My 15-year-old son and I have talked about smoking cigarettes enough times for me to realize (and believe) it’s not something that he and his friends do. They know the facts; they’ve seen the scary ads where people have lost their voice boxes and parts of their face due to smoking. They don’t want to risk those consequences.
But there is something out there that’s taken its place: Vaping, also known as Juuling, or using an e-cigarette. And according to my son, over half of the people he knows do it on the regular.
I’ve asked him what he thinks the appeal is and if he believes kids his age aren’t aware of the dangers vaping can cause. He flat out said, “They say they’re positive it’s safe, way safer than smoking a real cigarette.”
That’s probably because vaping is so new, and hit the market so quickly, there hasn’t been enough time or evidence to support how harmful it is — especially for our teens who are still developing and growing.
While the dangers may not be the same with vaping as they are with cigarettes, it doesn’t mean it won’t cause a separate set of problems for our kids, nor is it a better choice for our teens.
According to an article in CNN Health, “Experts say the technology and chemistry of vaping might pose an entirely different threat.”
Dr. Sharon Levy is the director of the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and has been studying kids who are addicted to vaping and are showing signs of “what appear to be psychiatric symptoms rarely seen with traditional cigarettes or among adults.”
So, we are seeing side effects from vaping in younger people that we don’t see in them when they smoke regular cigarettes, as well as side-effects not found in adults. If your child knew that, I wonder if they’d still believe vaping was a safer choice.
What does this mean for the teen who is addicted to vaping? (It certainly doesn’t mean we want our kids to drop the vape and pick up a cig. ) First, we must understand that one Juul pod, the device you plug into the e-cigarette brand you are using which contains the nicotine, has “the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes,” reports CNN.
So while electronic cigarettes may be a “healthier” version for adults who are trying to quit smoking traditional cigarettes, it doesn’t seem to be the case with our teenagers because of “how kids’ brains are wired and developing, and the gadgets’ unique appeal to kids.”
Levy has seen teens who have spiked anxiety and are not able to focus as a result of their vaping addiction. And that’s just the beginning since vaping is still too new to realize what the long term effects could be.
Levy warns that we don’t know “how high those peaks [of nicotine] go and how quickly it gets into the bloodstream and into the brain.”
She has also seen some teens report signs from vaping that resemble nicotine toxicity, such as headaches and stomachaches, which she believes is because the nicotine in an e-cigarette causes “blood to peak higher than they do with traditional cigarettes.”
In a study conducted by Maciej Goniewicz, an associate professor of oncology and pharmacology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, it was found that adolescents who had used e-cigarettes had higher levels of cotinine in their urine than those who smoked cigarettes.
While vaping, you are not only letting nicotine into your bloodstream, you are also taking in “nicotine salts” (nicotine mixed with an organic acid) which make these e-cigarettes more pleasant to inhale. The problem with the salts is they may cause health problems later in life we know nothing about.
There was an 80% increase in vaping in high school students since November of 2017, which was what prompted the Food And Drug Administration to crack down on teen usage by refusing to allow certain fruit flavors from gas station shelves as the sweet choices (such as mango) were tempting teens.
Not only do health experts feel when teens get hooked on a substance like nicotine it can lead to drug and alcohol use, Levy is concerned it is “interfering with brain development.”
As overwhelming as it can be to have yet another thing to be worried about, parents need to be aware of the health risks of vaping and the number of teens who are doing it. I’ve talked to many fellow moms and dads who saw their child’s vaping mechanism and thought it was something used with the computer and didn’t even give it a second thought.
Parents, we must educate ourselves about what they look like, and be aware of whether our kids are experimenting with vaping. We need to talk to them about the risks and the side effects vaping can have on their growth and development, because even if they aren’t seeing any ill effects now, it doesn’t mean they won’t sneak up on them later.
Anything that’s risking our children’ brain development is worth the fight — it’s time to get in the know if you aren’t already.
This article was originally published on
Mwanangu mwenye umri wa miaka 15 na mimi tumezungumza juu ya kuvuta sigara mara nyingi vya kutosha kwangu kutambua (na kuamini) si kitu ambacho yeye na marafiki zake hufanya. Wanajua ukweli; wameona matangazo ya kutisha ambapo watu wamepoteza masanduku yao ya sauti na sehemu za uso wao kwa sababu ya kuvuta sigara. Hawataki kuhatarisha matokeo hayo. Lakini kuna kitu huko nje ambacho kimechukua nafasi yake: Vaping, pia inajulikana kama Juuling, au kutumia sigara ya elektroniki. Na kulingana na mwana wangu, zaidi ya nusu ya watu anaowajua hufanya hivyo kwa ukawaida. Nimemwuliza nini anafikiri rufaa ni na kama anaamini watoto umri wake si ufahamu wa hatari vaping inaweza kusababisha. "Wanasema ""Wana uhakika ni salama, njia salama zaidi kuliko kuvuta sigareti halisi.""Hiyo ni kwa sababu vaping ni mpya sana, na hit soko haraka sana, hakuna imekuwa muda wa kutosha au ushahidi wa kuunga mkono jinsi hatari ni, hasa kwa vijana wetu ambao bado ni kuendeleza na kukua." Ingawa hatari inaweza kuwa si sawa na vaping kama wao ni na sigara, haina maana itakuwa si kusababisha seti tofauti ya matatizo kwa watoto wetu, wala si chaguo bora kwa ajili ya matineja yetu. "Kulingana na makala katika CNN Health, "" Wataalamu wanasema teknolojia na kemia ya vaping inaweza kuwa tishio tofauti kabisa. "" Daktari Sharon Levy ni mkurugenzi wa programu ya matumizi ya dawa na ulevi wa vijana katika Hospitali ya Watoto ya Boston na amekuwa akisoma watoto ambao ni addicted kwa vaping na wanaonyesha dalili za "" nini inaonekana kuwa dalili za kisaikolojia mara chache kuonekana na sigareti ya jadi au miongoni mwa watu wazima. """ Ikiwa mtoto wako angejua hilo, najiuliza kama bado angeamini kwamba kuvuta sigareti ilikuwa chaguo salama zaidi. Hii inamaanisha nini kwa kijana ambaye ni mraibu wa vaping? (Hiyo kwa hakika haimaanishi kwamba tunataka watoto wetu kuacha vape na kuchukua sigara. ) "Kwanza, lazima tuelewe kwamba ""Jul"" moja, kifaa unachokitumia kwenye chapa ya sigara ya elektroniki unayotumia ambayo ina nikotini, ina kiasi sawa cha nikotini kama pakiti ya sigara, ""ripoti CNN." "Kwa hivyo wakati sigara za elektroniki zinaweza kuwa toleo ""sawa"" kwa watu wazima ambao wanajaribu kuacha kuvuta sigara za jadi, haionekani kuwa hivyo kwa vijana wetu kwa sababu ya ""jinsi watoto"" ubongo ni wired na kuendeleza, na vifaa vya kipekee kwa watoto. ""Levy ameona vijana ambao wameongeza wasiwasi na hawawezi kuzingatia kama matokeo ya ulevi wao wa vaping." Na hiyo ni mwanzo tu tangu vaping bado ni mpya sana kutambua nini athari za muda mrefu inaweza kuwa. "Lewy anasema: ""Hatujui ni kiasi gani cha nikotini kinaweza kuingia kwenye damu na ubongo, na pia tumesikia vijana wengine wakiripoti dalili za sumu ya nikotini kama vile maumivu ya kichwa na tumbo, ambayo anaamini ni kwa sababu nikotini katika sigara za elektroniki husababisha damu kufikia kiwango cha juu kuliko sigara za kawaida.""" Wakati wa kuvuta sigara, wewe si tu kuruhusu nikotini katika mtiririko wako wa damu, wewe pia ni kuchukua katika <unk> nikotini chumvi <unk> (nikotini mchanganyiko na asidi kikaboni) ambayo kufanya hizi e-sigareti mazuri zaidi kuvuta. Tatizo la chumvi ni kwamba inaweza kusababisha matatizo ya afya baadaye katika maisha ambayo hatujui chochote juu yake. "Kama matokeo ya uchunguzi wa hivi karibuni, ""kuongezeka kwa 80% katika vaping katika wanafunzi wa shule ya sekondari tangu Novemba 2017,"" ambayo ilikuwa nini kusababisha Food na Dawa Utawala kukandamiza matumizi ya vijana kwa kukataa kuruhusu baadhi ya ladha ya matunda kutoka rafu za vituo vya mafuta kama uchaguzi tamu (kama mango) walikuwa kuvutia vijana." "Wanafunzi wa masomo ya afya wanasema kuwa ""wakati vijana wanapoanza kutumia dawa za kulevya, kama vile nikotini, wanaweza kuathiri maendeleo ya ubongo, na kwa sababu hiyo, wazazi wanapaswa kuwa na wasiwasi kuhusu hatari za afya za vaping na idadi ya vijana wanaofanya hivyo.""" Nimezungumza na mama na baba wengi ambao waliona utaratibu wa kupumua wa mtoto wao na walidhani ni kitu kinachotumiwa na kompyuta na hawakutoa hata wazo la pili. Wazazi, ni lazima tujifunze juu ya jinsi wanavyoonekana, na kuwa na ufahamu ikiwa watoto wetu wanajaribu kutumia vaping. """Tunahitaji kuzungumza nao juu ya hatari na athari za upande ambazo vaping inaweza kuwa nazo kwa ukuaji wao na maendeleo, kwa sababu hata kama hawaoni athari mbaya sasa, haimaanishi hawatakuwa na wasiwasi baadaye." Kitu chochote ambacho kinahatarisha maendeleo ya ubongo wa watoto wetu ni thamani ya mapambano ni wakati wa kupata katika kujua kama wewe si tayari. Makala hii ilichapishwa awali kwenye