Aro u n d th e U.S . | N ew s
Vaping becomes national crisis By Kiana Paulino Editor IG: KIANAARAAE
Right: Varela collects vaping and smoking items every day from students. Vaping and smoking are considered Level II Behaviors and can lead to suspension. photo by Kiana Paulino; Below: As soon as next week, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is expected to announce a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes - the majority of vaping products sold - in tens of thousands of convenience stores and gas stations across the country, according to senior agency officials. photo with permission TNS
Smoking cigarettes has been proven to be a source of many health-related issues. Traditional smoking is no longer “cool,” and as a result teenage smoking of cigarettes has gone down. As of November 2019, the CDC reported a 5% decrease in cigarette smoking among teen users. The effects of smoking in general were so overwhelming that in December 2019, both the Federal House and Senate passed a ban on tobacco and e-cigarette sales to anyone under the age of 21. However, this has not stopped teens from getting their hands on e-cigarettes. In recent years, vaping or the use of e-cigs has shown a rapid increase of 30% with teenagers. According to the FDA, more than 5 million U.S. middle school and high school students are e-cigarette users. The concern over vaping has become so great that the federal government has issued an “enforcement policy” on unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that appeal to children, including fruit and mint. The issue has provoked the question of which is worse: smoking or vaping. However, according to the National Center for Health Research, this shouldn’t be
the question as studies have shown both are harmful to teenagers. Instead the question should simply be: what are the effects of vaping on teens? In some cases, vaping has caused what could be the same, if not more, health-related problems than smoking. The CDC reported 59 deaths and 2,602 lung injury cases linked to vaping in 2019 alone. More than 120 lung injury patients have been under 18. One of the most common misconceptions of vaping is the form, water vapor, not being harmful. Yet, this has been debunked by the Tobacco Free Organization since e-cigarettes could contain toxins such as nickel, tin, and lead which could potentially cause lung injury and disease. E-cigs also contain nicotine, the same addictive substance found in regular cigarettes. The use of nicotine by teens can potentially harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning,
mood, and impulse. Nicotine used at an early age also increases the likelihood of addiction and use of tobacco products. “The concerns go beyond nicotine alone. Some brands contain chemicals including formaldehyde, often used in building materials, that can lead to cancer,” health science teacher Barbara Paulsen said. Another danger is that many users are adding substances like marijuana to the vaping liquid which is causing lung damage. On the Johns Hopkins Medical Center website, Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease said, “These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids. This is especially true for vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).” Some of the more immediate effects, according to
the Mayo Clinic whose study reviewed vapers within seven months of vaping, include shortness of breath, cough, fevers, and cases of lipoid pneumonia; this occurs when fatty substances are inhaled directly into the lungs. In November 2018, the people of Florida banned vaping indoors due to its health hazards, adding to the constitution the 9th amendment. Schools around the nation have stepped up to educate on the dangers of vaping by holding assemblies. According to the Miami-Dade County Public School’s Student Code of Conduct, vaping is treated the same as smoking and is considered a Level II Behavior "because they significantly interfere with the learning and/ or the well-being of others." Any student caught vaping may spend time in indoor or outdoor suspension and for repeated offenses may be sent to an alternative educational setting. Research will continue on the effects of vaping, but in the meantime, health officials encouraged people to refrain from vaping until more is known about the specific damages being done to not only teen, but adult bodies, as well.
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