What Parents Need to Know About E-Cigarettes

I am sure this isn’t news to you, but being a parent these days is HARD! We, and our children, face many new challenges today. Whether it’s trying to figure out how much screen time is “too much,” how to protect our kids from online bullying or helping our children see through the unrealistic expectations often presented on social media; we’ve got our hands full! 

Pressures regarding tobacco are not unique to adolescents. The tobacco industry has long recognized that getting youth addicted to nicotine early in life is a surefire way to ensure steady business for years to come. The good news is that the number of adolescents in the United States who smoke tobacco has been steadily declining since the 1970s. The bad news is that there are now new ways to introduce nicotine to our kids, namely by e- cigarettes or “vaping.” 

E-cigarettes have become popular among high school students. Recent studies suggest at least 18% of high school students report frequent use. Many brands of e-cigarettes are made to resemble familiar items including ink pens, flash drives, key fobs and even asthma inhalers. These designs are often appealing for adolescents as they can be discreetly kept at school. The solution to fill the cartridges, called “e-liquid” or “e-juice,” is marketed to appeal to adolescents both with their bright and colorful packaging and flavors offered. E-juice can be found not only in vape shops, but also in mall kiosks, gas stations, grocery stores and internet vendors. E-cigarettes can also be used to vape marijuana. 

Since vaping was introduced in 2006, it has been incorrectly marketed as “healthier” and “safer” than traditional tobacco use. The e-juice still contains toxic, cancer-causing chemicals. Nicotine, whether from a traditional cigarette or vaped, is very addictive and is known to have toxic effects on the developing brain. The amount of nicotine contained in the vaping liquid is variable, and can be equal to 8-12 traditional tobacco cigarettes. Additionally, the e-juice is largely unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the companies that produce it are not held to strict quality standards, leaving users unaware of exactly what is being ingested. Most alarmingly, there has been an increase in e- cigarette/vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) in our community. This is a new phenomenon only described within the medical literature in the last year. As of January 2020, there have been over 2,800 cases reported in the U.S. Ninety five percent of the people with EVALI required hospitalization and, shockingly, 26% of those needed to be placed on a ventilator and a number of deaths have been reported. 

I know in these times it is hard to keep up with all the challenges we face as parents. I would encourage you to stay informed and talk to your kids about the dangers of e- cigarettes. They will thank you later! 

Should a situation arise in which your child needs to be admitted to a hospital, remember Hendricks Regional Health is home to Hendricks County’s only designated pediatric unit, specially designed to treat children. Our experienced staff is available 24/7 to care for all ages from birth to 18 years. Learn more at hendricks.org/pediatrics. 

Sources:

• E-Cigarettes and Vaping (aap.org)
• E-cigarette Use Among High School and Middle School Adolescents in Connecticut (nih.gov)
• E-cigarettes: Facts, stats and regulations (truthinitiative.org)