E-Cigarette Overview:
E-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) are devices that use an electric charge to vaporize e-cigarette fluid to allow the user to inhale nicotine. E-cigarette fluid is composed of four key chemicals: nicotine, flavoring chemicals, propylene glycol (PG), and vegetable glycerin (VG). Propylene glycol is responsible for delivering the hit of nicotine to the back of your throat. Vegetable glycerin is responsible for the plume of smoke.
Using a Juul (“jewel”) is by far the most prevalent form of vaping among teens. It comes in many flavors, and is designed to look like a flash drive. In fact, teens have even turned the brand into a verb. Juuling is the act of using a Juul. One study shows 15- 17-year-olds are 16 times more likely to be current Juul users compared to those aged 25-34. Additionally, the study said patterns of use suggest many teens are not just experimenting with e-cigarettes, but using them frequently. Currently, Juul owns over 72 percent of the e-cigarette market share.
Many adults are unaware of what a Juul is. For example, high school principal Aaron Sicotte says, “We’ve had situations where [a Juul] has fallen out of a bag and a teacher has handed it back to them not knowing what they were giving back." Teens are vaping in schools, mostly in the bathrooms. One anonymous teen admits to vaping, “in the girls bathroom and sometimes in class, and I blow it into my sweat shirt.”
The slideshow below shows images of Juul, the most popular brand of e-cigarettes. Juul devices look like a USB drive and they even charge in a USB port. (Image Sources)
Many adults are unaware of what a Juul is. For example, high school principal Aaron Sicotte says, “We’ve had situations where [a Juul] has fallen out of a bag and a teacher has handed it back to them not knowing what they were giving back." Teens are vaping in schools, mostly in the bathrooms. One anonymous teen admits to vaping, “in the girls bathroom and sometimes in class, and I blow it into my sweat shirt.”
The slideshow below shows images of Juul, the most popular brand of e-cigarettes. Juul devices look like a USB drive and they even charge in a USB port. (Image Sources)
How common is underage vaping?
- Approximately 1.3 million additional adolescents vaped in 2018, as compared to 2017
- 42.5% of 12th graders, 36.9% of 10th graders, and 21.5% of 8th graders have vaped
- 26.7% of 12th graders, 21.7% of 10th graders, and 10.4% of 8th graders vaped in the last 30 days
- Just 18.0% of 12th graders, 22.8% of 10th graders, and 22.1% of 8th graders believe regular e-cigarette use is harmful
- 80.5% of 12th graders, 66.6% of 10th graders, and 45.7% of 8th graders say obtaining a vaping device is "fairly easy" or "very easy"
- 34.1% of 12th graders, 31.7% of 10th graders, and 19.4% of 8th graders claimed to have vaped "just flavoring". However, Juul, the most popular e-cigarette company, does not sell e-cigarette fluid without nicotine!
What are the health effects?
The most common side effects are coughing, dizziness and dry mouth. However, more serious side effects, such as seizures, strokes, respiratory failure, bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), and nicotine poisoning have been reported. Additionally, electronic cigarettes contain nicotine and will lead to nicotine addiction. Over time, you may find yourself needing to consume more nicotine to get the same effect. This causes some people to begin using tobacco cigarettes. Forty-three percent of high school students who had used e-cigs with high nicotine content became frequent smokers within six months according to a 2017 study in JAMA Pediatrics. Additionally, if you may find yourself experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms without routine usage of electronic cigarettes. Many different flavorings added to e-liquids in e-cigarettes contain chemicals that may be harmful to users’ long-term health (according to a study from Harvard University). Additionally, there is constantly new research being published. We do not fully understand the long term health effects of electronic cigarette usage.
Can Vaping Help people quit smoking?
Electronic cigarettes are not approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation device. In the United States, electronic cigarettes may have caused more teens to become addicted to nicotine. Teens that took up vaping were three times more likely to start smoking within six months compared to teens who didn’t vape. according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association published in 2015. In 2018, a study from Yale University found switch from vaping to tobacco cigarettes could happen in as little as one month. In 2019, a study from the UK suggested that vaping may have helped as many as 70,000 smokers there quit smoking. However, the authors are hesitant to describe this as a universal trend. They warn that cultural differences may prevent the results from being repeated elsewhere.