VAPING has hospitalized over 400 people and killed over five due to vaping nicotine, THC or both. We can warn teens about the dangers of smoking and examples of a smoker’s lungs after twenty years, but we can’t yet do the same with vaping.

Due to the fact that vaping is something new, we don’t have examples to show teens saying “this is what your lungs will look like in 10-50 years if you continue to vape.” We don’t know enough yet to say that vaping is safer than other alternatives. We need more research and time to see the full effect of vaping. 

A study done recently by researchers at Duke University found that e-liquids contain extremely high levels of a chemical called pulegone. The FDA already banned that dangerous chemical from foods because it is carcinogenic and causes liver toxicity when taken in foods. Now people are vaping it at extremely high temperatures and the vaping industry uses this chemical as a mint or menthol flavor for e-cigarettes.

There are also Bootleg THC vapes that are also putting people in hospitals. These black market cartridges contain other oils that the consumer doesn’t know about like vitamin E oil. Some also contain pesticides to make the oil thicker. In addition, some contain propylene glycol, which is used to make the user have a “throat hit” so it feels harder than it is or to make the vapor feel more like tobacco. These are only three out of the tens of hundreds of things vapers may be inhaling.

Vice Principal David Beck has been an administration for four years at Granger High School, and he agrees that vaping is dangerous.  “There is a belief out there that vapes are safer than other options, I believe that part of it is that they are targeting teens,” Mr.Beck said. He says the industry targets teens by promoting it being safer than other alternatives. Companies are also being more discreet and come out with unique sounding flavors like BubbleLicious, Surf Cake, Slushie, or use names like Mario Carts and Fortnite Carts.

One way we can fight this is by educating parents, teens, and people in general about the dangers and just how little facts we do know about these vapes. People need to be shown the facts–the chemicals that are in these products and what they are capable of doing to your body will cause both short and long-term effects.

“The rise of vaping has to do with the availability of it now, there has been a decrease in tobacco use,” Officer Chris Hoalfman said. The CDC shows that Tobacco use is almost down by 50%, but e-cigarettes and vape use has risen greatly since 2011 its now the most common tobacco product. “There were 1.5 million more current youth e-cigarette users in 2018 than 2017,” according to the CDC . Lancers should be aware of these dangers associated with vaping and think twice before they “hit that Juul.”