Teen and young adult vaping is an epidemic that needs urgent attention. On and around college campuses, it’s common to see people holding e-cigarettes. You might even own one. If you do, you should throw it out. You might be thinking that it’s not dangerous, like smoking or doing other drugs. But you’re wrong.

Don’t fall for the hype. Nicotine is detrimental no matter how it is delivered. A lot of people claim that vaping is a risk-free way to get nicotine, but no matter the method, nicotine is still harmful to peoples’ health. Some people try to argue that vaping without nicotine is completely safe, but nicotine isn’t the only harmful substance in e-cigarettes.

The reality is that most people don’t know what they’re putting into their bodies when they vape. In fact, most people don’t know much about e-cigarettes in general.

Juuls are available at gas stations, online and vape and tobacco shops, and are easily concealed. The devices retail for as cheap as $35, and one pack, which includes four pods, is only $16. Juuls are accessible, easy to use and cheap, and as a result, many children and teenagers have started using them — in classrooms, school restrooms and on campuses.

Because the vaping industry is relatively new, scientists are still learning about how vaping affects people’s health, especially when used for long periods of time. The debate on the pros and cons of vaping, and whether vaping is bad for people is still ongoing, but the scales seem to be tilting.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are currently reviewing 450 possible cases linked to vaping across 33 states. Patients have experienced difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and chest pain, and some have reported vomiting, fever and fatigue. At least six people have died from a mysterious lung illness.

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A Syracuse University student is even suing Juul after he experienced a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body, caused him to lose half his vision in both eyes and led to cognitive impairments and brain damage. The student claims e-cigarettes played a significant role in his injuries.

In the past year, the use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in popularity across the nation. The 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which asked students whether they have used a variety of tobacco products, showed that current e-cigarette use for high school students went from 11.7% in 2017 to 20.8% in 2018. Current e-cigarette use for middle school student went from 0.6% in 2017 to 4.9%.

There needs to be more education on the dangers of e-cigarettes for middle and high school students — intervention and action years before the medical fallout hits. Without proper education, young adults won’t ever truly understand the consequences of vaping. Every school should have a curriculum that provides information on vaping, including the various destructive chemicals found in vaping pods.

“Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes can contain harmful ingredients, including ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavorings such as diacetyl — a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds; heavy metals, such as nickel, tin and lead,” said Joseph Ditre, an associate professor of psychology in SU’s College of Arts & Sciences.

Many people aren’t aware that e-cigarettes contain more than just water vapor. The Truth Initiative, America’s largest nonprofit public health organization and a strong critic of e-cigarettes, found that 63% of 15- to 24-year-olds did not realize that Juul products contain nicotine.

Educating the public is the most important step to success, as it can change behavior. Elevating public awareness allows for common understandings of what e-cigarettes are and the risks they present.

Electronic cigarettes may be a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes for people who are struggling to quit smoking, but they are in no way overall healthy or safe for people to use.

Vaping sets a precedent for adolescents to believe that vaping is a safe, healthy thing to do. Adolescents look up to adults, especially college students, and learn from what they do. It’s your personal responsibility to make sure your actions don’t have a negative impact on others.

Right now, SU students are only contributing to this vaping epidemic when they should be trying to end it. This crisis can’t be solved by the government or health officials. The only way to solve the current vaping crisis is for adults to take personal responsibility for their actions. Throw out your Juul.

Jenna Wirth is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at jwirth@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter @jenna__wirth.

Published on September 11, 2019 at 9:51 pm