The Dangers of Nicotine Vaping

E-Cigarettes have been touted as a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes for years. When they first came on the market, e-cigarettes were advertised as a tool to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. A growing body of evidence is challenging this narrative, and instead suggests that e-cigarettes can and do cause harm both physically and physiologically.

Physical Effects

Using e-cigarettes means inhaling harmful chemicals, and has been linked to a variety of health conditions. In fact, a recent study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences determined that e-cigarettes expose users to a variety of toxic metals, including arsenic and lead (U.S. Department of Health, 2022). In one study of 250 e-cigarette smokers, researchers found significant differences in the levels of metals present in participant’s blood, urine, and saliva compared to non-smokers (U.S. Department of Health, n.d.). Several health conditions have been from been linked to e-cigarette use, including the development of popcorn lung, COPD, asthma, and cardiopulmonary diseases (U.S. Department of Health, n.d.).

Physiological Effects

Nicotine increases the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that causes feelings of pleasure and boosts a persons mood (Mayo Foundation, 2022). As you consume nicotine, your brain gets used to it, and will require more and more nicotine to get the same dopamine release. While it’s common knowledge that nicotine is extremely addictive, many people aren’t aware of the difference in nicotine levels between traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

E-Cigarettes first appeared in the U.S. in 2006, and by 2015 developers had doubled the amount of nicotine in them, making them more addictive than ever (U.S. Department of Health, n.d.). Perhaps even more insidiously, the addition of flavors to e-cigarettes has made them popular among middle and high school kids - in fact, the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that over 2 million middle and high school children used e-cigarettes, and over 50% of them used the flavored variety (U.S. Department of Health, n.d.).

References

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, April 19). Nicotine dependence. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nicotine-dependence/symptoms-causes/syc-20351584

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022, February). E-cigarettes expose users to toxic metals such as arsenic, lead (environmental factor, February 2022). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2022/2/feature/3-feature-e-cigarettes-and-toxic-metals

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Smoking and vaping. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/smoke/index.cfm