what are some concerns doctors have about vaping

Doctors treating deadly lung disease face a problem: Some patients lie about vaping

• Some patients have been reluctant to admit they vape, a critical piece of information for doctors to know.
• The mysterious vaping lung disease has sickened more than 2,170 people and killed at least 42.
• The illness, tentatively called EVALI, looks and sounds like pneumonia.

Full Answer

What are the health risks associated with vaping?

What Are the Other Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?

• Scientists are still learning about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes.
• Some of the ingredients in e-cigarette aerosol could also be harmful to the lungs in the long-term. ...
• Defective e-cigarette batteries have caused some fires and explosions, a few of which have resulted in serious injuries.

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Are there any health dangers with vaping?

Risks of vaping

• On this page. Vaping can increase your exposure to chemicals that could harm your health (e.g. ...
• Health risks of vaping with nicotine. Nicotine is not known to cause cancer. ...
• Nicotine poisoning. ...
• Health risks of other chemicals in vaping. ...
• Popcorn lung. ...
• Second-hand vapour. ...
• Device malfunctions. ...
• Batteries and vaping devices. ...
• Vaping and pregnancy. ...

What are the real dangers of vaping?

Understanding the real dangers

• Toxins, carcinogens, chemicals. There are scary sounding chemicals in e-cig vapor, but they’re in tiny concentrations, far smaller than in tobacco smoke.
• Formaldehyde. ...
• Popcorn lung: diacetyl and acetyl propionyl. ...
• Flavorings. ...
• Particles. ...
• PG and VG. ...

How vaping can cause health problems?

What Happens to the Heart While Vaping?

• Cholesterol Deposits. Vaping causing cholesterol deposits in arteries to become more unstable over time and more likely to rupture. ...
• Heart Rate & Blood Pressure. Within 30 minutes of use, vaping spikes your adrenaline, causing increased blood pressure and heart rate, which means a higher risk of heart attack.
• Artery Stiffness. ...
• Blood Clotting. ...

Why is vaping so popular among teens?

How long does a vape last?

What is an e-cigarette?

Why is vaping so difficult?

What is Project for Teens?

How to help a teenager who is vaping?

How to tell if a child is vaping?

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4 Major Health Risks Linked To E-Cigarette Use - WebMD

E-cigarette use, or "vaping," has been linked to lung, heart, brain, and gum illnesses. While using e-cigarettes ("vaping") may be healthier than smoking traditional cigarettes, users still face ...

What are vaping devices?

Vaping devices, also known as e-cigarettes, vape pens, and e-hookahs among other terms, come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Others are shaped like every-day objects, such as pens or USB memory sticks.

What chemicals are in vaping?

Vaping exposes the lungs to a variety of chemicals. These may include the main active chemicals in tobacco (nicotine) or marijuana (THC), flavorants, and other ingredients that are added to vaping liquids. Plus, other chemicals can be produced during the vaporizing process.

How old do you have to be to vape?

New laws are aimed at curbing vaping among teens. People must now be 21 to buy any tobacco product, including vaping products. And companies can no longer produce and sell flavors that appeal to children like fruit and mint. If you’ve already started vaping or smoking cigarettes, it’s never too late to quit.

How does puffing work?

While they may look different, most vaping devices work in a similar way. Puffing activates a battery-powered heating device. This heats the liquid in a cartridge, turning it into vapors that are inhaled.

Is vaping more popular in high school?

Vaping is now more popular among teens than smoking traditional cigarettes. One in four high school seniors say they vaped nicotine in the past month. And studies have found that teens who vape nicotine may be more likely to go on to smoke traditional cigarettes.

Can nicotine be inhaled in a vaporizer?

Plus, other chemicals can be produced during the vaporizing process. “If the liquid has nicotine in it, then the user is inhaling nicotine along with the other ingredients in the liquid,” explains Dr. Thomas Eissenberg, an expert on tobacco research at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Is vaping harmful?

So how safe is vaping? Studies suggest nicotine vaping may be less harmful than traditional cigarettes when people who regularly smoke switch to them as a complete replacement. But nicotine vaping could still damage your health.

What is electronic cigarette?

Commonly referred to as “vaping,” these products use an aerosolized vapor infused with flavors or nicotine that are then inhaled by the user.

How many teens are vaping in 2018?

Health Risks Among Teens. An estimated 3.6 million middle school and high school students reported vaping in 2018, up from 2.1 million the year before. If trends hold steady, that number will continue to rise. Teens and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the effects of vaping products, especially those containing nicotine.

Why do electronic cigarettes explode?

Injuries. Electronic cigarettes use lithium-ion batteries to heat coils and produce an aerosol. On rare occasions, those batteries can malfunction, causing the device to overheat, catch fire, or even explode.

How does an e-cigarette work?

Unlike cigarettes that work by burning to bacco and producing smoke, e-cigarettes heat up liquid to create vapor. A lot of different companies make e-cigarette products, and the kinds of ingredients found in some liquid cartridges can differ from one brand to the next. Some of the most common harmful substances found in vaping products include ...

Is it safe to inhale popcorn?

Some flavor additives, such as diacetyl (found in butter-flavored popcorn) may be safe in small quantities in food but potentially risky to inhale over long periods. Diacetyl has been shown to cause a serious lung disease called “popcorn lung” when inhaled over long periods of time, raising serious concerns among health professionals about its presence in some vaping products.

Is vaping legal in 2020?

As of Feb. 1, 2020, the FDA has banned the manufacture and sale of flavored vaping products (excluding menthol and tobacco). 1 . However, the criteria for product acceptance can still be as loose as it “ does not raise different questions of public health ” compared to an existing tobacco product.

Does vaping affect blood flow?

Another concern flagged by recent research is the potential harm vaping might have on cardiovascular health. Some chemicals found in e-cigs, such as nicotine, can affect blood flow. Studies show that regular use of electronic cigarettes could increase your chances of heart attack, stroke, and even heart disease. In fact, research shows e-cig users are almost twice as likely to experience a heart attack compared to non-users, even when analysts controlled for other known risk factors, including smoking status.

How many eighth graders have vaped?

And while about 40% of 12th-graders have ever used a nicotine e-cigarette, 36.4% of 10th graders have vaped and 20.7% of eighth-graders have used an e-cigarette, says the survey, “Trends in Adolescent Vaping, 2017–2019,” published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

How many high school seniors have tried vaping?

New research shows that 40.5% of high-school seniors have tried nicotine vaping, adding urgency to President Trump’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will take action to ban the e-cigarette flavorings that have proved so attractive to teens and young adults. Meanwhile, federal health agencies are encouraging physicians to report detailed information on cases of vaping-associated lung illnesses. Here’s what doctors need to know.

How many people die from vaping?

Vaping-related lung illnesses have struck hundreds, killing seven. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 530 cases of lung injury in 38 states and one U.S. territory. The CDC has confirmed seven deaths in six states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota and Oregon. While most of the patients affected used ...

How long do you have to report e-cigarette use?

The CDC says physicians and other clinicians should “report cases of severe pulmonary disease of unclear etiology and a history of e-cigarette product use within the past 90 days to your state or local health department.” Learn more by reading the CDC’s health advisory, “ Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products .”

Is vaping taking off among kids?

Here’s what doctors need to know. Vaping is taking off among kids. A national survey of 42,531 eighth–12th graders finds that 25.4% of high-school seniors have vaped nicotine in the last month, while 20.2% of 10th graders and 9% of eighth-graders have done so.

Does the FDA report tobacco products?

The FDA, meanwhile, has developed a portal to report safety problems with tobacco products. The agency says it wants reports from health professionals about tobacco products that are damaged, defective, contaminated, smell or taste wrong. The FDA reviews the reports to identify concerning trends.

Is the FDA regulating e-cigarettes?

The AMA has long called on the FDA “to regulate e-cigarettes, particularly banning flavors and marketing practices that enhance the appeal of e-cigarette products to youth, ” said Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, the Association’s president.

What is the illness under investigation in the U.S.?

Patients have gone to hospital with cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and vomiting.

What are the delicate alveolar sacs in the lung?

The delicate alveolar sacs in the lung are meant for respiration of gases, not oils. (CBC News) "When we inhale something that we shouldn't, like lipids [fats] that don't clear well after it's inhaled, it kind of lines the alveolar sacs that are meant for respiration," Vethanayagam said.

How many people died from vaping in 2014?

(Frank Franklin II/The Associated Press) Health officials in the United States have flagged hundreds of serious respiratory illnesses among people who use e-cigarettes, including six deaths. For doctors in Canada, the sudden illness adds to their concerns ...

What is in e-liquid?

What's in e-liquids? E-cigarette liquids include solvents such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin to dissolve nicotine or cannabis compounds. Under the federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, promotion of flavours like candy or "strawberry cheesecake" that may be appealing to young people are restricted.

Does vaping cause cancer?

Heating vapour also produces cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene, said Stanwick. The CDC said vaping solutions contain a number of chemicals that could also pose risks, such as ultrafine particles, diacetyl , a flavouring chemical that has been linked to lung disease, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds.

Does smoking cigarettes cause cancer?

( Justin Sullivan/Getty) Nicotine also harms the cilia in the lungs that clear mucus, which is important for the lungs to function properly, Moraes said. Tobacco smoke is associated with 50 or more carcinogens — compounds that cause cancer.

Does nicotine harm the brain?

Nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain," Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. Nicotine is powerfully addictive, said Dr. Theo Moraes, a staff respirologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Why is vaping so successful?

Vaping is more success full than other methods because it also mimics (mimics, not reality) other parts of the smoking "experience.". You're inhaling. It has a flavor. It produces what looks like, but isn't, smoke.

Does vaping help with smoking?

ACSH has previously reported that vaping very likely helps smokers quit cigarettes, and maybe even nicotine, for good. Citing some of the same literature we have, Barton reached a similar conclusion about smoking cessation. While acknowledging the limitations of these studies ( discussed here ), she explained:

Is vaping safe for 2021?

By Cameron English — May 25, 2021. Despite increasing evidence that vaping is safer than smoking, uncertainty surrounds the long-term effects of electronic cigarette use. Many in the tobacco control field have used the lack of data to speculate about these unknown risks.

Is vaping bad for you?

After contrasting the overall risk of vaping with smoking, Barton added that some preliminary studies have indeed associated e-cigarette use with various negative outcomes. For example, an onslaught of headlines in mid-2019 warned the public about an outbreak of “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury” (EVALI). Under-reported at the time was the fact that the injury-causing devices were typically purchased illegally and contained THC or certain dangerous additives, which made them far more harmful than the nicotine-containing devices adult customers can legally purchase in licensed vape shops in the US and UK. Surveying the literature nearly two years later, we get a better sense of the problem:

Is nicotine replacement a tobacco product?

According to Nicotine and Tobacco Research, "If all products containing nicotine derived from tobacco were labeled as 'tobacco products' internationally, then nicotine-replacement therapies would be classified as tobacco products, which they are clearly not.".

Can you buy THC in vape shops?

Under-reported at the time was the fact that the injury-causing devices were typically purchased illegally and contained THC or certain dangerous additives, which made them far more harmful than the nicotine-containing devices adult customers can legally purchase in licensed vape shops in the US and UK.

Is vaping better than smoking?

Compared to the typical news report about vaping —"Vaping is not better than smoking, and it still causes long-term lung damage"—Barton's article illustrated how we should talk about scientific issues when the evidence surrounding them is evolving. Let's consider a few examples.

What kind of vapes did Justin use?

Justin had been using a Juul device and mint-flavored nicotine pods, his favorite. He bought mostly Juul products, plus the occasional off-brands available at stores. He would puff on the mint vapes constantly, draining about two pods a day.

How long did Justin get better after he regained consciousness?

He finally got better with the help of a special ventilator and regained consciousness about five days later. Justin believes the coils in his vaping device weren’t as hot as they should have been to fully vaporize the e-liquid, so he was breathing in small fragments of it into his lungs.

How long did Justin Wilson vape?

Justin Wilson, 25, vaped for about a year and then suddenly collapsed, unable to breathe, on Sept. 1. He had to spend a week in a hospital in Portland, Oregon. Courtesy Jake Wilson. Sept. 13, 2019, 7:40 AM PDT / Source: TODAY. By A. Pawlowski.

What is Justin's diagnosis?

It was the start of a frightening ordeal that left him unconscious for days and had doctors puzzled until they arrived at the official diagnosis: vaping toxicity. Justin’s case is part of a vaping crisis that now includes hundreds of incidents of vaping- related illnesses across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control ...

What are the symptoms of a syringe?

Any new respiratory symptom should be reason for concern, including: 1 coughing 2 shortness of breath 3 chest tightness 4 wheezing 5 general symptoms like extreme fatigue or fever are also warning signs.

How old is Jake Wilson's son Justin?

By A. Pawlowski. Jake Wilson was relieved when his 25-year-old son Justin started vaping last year as a way to quit smoking. “I thought it was a great idea. I was so happy that he wasn’t smoking anymore.

What did Justin Wilson's father and son say after his nightmare?

After Justin’s nightmare, the father and son just want others to be careful about vaping. “The experience was just insanity for me,” Justin Wilson, also of Portland, Oregon, told TODAY. “It’s all so new that nobody really knows long-term effects on it.”. “I would strongly urge anyone to stop [vaping] .

Why is it important to communicate with a doctor about vaping?

Communicating with one’s healthcare professional creates truth between patient and the doctor. It also gives the doctor the chance to monitor the patient’s health. Other doctors are urging people to stop vaping all together, as there are several stories of individuals being harmed by the entire vaping process. If you or someone you know struggles with vaping or struggles to stop, contact a medical professional to determine the best care.

Is vaping harmful to teens?

There is much literature and information concerning the impact of vaping on adolescents. Between 2011 to 2015, there was a spike in teen vaping cases. Vape pens, e-hookahs, tank systems and mods contain may contains THC and other harmful chemical s that put smokers at risk of lung problems. More specifically, the THC in some vaping materials put users at risk of addiction. Similar to other addictive chemicals in drugs, the feelings of pleasure smoking vape pens create can activate the brain’s reward system.

How long does it take to get sober in rehab?

With just 30 days at a rehab center, you can get clean and sober, start therapy, join a support group, and learn ways to manage your cravings.

Where is Krystina Murray?

Krystina Murray has received a B.A. in English at Georgia State University, has over 5 years of professional writing and editing experience, and over 15 years of overall writing experience. She enjoys traveling, fitness, crafting, and spreading awareness of addiction recovery to help people transform their lives.

Does vaping cause shortness of breath?

Doctors found there were additional symptoms, like shortness of breath, weight loss, coughing, all of which have been pinpointed to vape use. What was interesting in the lung illness patterns was the inclusion of THC, “with or without nicotine.” As a result, doctors are informing people to be honest with their physicians and get treated immediately.

Can vaping affect your mind?

Other risks include developmental effects on the brain, “which can impact moods and attention,” combining E-cigarettes with other drugs, harmful impacts on one’s mind, and second-hand smoke. When someone becomes addicted to vaping, he or she may feel relaxed when they are smoking. Consequently, stopping suddenly can create uncomfortable feelings of cravings.

Why is vaping so popular among teens?

First publicized as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco, vaping caught on because it didn't contain the carcinogens or tars found in most smoking tobacco products. Also, vaping was supposed to eliminate the dangers of secondhand smoke to those nearby.

How long does a vape last?

Did you know most cigarettes are smoked within two to five minutes? E-cigarettes on the other hand can last up to 20 minutes, delivering more nicotine and damaging chemicals to the lungs. In addition, some vaping mixtures can contain 20 times the nicotine that a single cigarette contains.

What is an e-cigarette?

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid solution — usually, but not always, containing nicotine — turning it into a vapor that can be inhaled . If the base nicotine mixture is not palatable, many flavors, such as mint, apple and others, can make vaping attractive, especially to adolescents.

Why is vaping so difficult?

This is due to the difficulty in correctly identifying what they inhaled, especially when they are intubated or unconscious.

What is Project for Teens?

Project for Teens is an example of a local outreach program that provides support and education on the dangers of vaping. Similar programs may be available in your area. Resources are available to help teens quit through the American Lung Association and teen.smokefree.gov.

How to help a teenager who is vaping?

Encourage your teen to look into the warnings and media stories related to vaping, or reach out to his or her primary care provider with questions.

How to tell if a child is vaping?

Talk with your kids about the dangers of vaping, but also look for warning signs including: 1 Changes in emotions 2 Trouble sleeping 3 Scents of fruity odors on skin, breath and clothes 4 Strange cylinders, chargers or batteries lying around

What's in E-Liquids?

What Is The Illness Under Investigation in The U.S.?

What's Going on in People Sickened in The U.S.?

What Other Health Problems Are Associated with Vaping?

• For starters, nicotine dependence. "Any tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe for youth. Nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain," Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. Nicotine is powerfully addictive, said Dr. Theo Moraes, a staff respirologist at the ...

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