11/16/2017
Teen Use of E-ci******es and Va**ng Devices is an Emerging Concern
Towns across Massachusetts have seen a recent increase in teen use of e-ci******es and other devices used for “va**ng”. E-ci******es have become very popular with young people and their use has grown dramatically in the last five years. Today, more high school students use e-ci******es than regular ci******es. The use of e-ci******es is higher among high school students than adults.
Want more information?
Information for parents:
https://e-ci******es.surgeongeneral.gov/
https://www.cdc.gov/to***co/data_statistics/sgr/e-ci******es/index.htm
https://drugfree.org/article/risk-factors-why-teens-use/
Information geared toward teens:
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/e-ci******es.html ***co
http://concordcarlisle.getsh101.com/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-va**ng
What is va**ng?
Va**ng is the act of inhaling a v***r produced by an electronic v***rizer or e-cigarette. E-ci******es create an aerosol by using a battery to heat up liquid that usually contains ni****ne, flavorings, and other additives. Users inhale this aerosol into their lungs.
The liquids that are v***rized come in many different flavors and often smell fruity. E-juice, also called e-liquid, is the primary material used in v***rizers, and consists of a PG (propylene glycol) and VG (vegetable glycerin) base, flavorings, and may or may not contain ni****ne. E-ci******es come in over 8,000 different flavors including cinnamon roll, marshmallow, bubblegum, peach schnapps, java jolt, piña colada, lemonade, etc. Flavors are the leading reason that youth often begin using e-ci******es.
Vaporizers can also be used to deliver cannabinoids such as ma*****na, other drugs, and waxy concentrates and dry herbs. Different v***rizers support the va**ng of different materials. For example, e-liquids v***rizers have a cartridge or tank, while a dry herb v***rizer will have a heating chamber. Multipurpose v***rizers allow the user to v**e different materials simply by switching cartridges. Using a v***rizer rarely produces any smell (except perhaps a fruity odor associated with flavored e-juice) so it is often difficult to detect when and what a teen has been va**ng.
Vaporizers/e-ci******es come in all different shapes. Some common styles look like a thick pen, a stylus for an iPad, a flash drive, or a small flask with a round chimney coming off the top. The devices are very small and can easily be hidden on a person or blend in with normal backpack items.
What are the health risks of va**ng?
E-ci******es typically contain ni****ne as well as other chemicals that are known to damage health. Users risk exposing their respiratory systems to potentially harmful chemicals in e-ci******es. Long-term health effects on users and bystanders are still unknown. Besides ni****ne, e-ci******es can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including:
ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
flavorants such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease volatile organic compounds heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead
No matter how it's delivered, ni****ne is harmful for youth and young adults. Adolescent years are times of important brain development which begins in childhood and continues to about age 25. Ni****ne exposure during adolescence and young adulthood can cause addiction and harm the developing brain. Youth and young adults are uniquely at risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposing their developing brains to ni****ne. These risks include ni****ne addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control. Ni****ne also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning (U.S. Surgeon General 2016).
It is important to recognize that e-ci******es and other va**ng devices are not yet regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the long-term health effects to users and bystanders are still unknown. Due to the lack of regulation, the chemical compounds in these device and e-liquids can vary between brands and do not have to be disclosed by manufacturers.
What is the scope of the problem?
In Massachusetts, almost 24% of high-school students reported using e-ci******es, and nearly 50% have tried them at least once. More high school youth used e-ci******es than all other to***co products combined, and they used them nine times more often than adults.
The 2016 Concord-Carlisle Youth Risk Behavior Survey results show that 2% of eighth graders report having used an electronic cigarette (va**ng) at least once during the thirty days prior to the survey. As students enter high school, the incidence of this behavior increases each year by grade: Grade 9 – 5%, Grade 10 – 11%, Grade 11 – 23%, Grade 12 – 25% and is higher among males (female-- 11%, males – 21%).
E-ci******es are a 2.5 billion dollar business in the United States. As of 2014, the e-cigarette industry spent $125 million a year to advertise their products and uses many of the techniques that made traditional ci******es such a popular consumer product.
