Earlier this year, Allegheny County Council voted to ban the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in local restaurants, stores, schools, sports stadiums and public buildings (the same places tobacco use is banned). But what are e-cigarettes exactly? And why is their use being regulated?
E-cigarettes use a small heating coil to convert a liquid containing nicotine, flavorings and propylene glycol into an aerosol mist that is inhaled. Together with e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah and e-cigars, these devices are known collectively as electronic nicotine delivery systems. Because e-cigarettes are not fully regulated by the government, their ingredients are not always known. But according to the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, aerosol from e-cigarettes is known to contain harmful compounds like nicotine, benzene, lead, tar, formaldehyde, ultrafine particles, and diacetyl, a flavoring chemical linked to serious lung disease. When heated, chemicals like diacetyl can break down and turn into toxic compounds like formaldehyde, which is known to be a carcinogen (something that causes cancer).
A common perception of e-cigarettes is that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. More research needs to be done to determine whether this is true. Regardless, some tobacco users use them as a way to wean themselves off of traditional cigarettes. But like traditional cigarettes, research shows that the nicotine in e-cigarettes is also addictive. It can cause changes in the smokers’ brains, especially in young people, that make them more likely to become addicted. Long-term nicotine exposure also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart rate and blood pressure. Studies show that even e-cigarettes labeled as nicotine-free leave traces of nicotine in users’ blood samples.
People who choose not to use e-cigarettes can still be exposed to the dangers of secondhand aerosol. Secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes has many of the same effects as secondhand smoke. In 2016, a U.S. Surgeon General’s report concluded that e-cigarette aerosol is not harmless and contains chemicals known to be carcinogens.
The liquid in e-cigarettes has become a household hazard. E-liquid can be candy- or fruit-flavored and packaged in a way that is appealing to young children. Cases of nicotine poisoning in young children have skyrocketed. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that the accidental ingestion of e-liquid rose by 1,500 percent from 2013 to 2016. Even small doses can be deadly, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. For a child, a deadly dose is 10 mg, which is about two teaspoons of e-liquid.
Another concern about e-cigarettes is how their use has increased among young people. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that between 2011 and 2015, e-cigarette use among high school students increased by 900 percent, with more teens now using e-cigarettes than cigarettes. This is a problem because nicotine is known to impair brain development in young people. E-cigarettes can be easier for adolescents to purchase and are often advertised to young people in more attractive ways than traditional cigarettes.
“E-cigarettes are not subject to many laws that regulate traditional cigarettes, such as age limits on sales, taxation and labeling requirements,” said Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD, dean, University Honors College; Bernice L. and Morton S. Lerner Professor; professor of medicine and of pediatrics, School of Medicine; and director, Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health. “They also come in youth-oriented flavorings that laws have limited in traditional cigarettes, such as apple, bubble gum and chocolate candy cane.”
Dr. Primack’s research has shown that e-cigarettes may lead to smoking traditional cigarettes among young people. For example, he found that nonsmokers who started using e-cigarettes were nearly four times as likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes within one year.
Researchers plan further study into the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use.
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
