, Davis ES, Keating JE, Zorn BT, Kochar TK, Wolfgang MC, et al. (2018) Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay. PLoS Biol 16(3): e2003904. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003904

Ogunwale, Mumiye A et al. (2017) Aldehyde Detection in Electronic Cigarette Aerosols. ACS omega 2(3): 1207-1214. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.6b00489].

Bein K, Leikauf GD. (2011) Acrolein - a pulmonary hazard. Mol Nutr Food Res 55(9):1342-60. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201100279.

Page last updated: May 31, 2023

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Vaping and Its Negative Aspects Essay

Introduction, attention-arousing and orienting material.

Vaping has become a curse of the recent decade. Vapes are better than nicotine-containing cigarettes. Vapes do not harm the health of a smoker. Vapes are about vaping, not smoking. As one popular vape-producing company puts it, “live long and vape strong”. It seems that vapes create a new reality in which smoking could be safe. Well, what if I say that, in the US, in one week 12 people died because of vaping and 805 people were diagnosed with the breathing illness related to vaping (Pesce par. 1). If these statistics are not enough to give up vaping, the goal of the current speaker is to persuade that vapes are not as warm and fuzzy as companies want us to believe.

Credibility

Vaping is regarded as an escape for smokers who try to give up their addiction since the latter could substitute the former. Still, there are numerous sources that vaping is a decent and safe habit. The argument against vaping is backed by the results of the researches, the viewpoints of medical experts, and the experience of vapers. The importance of this topic is undeniable since even underaged people become addicted to vapes.

Thesis Statement

Vaping has numerous devastating effects and did not worth doing.

Preview of main points

There are two major reasons to give up a habitude of vape. Firstly, vaping is addictive and undermines the ability to self-control. Secondly, usage of a vape, even if it is nicotine-free, poses a health hazard and leads to diseases of the respiratory system.

Vaping is addictive

It is a well-known fact that there are numerous kinds of vaping liquids. They have various chemical compositions, tastes, and smells. Some of them might contain nicotine, while others are free of it. The problem is that vaping causes addiction in any case.

One of the reasons for this is that vapes are regarded as tools to socialize and make new acquaintances (Levin par. 21).

In essence, new friends and a higher circle of socialization is positive outcome of vaping.

However, the issue lies in the fact that young people that are shy to make friends, for instance, during classes, start vaping to fit in with the team.

• Vice versa, if an individual intends to give up vaping, he or she might postpone this idea because of the fear to distance herself from the friends who use vapes.
• In the interview with the 21-years old man, Levin illustrates how strong the addiction might be (par. 16). Josh Evans avows that he inhales the vapors even though sometimes it makes him feel physically bad and fail to fight against vaping (Levin par.16).
• The final point worth being mentioned is that addiction to vaping leads to more serious addictions in the long-term perspective.

In two years, the number of young adults using vaping cartridges with the flavor of cannabis or nicotine increased more than twice (Pesce para.2).

According to the President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Matthew Myers, people that become addicted to vapes or e-cigarettes at a young age, grow into heavily smoking adults (Lemons 17).

(Transition: The fact that vapes triggers addiction would not be that important if it were not for the health hazard.)

Vaping is dangerous for health

Blaha informs that all lung fluid samples of people ill with “e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI)” show the presence of vitamin E acetate (par 6.).

From this, it could be inferred that vaping liquids contain chemicals that cause diseases of the respiratory system. Thus, even nicotine-free vapes could have a devastating effect on health.

Another point of concern about vaping is that hitherto remains a lot of doubts about how certain chemicals in liquids affect health (Blaha par. 9). Nevertheless, some studies confirm that vaping leads not only to asthma but also to cardiovascular disease (Blaha par.9).

Therefore, it could be argued that vaping remains an insufficiently studied phenomenon. The absence of a clear understanding of the consequences of vaping, as well as PR campaigns of brands that produce vapes and liquids, give a reason to think that vaping does not affect health. At the same time, the growing number of young people with breathing diseases makes them think that vaping is not as good as it might seem at the first sight.

(Transition: As you can notice, vaping has a significant number of disadvantages that should motivate people either not to try it or give up the habit.)

Summary statement

Vaping is not only addictive but also challenges the well-being of a vaper. In the scientific community, there is no common opinion on the effect of the chemicals that are included in the composition of vaping liquids. Notwithstanding this fact, the example of people diagnosed with EVALI proves that vaping represents a threat and that life would be better without this addiction.

Concluding remarks

Still, it is important to remember that our health and quality of life depend on our own choices. Vapes were not created by nature and human beings survived for centuries without smoking and vaping. I will leave you with the question: if the necessity to vape was not put in our bodies and minds by nature, do we need it?

Works Cited

Blaha, Michael Joseph. “5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know.” Health Conditions and Diseases , 2020. Web.

Lemons, Jane Fullerton. E-Cigarette Dilemma . CQ Press, 2019. Web.

Levin, Dan. “Vaping on Campus: No Parents, No Principals, a Big Problem.” The New York Times , 2019. Web.

Pesce, Nicole Lyn. “These Charts Show the Shocking Number of High School and College Students Who Vape.” Market Watch , 2019. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). Vaping and Its Negative Aspects. https://ivypanda.com/essays/vaping-and-its-negative-aspects/

"Vaping and Its Negative Aspects." IvyPanda , 31 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/vaping-and-its-negative-aspects/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Vaping and Its Negative Aspects'. 31 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Vaping and Its Negative Aspects." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/vaping-and-its-negative-aspects/.

1. IvyPanda . "Vaping and Its Negative Aspects." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/vaping-and-its-negative-aspects/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Vaping and Its Negative Aspects." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/vaping-and-its-negative-aspects/.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Vaping — Essay On Vaping

Essay on Vaping

• Categories: Vaping

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Words: 552 |

Published: Mar 5, 2024

Words: 552 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

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Home / Essay Samples / Health / Smoking / Vaping: A Threat to Public Health in the Age of Smoking Awareness

Vaping: A Threat to Public Health in the Age of Smoking Awareness

• Category: Social Issues , Health
• Topic: Controversial Issue , Smoking , Tobacco Use

Pages: 3 (1219 words)

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Introduction 

Cause and effect, conclusion .

• The History Of E-cigarettes: Electronic Cigarettes the Past, Present and Future. Retrieved from https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/professional-education/ce-courses/ce451/the-history-of-e-cigarettes.
• Vaping - A JourneyThrough Its History. Posted by Christina Matthews. Retrieved from https://vapingdaily.com/what-is-vaping/vaping-history/
• 10 Health Effects Caused By Smoking You Didn't Know About: State Of Tobacco Control. Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/by-the-numbers/10-health-effects-caused-by-smoking.html.

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