The use of electronic cigarettes, more commonly known as e-cigarettes or e-cigs, has drastically spiked in prevalence among children and young adults. This is mainly due to the shift from e-cigarettes being a way to quit smoking to a fun, new habit for young people. The big tobacco company known as Altra, which owns Marlboro cigarettes, has taken advantage of this trend by recently purchasing 35 percent of Juul’s stock, which is a great way to target the next generation of addicts. Our recent survey indicates that SLU students are no exception to the e-cig trend.
We found that approximately 61 percent of the 288 respondents reported using an e-cigarette before. Of those students who vaped, only 33.9 percent of them reported using before the age of 18, which suggests that a majority of students tried their first e-cigarette following matriculation to St. Lawrence University. Social influences, such as parties, stood far above others in reported factors that promote use, and high rates of mixing e-cigarettes with alcohol and marijuana were also apparent in our survey. Luckily, a large majority of students who reported vaping also reported that they do not regularly vape. However, a subset of SLU students reported using e-cigs seven days a week and over 50 times a day.
Is vaping really that dangerous, though? Perhaps this information will help you determine that for yourself. Over 50% of SLU students believe that vaping is safer than smoking, but “safer” does not necessarily mean safe. There has not been enough time to properly investigate the long term (chronic) effects of e-cigarette usage, but the evidence is starting to mount that they are associated with some rotten health effects that are similar to that of smoking in many ways.
For example, e-cigarette liquid contains extremely concentrated levels of nicotine (around 5 percent in Juul pod) and is proving to be highly addictive. In other words, what seems like innocent fun is actually delivering an entire pack of cigarettes worth of nicotine into your body from just one pod. A cigarette on steroids, so to speak.
Also, e-cigarette exposure can induce lung inflammation that resulted in respiratory diseases such as COPD in mouse studies. Other research found that e-cigarette vapor decreases the protective function of cells in the airway, increasing the likelihood of debris and bacteria getting into the lungs, causing lower respiratory tract infections. Further, e-cigarettes wreak havoc on oral health, not just by yellowing and staining teeth, but also by damaging the DNA in the cells of your gums.
Those high levels of nicotine can also have negative effects on your vascular system by stimulating the body’s fight or flight response. This leads to elevated blood pressure, forcing your heart to pump harder to move blood throughout the body. Moreover, studies found that (relatively) long term e-cigarette exposure promoted thickening of blood vessels and excessive blood clotting, which are some early signs of cardiovascular disease and suggest that vaping could contribute to heart attacks and strokes.
So what if you don’t use e-cigarettes? Can vaping still impact your health? Around half of SLU students responded “yes”, and if you fall into that group then you would be correct! Research has found that the same volatile chemicals inhaled through vaping can also be inhaled through second hand exposure. So the next time a student starts vaping next to you in the pub, you are breathing in their carcinogens and heavy metals such as aluminum.
So just to recap. We don’t have long term evidence of the effects of e-cigarette use, but we will if people keep vaping. Based on the current findings, however, the outlook isn’t bright. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that we address this issue before it becomes our generation’s next health epidemic. The best way we can do this is by quitting these products altogether. However, the very least users can do is be considerate to others’ health by complying with N.Y. state laws and keep your vaping outdoors.