How Vaping Affects Your Health: 3 Quick Facts to Know

Recently, the news has been filled with incidents of people – young and old – dying from using e-cigarettes, also known as “vaping.”

Many have chosen e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking tobacco products. The New England Journal of Medicine did a study of those wanting to quit smoking.  Some participants were given e-cigarettes, others given nicotine patches, and a control group quitting on the spot.  After one year, 80-percent of those using e-cigarettes to quit tobacco were still using their e-cigarettes. The study also found an increase in mouth and throat sores in the e-cigarette group.

Yet, people are unexpectedly discovering their health is being seriously impacted by the use of e-cigarettes. Let’s take a look at what vaping is and the potential side effects that could impact your health, whether you vape or not.

What is “Vaping?”

“Vaping” is a means of getting your nicotine fix without actually smoking a cigarette or cigar; for the purposes of this article, we’ll refer to cigarettes, but the information applies to all means of smoking tobacco, marijuana, and other inhalants. Simply put, an e-cigarette is a device into which a liquid, containing nicotine and other chemicals, is heated, producing steam.  The vaper inhales the steam into their lungs, like regular cigarettes, as does the bystander, like regular cigarettes.

E-cigarettes generally have a battery, a heating element and a reservoir to hold the liquid.  The user places the liquid into the reservoir, turns the e-cigarette on, which warms the liquid, producing the aerosol.

The main ingredient to the standard e-cigarette is nicotine.  The nicotine may be flavored or plain. And some are finding e-cigarettes the perfect way to “smoke” other substances.  In addition, the flavors and lack of “smelly” smoke are being marketed directly to younger people, causing an uptick in the number of teens who vape.

Second-Hand Vape

As with regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes don’t impact just the smoker; those who are close to the vaper also breathe in second-hand vape.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the smoker and bystanders end up inhaling:

• Nicotine
• Ultrafine particles that end up deep in the lungs
• Flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease
• Volatile organic compounds
• Cancer-causing chemicals
• Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead

Lung Disease in Vapers

Over the last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been investigating more than 150 cases of sudden lung disease, some resulting in death, others with an unknown future. Doctors report severe inflammation of the lungs, as well as bleeding, caused by vaping.

Emily Chapman, MD, chief medical officer at Children’s Hospital Minnesota said, “We have seen our previously healthy patients decline over the course of approximately a week to respiratory failure.”  She adds, “While we have seen improvement in patients, we don’t know yet if they will recover fully or if the damage will have long-term effects.”

What’s Next?

E-cigarettes are relatively unregulated across the US and no recalls or warnings have been issued by either the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, or the National Institutes of Health.

The bottom line:  Quitting smoking tobacco products is something you should discuss with your medical professional.  Most doctors have a wealth of resources available to help you ease through the process. In addition, your medical professional knows your health history and can make sure whatever treatment is chosen will not interfere with your other medications or health issues.