15% of 11-15 year olds, 34% of 16-17 year olds, 38% of 18 year olds, 1.63 million high school students and 410,000 middle school students; are the 2024 statistics showing the amount of teens in the U.S. that indulge in vaping as it has become more popular and accessible. Vaping is an inhalant of aerosol through a battery operated device – a “pen” or “e-cigarette” by the liquid inside heating up. The liquid; containing nicotine and other harmful chemicals is the harmful component of vaping that has endless side effects both short term and long term.
The effects of vaping are extremely detrimental to the well being of the user; more so towards teens as their brain development has a higher risk of being damaged. On the surface addiction, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, memory dysfunction, concentration span decreasing, chronic bronchitis are all health issues that users are prone to battling throughout their lifetime. But underneath the surface, vaping can lead to multiple types of cancer and life threatening lung damage.
As most vapes and e-cigarettes are made by the same companies that produce regular cigarettes, the risk of developing cancer later on in life remains high. Researchers found many different chemicals in vapes to be considered carcinogens – substances capable of causing cancer. Most commonly found these chemicals include Acetaldehyde, Formaldehyde, Di-acetyl, Acrolein and Acrylamide.
Acetaldehyde is a clear, colorless e-liquid carcinogen occurring inside the flavoring of the vape. It interferes with DNA replication and formation, preventing the body from repairing damage furthermore, the cells grow out of control creating a cancer tumor. Formaldehyde is also a colorless gas carcinogen found during the heating of the liquid inside the vape; it is absorbed by the user inhaling. Additionally, Di-acetyl is a carcinogen yellow liquid with a buttery flavoring found in some food products like popcorn, chips, candy and more . Di-acetyl is also found in the e-liquid part of vapes, where the buttery flavoring is manipulated by the company to offer fruit, candy and dessert flavors. People who eat foods with too much Di acetyl or use vapes containing this chemical are more prone to cancers. Acrolein is the smoking and vaping’s most toxic and harmful chemical as it is linked to asthma, acute lung injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory cancers. Similarly, Acrylamide is converted into a compound, Glycinamide that causes mutations in DNA. Exposure to these chemicals through vaping increases risk for several types of cancer, respiratory cancer being the most common for users.
The fun flavors and bright designs on vapes and e-cigarettes attract younger users more and more compared to the original cigarette. Children and teens as young as 7 years old are indulging in vaping, paving a troublesome path for their health the rest of their life. Although, there are ways to try and fix damage if the user quits; 1-12 months after lung structures could begin to heal from scarring and irritation but their probability towards cancer, brain damage and other long term health effects are non-fixable. Overall teens and children can lower their chances of cancer and other health issues by not being influenced by the media, friends or the appealing advertisements into vaping.
