While e-cigarettes are often seen as the safer alternative to cigarettes, this may not be as true as you were led to believe.
Vaping has become a growing trend for young adults especially, and until their recent rise in popularity, research about them has been largely unexplored. Our addiction rehab center in Pompano is here to expose the truth about the long-term effects of vaping as well as the many vaping dangers.
Is Vaping Bad for You?
While the negatives of vaping are purportedly less intense than traditional cigarette smoking, a large part of this perceived safety is the general lack of information regarding vaping’s dangers. There have been decades of studies highlighting the risks of cigarette smoking, but vaping is a relatively new phenomenon that hasn’t been studied as deeply. That being said, with recent health scares and the growing popularity of these products, scientists are starting to study e-cigarettes in more detail, and the harmful effects of vaping are becoming more apparent.
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The Long-Term Effects of Vaping
The long-term dangers of vaping are only starting to come out. As providers of PHP and IOP treatment in Pompano, we want you to be aware of the vaping health risks that could be putting your child in danger. While users of e-cigarettes ingest smaller amounts of nicotine than they would with a regular cigarette, the frequent exposure to nicotine as well as the many other chemicals and carcinogens present can lead to some of the most significant vaping long-term effects. Scientists believe that many of the harmful effects of vaping stem from the dangerous ingredients in the liquid, which often contain not just nicotine but also formaldehyde, diacetyl, and glycerol that has been shown to irritate lungs and airways.1
Many of the long-term effects of vaping are still unknown, but evidence suggests that vaping may lead to increased risks of:
- Respiratory problems like asthma
- Heart attacks
- Reproductive issues
- Low birth weight for babies when mothers vape during pregnancy
- Irritation of eyes and airways2
- Poor brain development
- Infections
- Seizures
- Lung disease problems like popcorn lung & EVALI3
Along with these health problems, there is evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes could also be leading to other bad habits. Though e-cigarettes were first thought to be replacements for regular cigarette use, some researchers argue that vaping may increase the possibility of becoming a smoker. One research article estimated that vaping has the potential to substantially increase the number of cigarette smokers so much so that it could lead to 1.5 million years of lost life.4
Unfortunately, addiction can be a slippery slope and one bad habit can lead to another. Nicotine has long been thought of as a gateway drug. One survey found that over 90% of cocaine users between the ages of 18 and 34 were cigarette smokers before becoming addicted to cocaine.5 If what started as a seemingly harmless vaping habit has developed into a substance abuse problem, you should get help. If not, you may only continue down this dark road.
What Is Popcorn Lung from Vaping?
Diacetyl is a common ingredient that was often used to give food a more pronounced buttery flavor, but it has been removed from many products since its link to a condition called popcorn lung. When diacetyl is inhaled, it causes a type of lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, which is also known as popcorn lung. Symptoms of popcorn lung include wheezing and difficulty breathing, which are caused by diacetyl’s scarring of airways that causes narrowing.6
Many people wonder if one of the vaping long-term side effects could be popcorn lung, as diacetyl has been found in many vaping products. The chemical’s dangers are most pronounced when it is inhaled, which makes it especially dangerous for people who vape or use Juuls. The UK banned vaping liquid that contained diacetyl, but it is a risk for those who vape in the United States. The safest way to avoid popcorn lung from vaping is to avoid vaping altogether, as popcorn lung is one of the many health risks associated with vaping and e-cigarettes.
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The Negative Effects of Vape Pens
Unfortunately, many teens and young adults have also turned to vape pens to ingest other substances. Because of their easy use, vape pens have become a seemingly non-threatening way to ingest various substances including everything from marijuana to cocaine that has been converted to liquid form. Although some young adults may think this is harmless, the evidence says otherwise. In 2019, there was an outbreak of cases of people being sent to the emergency room for EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury). In some cases, EVALI was even fatal, causing the lungs to stop working altogether. While most cases appear to have included the use of THC, many researchers still caution against using vaping products at all. These cases also do not even take into account the long-term effects of vape pens that are still to be discovered.
At Banyan Treatment Center Pompano, we assist people with varying substance abuse problems. With everything from opiate to cocaine addiction treatment, we have the expertise you need to overcome your addiction and move forward with your life. Contact us today at 888-280-4763to learn more about our treatment programs.
Sources:
- BMC – Tobacco Induced Diseases
- Live Science – E-Cigarettes: What Vaping Does to Your Body
- Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine – E-Cigarettes May Be More Harmful Than Beneficial According to Evidence-Based Research
- National Institutes of Health – Why Nicotine is A Gateway Drug
- American Lung Association – Popcorn Lung: A Dangerous Risk of Flavored E-Cigarettes
