Dangers of Vaping

When her mother announced that she was going to cut down and then quit her lifetime smoking habit, my friend Lindsey was thrilled. A few weeks later, Lindsey’s enthusiasm had shifted to disappointment. You see, her mother had decided to try using electronic cigarettes to kick her nicotine habit. Some advertisers have suggested that this alternative can assist people in quitting by gradually reducing the nicotine content in their e-cigarettes.

As I mentioned in a previous column, I have met vaping store owners and customers who make this claim. If you’re new to this phenomenon, that wasn’t a typo above. Vaping is a word we’re likely to become as familiar with as texting. E-Cigarettes are battery operated devices that heat a liquid vapor allowing users to inhale nicotine from a non-combustible product. Shorthand for using these devices – vaping.

So, Lindsey’s mother bought the starter package for $60.00, chose some flavors, and vowed to begin cutting down her almost pack-a-day habit. Thing is, she loved the variety of flavors and the ability to feed her nicotine habit without people complaining about her second-hand smoke. Lindsey says her mother is now practically surgically attached to her nicotine delivery device. She sees it lots more than she ever saw her mother’s cigarettes.

After my last column, I heard from people who were very concerned about the growing use of e-cigarettes. I knew I needed to know more about them so I contacted the Florida Department of Health and the American Lung Association. Both groups wanted me to know that there is no government oversight of these products. Without Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight, they say there is no way for the public health, medical community or consumers to know what chemicals are contained in e-cigarettes or what the short and long term health implications might be.

Then there is the issue of flavoring -- something the FDA forbids in standard cigarettes. All electronic cigarettes are flavored, so to ban flavoring would be to ban the product entirely. Tobacco Free Florida is concerned that, in addition to their possibly harmful effects, e-cigarettes may become a tool used to get youth and young adults hooked on nicotine.

Having said that, I give you 15-year-old Ashley who told me that in her school she sees kids mixing the liquids to create designer flavors like waffles with maple and peanut butter and jelly. She says that the liquids are purchased for the younger kids by older siblings or friends. Here the belief is that they’re not as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.

Then, there’s my co-worker Devon who told me that his 20-year-old friend Natalie wears three of the e-cigarettes on cords around her neck because she loves the variety of flavors. Her favorite being Sweet Tarts. Just when I was ready to close my gaping jaw, he added that all three were brightly colored and bejeweled with rhinestones.

Does this leave any doubt about the appeal that this has to impressionable, status-conscious teens? I’ve learned that the e-cigarettes are available online, at mall kiosks and of course at local retailers. You may have seen some brands being advertised on TV, which tobacco companies have been banned from doing for years.

I want to say here that I have a friend (well, maybe up until now) who owns a vaping store in an upscale mall. Also, I’ve met some other very nice owners, employees and customers while researching this story who claim that the benefits of this new nicotine delivery system outweigh the risks.

It’s been more than two years since the FDA announced that it would regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products and not as a drug or device. So far, they have not acted, and people are wise to do their own research concerning the chemical content of these products. They are often imported from foreign countries. Believe me when I tell you that some of what I’ve read is scary.

So, what about Lindsey’s mother? Does she still intend to quit? Maybe. Meanwhile, she goes nowhere – not even to the next room – without her e-cigarette.