The use of e-cigarettes is the common denominator
among 153 cases of severe lung injury, primarily in adolescents and young
adults, reported by 16 U.S. states since June 28.
Just days after announcing an investigation into
links between vaping and severe lung disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said that there are now 153 suspected cases across the
country — most involving adolescents and young adults.
The recent rise of vaping among adolescents has
sparked alarm among health professionals, who have raised concerns about health
and addiction risks and called out e-cigarette companies for promoting the
products to youth. On August 21, the CDC confirmed that it was helping state health
officials look into the cases, reported since June 28 across 16 U.S. states.
The cases have not yet been tied to a specific type of product or vaping
liquid.
Studies have shown numerous health harms from
vaping. But because vaping technology was introduced only about a decade ago in
the United States, the long-term health effects are still unclear. Here is some
of what we about how vaping impacts the lungs and how e-cigarettes have become
more popular among U.S. teens.
Vaping can harm
lungs
All of the 153 patients under investigation had used
e-cigarettes before experiencing symptoms including shortness of breath and
chest pain. Their lung illnesses became so severe that the patients eventually
had to be hospitalized.
This development is not entirely surprising, given
evidence from studies showing that e-cig use can lead to chronic respiratory
symptoms and more severe asthma in teenagers (SN Online: 8/2/19). When an
e-cigarette heats chemicals including nicotine, flavor compounds and solvents
(SN: 8/20/16, p. 12), it creates a toxic stew that can impair lung function,
researchers say. Flavor compounds, though approved for consumption, have not
been tested for safety when inhaled.
Many of the 153 patients also reported recent vaping
of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Less
research has been done on the impact of vaping marijuana on the lungs, though
the American Lung Association suspects that it may produce respiratory health
effects similar to what has been seen with typical e-cigarette use.
Vaping is
increasingly popular among youths
Last year, 1 in 5 high schoolers reported recent
e-cig use — a 78 percent jump over the previous year, according to the National
Youth Tobacco Survey (SN: 12/22/18, p. 28). That startling rise prompted the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration to restrict the sale of certain flavors that
appeal to young people (SN Online: 11/16/18).
The popularity of e-cigarettes has put a new
generation of teenagers at risk of nicotine addiction, researchers say, many of
whom may never have tried traditional cigarettes in the first place. Nicotine
harms brain development, which is ongoing until about the age of 25.
As for using marijuana products in e-cigarettes, the
most recent data are from 2016, when more than 2 million middle school and high
school students — or about 1 in 11 — reported vaping marijuana (SN Online:
9/17/18). With THC, researchers are particularly concerned about the potency,
as the concentration of this substance in vaporized oils and waxes can be up to
30 times as high as in dried marijuana. This could also put young users at risk
of addiction.
E-cigarette
companies use ads that appeal to youth
While traditional cigarette companies aren’t allowed
to tailor advertisements and products toward luring kids, that hasn’t been the
case for e-cigarette companies. The celebrities, cartoon characters and sweet
flavors in vaping ads have played a part in stoking popularity among youth (SN
Online: 3/27/18).
In a study of nearly 7,000 adolescents who had never
used a tobacco product, those who had remembered seeing or liking an
e-cigarette ad were 1.6 times as likely to be interested in trying vaping or to
actually vape compared with kids who didn’t recall the ads.
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cdc-vaping-e-cigarettes-hospitalizations-153-cases-lung-injuries
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