ASK-A-DOC

Q&A Family Health

with Tricia Schroffner, NP

Q. I recently found out that my son is vaping and I’m really concerned.

He tells me I’m overreacting and assures me it’s not dangerous for his health or as addictive as regular cigarettes. What’s the latest research on this?

A. I hear this a lot from students in my schoolbased health centers—that vaping is different from smoking. In some ways, it is. When vaping first became popular, we noted that there were fewer toxic chemicals than in traditional cigarettes, which may have given the impression that vaping was less harmful. There’s still a lot we don’t know about vaping, but I caution my patients about several clear dangers.

First, nicotine is the primary agent in e-cigarettes, and we know a lot about nicotine. It increases blood pressure and pulse, leading to cardiovascular problems, and—contrary to what your son tells you— is highly addictive, likely as addictive as heroin and cocaine. This is particularly concerning in adolescents, whose active brain development increases their risk of addiction.

Second, since the summer of 2019 we have seen a dramatic increase in hospitalizations and deaths due to a newly recognized problem known as EVALI, short for e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury. Research is ongoing but has already identified two substances in some vaping products that are strongly linked to EVALI risk: Vitamin E used as a thickener and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Researchers are also studying additives like humectants, flavoring products like diacetyl (which we know can cause “popcorn lung” in popcorn factory workers) and the effect of toxic inhalation of heavy metals due to the decomposition of heating coils in refillable cartridges.

Finally, we know that e-cigarettes—while no longer easily available in kid-friendly flavors, thanks to an FDA ban—are more appealing to young people because they tend to be less expensive per use and easier to conceal from parents and school staff. According to the 2019 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey, more than 20 percent of 11th-graders and more than 10 percent of 8th-graders reported having vaped within the past 30 days, an increase from 2017. Among non-smoking teens, more than eight percent reported that they would “definitely” or “probably” vape if one of their best friends offered it to them. Once started, researchers have linked vaping with future smoking of traditional cigarettes.

We’ve heard from past generations that they just didn’t know how bad cigarettes were. It took many years and studies to definitively confirm the dangers of smoking to every organ in our body. As a medical provider in these times, I worry about history repeating itself. We need to make sure our young people today have the information they need to make healthy choices. It’s important that we have honest and nonjudgmental conversations moving forward. We should encourage our youth to research vaping for themselves on reputable websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— and to ask questions of trusted adults.

Tricia Schroffner, NP

Tricia Schroffner is a PeaceHealth Medical Group nurse practitioner who divides her time between the 4J Student Health Centers at Churchill and North Eugene high schools.