Editor's note: The following editorial was written by Marcia Schroeder with Horizon Public Health.
Vaping E-cigarettes, also known as "vapes," are becoming increasingly popular among adolescents. In fact, they are the most commonly-used tobacco product by middle and high school students.
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine and flavorings to the user in the form of an aerosol. In the past year, vaping by high schoolers has increased 78 percent. Teens report using e-cigarettes in school bathrooms and even in classrooms. Certain types of vapes can be used very discreetly.
Learning about the different types of e-cigarette products is an important first step in addressing the youth vaping epidemic. Many teens have the dangerous misperception that vaping is harmless. In fact, it is not harmless.
Myth: "I don't have an addictive personality, so I won't get hooked on vapes."
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Fact: Vaping delivers nicotine to the brain in as little as 10 seconds.
Brain development continues until about age 25, making it more vulnerable to nicotine addiction. Myth: "It's just water vapor."
Fact: Vaping can expose the user's lungs to harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and nickel, tin and lead particles.
Myth: "Nicotine isn't that bad for me."
Fact: Nicotine exposure during the teen years can disrupt normal brain development and can have long-lasting effects like increased impulsivity and mood disorders.
E-cigarettes come in a variety of shapes and sizes and may not look like a tobacco product. This makes them hard to spot. Some devices like JUUL and myblu are as small as a USB flash drive and even look like one.
Certain products emit very low amounts of aerosol or "vapor" which makes them easier to use discreetly. Some contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.
Nicotine in any form harms the adolescent brain, and yet big tobacco still markets to youth. In 2017 youth tobacco use in Minnesota rose for the first time in 17 years. Over 26 percent of Minnesota high school students use tobacco.
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Parents, health care providers and educators can all help prevent and help reduce the use of e-cigarettes by teens. Learn about the issue. Talk about the danger of vaping with adolescents. Warn them about the risks of all forms of tobacco. Set firm expectations that children remain tobacco-free and set a positive example by being tobacco-free.
Learn more at www.smokefreegenmn.org and www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/tpc/ or call Horizon Public Health at 320-208-6672.
Marcia Schroeder is a registered nurse with Horizon Public Health, which serves five counties, including Douglas County. Contact her at marcias@horizonph.org .
