Category Archives: Vaping

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Vaping burns are rare, but they can be serious, according to the FDA, especially if the device catches on fire while in the owners pocket. Heres what you should know if you get burned by a vape pen or e-cigarette.

Julie Ann Caffrey, D.O., M.S., assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and director of the Burn Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, notes that vape burns are getting more attention among burn professionals. She adds that the injuries are probably underreported.

Caffrey says, The majority of patients that our team has seen with these types of injuries have been treated with local wound care. However, a smaller number have required surgery to heal their burn wounds, including surgical excision and skin grafting.

Vape burns can happen suddenly. For minor burns (those smaller than the size of a quarter), Caffrey suggests a cool compress (not ice). Then, each day, gently cleanse the area with mild soap and water and apply a layer of antibacterial (first aid) ointment and a clean, non-stick bandage.

Watch for signs of infection, such as fever, and call your doctor if you notice increasing redness, swelling or pain, or if there is a yellowish or foul-smelling discharge from the burn.

If a burn has the following features, Caffrey urges patients to seek medical help right away:

If youre with a person whos been burned and waiting for help:

Smoking electronic cigarettes is often considered safer than regular smoking. Learn why vaping is still harmful, and why you should rethink taking it up.

If your clothes catch fire, remember the STOP, DROP and ROLL rule: Smother flames as quickly as possible by dropping to the floor where you are, covering your face, and rolling over and over, focusing on the area thats burning.

Do not run or wave your arms, and dont wrap yourself up in anything that could catch fire.

If theres a fire extinguisher nearby, use it. Immediately cool the area with water and make sure the fire hasnt spread.

Vaping and e-cigarettes are sometimes promoted as ways to help cigarette smokers quit. But what about the reverse? Can vaping lead to regular cigarette smoking later on?

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How to Treat a Burn from a Vape Pen | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Marketers are targeting teens with cheap and addictive vapes: 9 ways to stem rising rates of youth vaping  The Conversation

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Marketers are targeting teens with cheap and addictive vapes: 9 ways to stem rising rates of youth vaping - The Conversation

Vaping gets a lot of bad press. Although we hear occasional positive reports about the health benefits of electronic cigarettes, theyre generally overwhelmed by coverage of hypothetical risks and exaggerated dangers. Its not easy to find the facts about vaping.

Recently, 15 past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) co-authored a paper in the American Journal of Public Health arguing that vapings potential positive effect on public health is being ignored or twisted by powerful interests and lobbying groups.

Even top scientists and researchers in relevant fields are ignored when their research doesnt align with the popular message (that vaping is just as bad smoking, if not worse). That makes things really confusing!

This article can bring some clarity and simplicity to the topic with a healthy dose of real-world advantages. So what are the actual pros and cons of vaping? Lets get to it.

1. Its safer than smoking: The British Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England, and American National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, all agree that vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes. PHE says vaping is at least 95% less harmful. Because there is no combustion in vaping, there is no smoke, and smoke is what creates the tar and carbon monoxide that lead to most of the long-term health damage from smoking. The health benefits of being smoke-free include improved lung and heart function, and even better senses of smell and taste.

2. No noxious odors: One of the biggest advantages of vaping is that you and your clothes, house and car wont smell of smoke anymore. Vaping has an aroma, but its a long way from the smell of stale smoke and cigarette butts. In fact, even tobacco-flavored vapes dont smell anything like burning tobacco. To a lot of people, the smell of vapor is barely noticeable. You might even get compliments!

3. Control over nicotine intake: Vaping gives you full control over your nicotine dosage. E-juice is available in a variety of strengths, ranging from nicotine-free to high-strength nicotine. You can choose exactly how much nicotine is in your vapeor use no nicotine at all. Most vapers tend to start off with high nicotine levels and gradually work their way down to lower strengths, or even eliminate nicotine completely.

4. Control over vapor output: Vaping gives you control over the amount of vapor you exhale, which is a major part of the experience. Some vapers prefer smaller devices like pod vapes for convenience and low vapor volume, and others like high-powered mods for cloud chasing. Adjusting the power output, airflow, and coil type lets you further fine tune your vapor volume, which affects the flavor too. You can be subtle and stealthy, or as showy as you like, depending on how you choose to vape.

5. Flavors for every palate: There are virtually endless flavor options to choose from in e-juice. Some of the most popular flavor categories are fruit, desserts, beverages, mint and menthol, and tobacco. And if you dont like whats available commercially, you can make your own vape juice!

6. Instant satisfaction: Although advanced vapes may require initial tinkering, there are lots of simpler products that come prefilled and ready to use. Either way, once the vape is ready, taking a hit is as simple as pushing a button or drawing on the device (some have an automatic draw). While all vaping devices need a charged battery and e-juice to continue working, the average vape can sustain you throughout the day with no maintenance or upkeep.

7. Price points for every wallet: The vaping market is large and competitive. There are lots of products in every price rangefrom 10 dollars to hundredsthat can suit almost any user. Whether you want a simple disposable e-cig, or a sophisticated vape mod and premium e-liquid, theres a vape out there that you can start using today.

8. No experience needed: Sure, you can make a hobby of collecting vaping gear or learning how to build your own coils, but you can also have a great vaping experience immediately as a beginner. Between beginner starter kits and simple pod vapes, there are lots of quality vaping products that require no previous experience.

9. Access and availability: These days, you can find good vapor products in vape shops, convenience stores, gas stations, and even smoke shops. There are also online vape shops that will ship vaping products right to your front door.

1. Too many choices: To a new vaper, or a smoker considering a change, the endless options presented by the vaping market can be overwhelming. With cigarettes, you choose a brand and light up, but with vaping there are literally millions of possible choices. Thats why its best to point the vape-curious toward easy-to-use products with simple instructions to get started, and then to good sources of further information (vape shops, forums, experienced vapers) as new vapers learn the finer points.

2. The vape learning curve: Maybe the biggest danger for a new vaper is buying a product that requires specialized knowledge. Often they wind up confused and frustrated, and regret trying to switch to vaping. Again, there is no need for a long learning curve! Simple starter products are almost always the best first choice.

3. Potential health risks: Its true that vaping is too new for us to understand every potential risk it could pose. But if youre using vaping to stay off cigarettes, you can rest easier knowing that youve distanced yourself from the well-documented dangers of smoking. The substances in cigarette smoke that make it uniquely harmful are either entirely absent from e-cig vapor or only present in tiny amounts. That makes it much safer for vapers, and also for bystanders subject to secondhand vapor.

4. Vapers face smoking stigma: For almost 60 years, tobacco control has focused on smoking denormalization, which is just a fancy word for stigmatizing smoking and smokers. Now the same drug war-style campaign to dehumanize people who smoke is being turned against vapers too. Because vaping looks like smoking to people who do neither, smokers who switch to safer vaping products are often disheartened to discover they face the same stigmatization, rooted in ignorance, fear and intolerance.

5. Vaping is perceived as a youth problem: Because of the endless news stories about a teen vaping epidemic, older smokers may shy away from vaping as a way to quit smoking. The fact is that adults of every age vapeand the legal age to buy vapes is 21but for those coming to e-cigarettes now, soon after the JUUL panic era, it may not be easy to separate the harm reduction benefits of vaping from the adolescent fad perception.

6. Nicotine misinformation: Nicotine is probably as misunderstood as any drug in the world. Its really just a mild stimulant that has effects similar to caffeine. But because its history is inevitably tied to smokinga highly dangerous delivery mechanismnicotine has a terrible reputation. Nicotine doesnt cause cancer or heart disease, but many people mix up the effects of nicotine and smoking, including doctors that regularly treat lifelong smokers. Nicotine actually can offer health benefits for many users.

7. Restrictive laws and rules: Based mostly on the vaping epidemic promoted by anti-vaping organizations, vaping has become a ripe target for laws and regulations that reduce vaping choices, availability and cost. More than half of American states have taxes on vaping products, and Congress recently passed a law banning U.S. Postal Service delivery of vaping products. Some states have banned vape products in flavors other than tobacco.

8. FDA regulations may eliminate vaping choices: The biggest government threat to vaping may be the Food and Drug Administrations Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) process. Manufacturers wishing to keep their products on the market were forced last fall to submit complex applications to prove the products are appropriate for the protection of public health. Experts believe the FDA will use the PMTA process to wipe many of the best vaping products off the market. (Cigarettes were grandfathered onto the market without having to submit PMTAs, by the way.)

9. Finding the truth about vaping isnt easy: Vaping is a disruptive technology that threatens the tobacco industry, but it also threatens the powerful anti-smoking industry. It can be very hard for a smoker or new vaper to separate the lies from the truth about vaping, since these powerful foes advance their narratives in every kind of news outlet and even through allied federal agencies. Because there are lots of frightening stories about vaping. Its easy to get scared away.

By now you should have a better understanding about the pros and cons of vaping. There are a number of points on both sides. But if you consider that vaping is an alternative to smoking, it should be obvious that its the best choice of the two. Although vaping is not the only way to combat cigarette addiction, all the other choices have pros and cons as well.

Vaping is successful because it offers nicotine and a smoking-like experience, but without the combustion products that make smoking deadly. But vaping isnt perfect, and its not the answer for everyone. Whatever you decide, at least do it with a clear sense of the benefits and the downsides of vaping.

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9 Pros and Cons of Vaping to Know Before Starting - Vaping360

The rising popularity of vaping has been dramatic, especially amongteenagers. According toa 2019 study, about 37% of high school seniors reported vaping in 2018, up from 28% the year before. An estimated 2.1 million middle school and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2017; that numberjumped to 3.6 million in 2018. A more recent survey found that among high school seniors, more than 40% had tried e-cigarettes. Certainly, age restrictions its illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under 21 (18 or 19 in some states) arent preventing use among teens and young adults. And more than nine million adults 18 or older use e-cigarettes, according toa 2020 survey by the CDC.

E-cigarettes use a battery-powered device that heats a liquid to form vapors or, more accurately, aerosol that the user can inhale (thus "vaping"). These devices heat up various flavorings, nicotine, marijuana, or other potentially harmful substances. Nicotine is addictive, of course. And while that fact is prominently displayed in advertising, we know from experience with regular cigarettes that warnings dont always work!

You may have seen news reports of sudden and severe lung problems, including deaths, linked to vaping. This condition is called e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury, or EVALI.

According to the CDC:

Its not entirely clear how often vaping might lead to lung trouble or who is at highest risk. For example, are lung problems more common among vapers who already have breathing problems (such as asthma) or who smoke other substances, such as regular cigarettes or marijuana? Is it more common among younger individuals?

The tragic and alarming cases of severe lung disease are clearly cause for concern. A number of other health effects are also worrisome:

How vaping affects ouroverallhealth is uncertain. However, there appears to be ample evidence that vaping is not "95% less harmful than smoking" as some have claimed.

In addition to whatever enjoyment vaping brings, some evidence suggestsvaping helps some people stop smoking (though other evidence suggests otherwise). How it compares to a nicotine patch or other methods of smoking cessation is not clear. So far, the FDA has not approved vaping as a method of smoking cessation. And many smokers who vapecontinue to use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

The true balance between the benefits and risks of vaping remains impossible to assess. We dont always know whats in e-cigarettes. The FDA, which is responsible for authorizing or approving tobacco products, authorized marketing of a few e-cigarette products in 2021 and has denied many others; but, as noted by the agency, these actions "do not mean these products are safe or FDA approved." And, there is no information available about their long-term health impact.

Perhaps vaping should be viewed as a "lesser of evils" for current cigarette smokers. Still, its clear that there is a lot about vaping we dont know. One way well learn more is by people reporting possible vaping-related health problems to the FDA you canlet them knowif youve had such problems.

Until we know more, think twice about vaping. Federal and state authorities recommend avoiding all vaping until more is known. If you do decide to vape, avoid e-cigarettes bought "off the street" and stick with brand name e-cigarette products without modification (such as adding marijuana or other drugs).

These cases of severe lung disease among people who vape raise important questions about the safety of vaping. Perhaps we shouldnt be surprised that lung problems might develop in people who vape: our lungs were meant to inhale clean air and nothing else. It took many years to recognize the damage cigarettes can cause. We could be on a similar path with vaping.

Image: arkela/Getty Images

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Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and dont) know

The safety and long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes or other vaping products still arent well known. In September 2019, federal and state health authorities began investigating an outbreak of a severe lung disease associated with e-cigarettes and other vaping products. Were closely monitoring the situation and will update our content as soon as more information is available.

Over the past decade, marijuana laws have continued to change across the United States.

What was once vilified as a potentially dangerous gateway drug is now being recognized by many states (33 plus Washington, D.C., to be exact) as having medicinal properties that can help manage a range of health conditions, from anxiety and cancer to chronic pain and more.

Marijuana is now also recreationally legal in 11 of those 33 states. (Note that marijuana is still classified as illegal by the U.S. federal government.)

In states where marijuana is legal, its being sold mostly in three different ways:

If you live in a state where marijuana is legal, you might be wondering how best to consume it, especially in light of recent federal investigations into the safety of vaping.

Heres what we know.

For decades, health experts warned the public about the dangers of inhaling tobacco smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

For marijuana, some research suggests some compounds in it, known as cannabinoids, may have a few benefits.

One of the more well-known cannabinoids is called CBD. For this reason, some people believe smoking marijuana is less dangerous than smoking tobacco.

Cannabinoids, such as CBD, are different from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical in marijuana that gets a person high.

Inhaling smoke of any kind whether its cannabinoid-containing weed or tobacco or another substance is bad for lung health, according to the American Lung Association.

Most marijuana users hold smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers, putting them at greater risk for exposure to tar which is harmful to the lungs.

Some negative health effects associated with chronic weed smoking include:

Vaping marijuana involves inhaling heated oil through a vaporizing device, often referred to as an e-cigarette. Vaping marijuana can also refer to using a vaporizer, such as a Volcano, to produce vapor from dried plant material.

Some people believe vaping is safer than smoking because it doesnt involve inhaling smoke. But the reality is, when it comes to vaping marijuana, theres much less known about the negative health effects.

The most recent research suggests vaping THC oil could be quite harmful to lung health. The greatest concern at the moment is the severe effects of inhaling vitamin E acetate. This additive chemical has been found in many vaping products that contain THC.

As of Dec. 27, 2019, nearly 2,561 cases of lung injury (EVALI) caused by inhalation of vitamin E acetate, or popcorn lung, have been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) and have led to 55 deaths during that time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some of the people affected by vaping illnesses include children.

The CDC recommends people avoid using e-cigarettes and vaping products, particularly those containing THC oil, because theyre likely to contain vitamin E acetate.

Early research shows vaping liquids and oils even once can harm your lungs. Because vaping is new and hasnt been well studied, there could be harmful effects of vaping that arent yet known.

Some states with legal marijuana are proactively warning marijuana users that vaping liquids has been known to cause severe lung injuries and death.

To stay up to date on the latest vaping-related illness news, check the CDC website for regular updates.

There are several ways to smoke marijuana:

When people vape, they consume concentrated marijuana. It seems to be a much more potent delivery system than smoking. In other words, youll get more high from vaping than from smoking.

Researchers have determined that the effects of vaping marijuana are much stronger than smoking.

In one study, researchers found that first-time and infrequent marijuana users were more likely to experience adverse reactions from the enhanced delivery of THC caused by vaping when compared to smoking.

Both smoking and vaping have an almost immediate effect on the body. Their effects peak within 10 to 15 minutes.

Most experts recommend starting vaping or smoking very slowly, taking in a small amount at first and waiting 20 to 30 minutes before having more.

Because the harmful effects of smoking are well known and the health effects of vaping are unknown (and possibly very serious), its understandable that you might want to seek an alternative way to use marijuana.

If youre looking to consume marijuana in the least risky way, ingesting it might be the way to go.

Edible marijuana products, or edibles, can be any food or beverage. They include, but arent limited to:

Keep in mind that ingesting marijuana doesnt have an immediate effect. Having too much can lead to adverse physical and mental reactions, such as:

But when eaten in moderation, edibles seem to have no apparent harmful health effects.

Eating raw marijuana wont have the same effects on the body as consuming marijuana-based products prepared correctly. Marijuana has to be heated in order for its chemical compounds to be activated. Cooking it can do that.

It can take up to 2 hours for the effects of ingested marijuana to hit and around 3 hours for them to peak. Effects are often long lasting anywhere from 6 to 8 hours.

For this reason, its important to start slowly. Consume a very small amount if youre ingesting marijuana for the first time. For example, a common dose for edibles is 10 milligrams of THC. If youre just starting out, opt for 2 to 5 milligrams of THC.

If you seek the purported beneficial health effects of marijuana without the high, you may want to seek out CBD oil and products that contain it. Note: the CDC does not recommend vaping any liquid, including CBD oil.

Note, however, that CBD products arent regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If you do buy them, its important to do so from a reputable distributor.

While more research on the effects of consuming marijuana is needed, it appears we can conclude that smoking any substance including marijuana is generally not good for you.

New research suggests vaping liquids may also be detrimental to health and can cause serious problems, including death. So, it seems the least harmful way of consuming marijuana may be to eat it.

However, researchers note that long-term marijuana use and THC exposure may increase the risk of psychosis and mental health disorders.

If you want to get the health benefits of marijuana with the least amount of risks, it seems CBD products might be the way to go though you wont get high from using them.

Is CBD legal?The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the legal definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. This made some hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3 percent THC federally legal. However, CBD products containing more than 0.3 percent THC still fall under the legal definition of marijuana, making them federally illegal but legal under some state laws. Be sure to check state laws, especially when traveling. Also, keep in mind that the FDA has not approved nonprescription CBD products, and some products may be inaccurately labeled.

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Vaping vs. Smoking Weed: Is One Safer? - Healthline

Vaping has risks, regardless of what you vape. Starting to use e-cigarettes, or switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, increases your risk of devastating health effects. The safest option, according to the American Cancer Society, is to avoid both vaping and smoking altogether.

Research into the health effects of vaping is ongoing, and it may take some time before we understand the long-term risks.

Heres what we currently know about the effects of vaping fluids with and without nicotine, as well as vaping marijuana or CBD oil.

Preliminary research suggests vaping poses risks to heart health.

The authors of a 2019 review point out that e-liquid aerosols contain particulates, oxidizing agents, aldehydes, and nicotine. When inhaled, these aerosols most likely affect the heart and circulatory system.

A 2018 report from the National Academies Press (NAP) found significant evidence that taking a puff from a nicotine e-cigarette triggers an increase in heart rate.

The authors also described moderate evidence suggesting that taking a puff from an e-cigarette increases blood pressure. Both could affect heart health over the long term.

A 2019 study assessed data from a nationwide survey of nearly 450,000 participants and found no significant association between e-cigarette use and heart disease.

However, they did find that people who smoked both conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes were more likely to have heart disease.

Another 2019 study based on the same nationwide survey found that e-cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of a stroke, heart attack, angina, and heart disease.

The authors of 2018 study used data from a different national health survey to come to a similar conclusion: Daily vaping is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, even when other lifestyle factors are taken into consideration.

Finally, a 2017 review of the cardiovascular effects of vaping indicates that e-cigarettes may pose certain risks to the heart and circulatory system, notably for people who already have some form of heart disease.

However, the researchers concluded that, overall, vaping is thought to be less harmful to the heart than smoking cigarettes.

Some studies suggest that vaping may have negative effects on the lungs, but more research is needed.

In particular, a 2015 study examined the effects of flavored e-juices on both human lung cells and lung cells in mice.

The researchers reported a number of adverse effects on both types of cells, including toxicity, oxidation, and inflammation. However, these results arent necessarily generalizable to vaping in real life.

A 2018 study assessed the lung function of 10 people who had never smoked cigarettes immediately after vaping fluids either with or without nicotine.

The researchers concluded that vaping both with and without nicotine disrupts normal lung function in otherwise healthy people.

However, this study had a small sample size, which means the results may not apply to everyone.

The same 2018 report from the NAP found that theres some evidence that e-cigarette exposure has adverse effects on the respiratory system, but that additional studies are required to understand the extent to which vaping contributes to respiratory diseases.

Finally, lung health effects are not expected to be seen for 20 to 30 years. This is why it took as long as it did for the negative health effects of cigarettes to be widely recognized. The full magnitude of effects of toxic e-cigarette ingredients may not be known for another 3 decades.

Vaping appears to have a number of negative effects on oral health.

For instance, a 2018 study reported that exposure to e-cigarette aerosol makes teeth surfaces more prone to developing bacteria. The authors concluded that vaping may increase the risk of cavities.

Another study from 2016 suggests that vaping is associated with gum inflammation, a known factor in the development of periodontal diseases.

Similarly, a 2014 review reported that vaping may trigger irritation in the gums, mouth, and throat.

Finally, the same NAP report from 2018 concluded theres some evidence that both nicotine and nicotine-free e-cigarettes can damage oral cells and tissues in people who dont smoke cigarettes.

The 2018 report from NAP found substantial evidence that vaping causes cell dysfunction, oxidative stress, and damage to DNA.

Some of these cellular changes have been linked to the development of cancer over the long term, though theres currently no evidence to suggest that vaping causes cancer.

Vaping may also have specific adverse effects on certain groups, particularly young people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that vaping with nicotine can permanently affect brain development in people under the age of 25.

Its possible that we dont yet know all the physical effects of vaping.

The long-term effects of smoking cigarettes are well-documented, and include an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and lung cancer.

According to the CDC, cigarette smoking causes nearly 1 out of every 5 deaths in the United States.

Vaping might appear to be a less risky choice for people who are trying to quit smoking. However, that doesnt mean there arent risks involved, even if the vape liquid is nicotine-free.

There is limited evidence to date of the long-term effects of vaping, because we know the lung effects of vaping will take decades to develop. But based on the experience with cigarettes, similar adverse health effects including COPD, heart disease, and cancer can be expected.

Secondhand exposure to e-cigarette vapor is said to be less toxic than secondhand exposure to cigarette smoke. However, secondhand vapor is still a form of air pollution that probably poses health risks.

According to the 2018 NAP report, secondhand vapor contains nicotine, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at concentrations that are above recommended levels.

More research needs to be done to understand the long-term health effects of secondhand exposure to e-cigarette vapor.

Juuling refers to vaping with a specific e-cigarette brand. It carries the same health risks as vaping.

A Juul is a thin, rectangular e-cigarette that can be charged in a USB port.

The e-liquid comes in a cartridge called a Juulpod or J-pod, and it usually contains nicotine.

Vaping is not safe, with or without nicotine. But vaping nicotine-containing products further increases the risk of addiction.

Nicotine dependence is one of the major risks of vaping with nicotine. A 2015 study suggests that people who vape with nicotine are more likely to become dependent on nicotine than people who vape without nicotine.

Vaping with nicotine is especially risky for young people. Young people who vape with nicotine are more likely to start smoking cigarettes in the future.

However, e-cigarettes still pose health risks, even without nicotine.

Nicotine-free e-juice contains a number of potentially toxic chemicals, such as base liquids and flavoring agents.

Studies suggest that nicotine-free vaping can irritate the respiratory system, cause cell death, trigger inflammation, and harm blood vessels.

More research needs to be done in order to understand the side effects of nicotine-free vaping.

If you vape marijuana, side effects can include:

Theres almost no research on the side effects of vaping CBD. However, some reported side effects of using CBD oil include:

These side effects tend to be mild.

Marijuana and CBD e-liquids usually contain other chemicals, such as base liquids or flavoring agents. They may cause side effects similar to those of nicotine-free e-cigarettes.

The fluid flavor does matter. A 2016 report indicated that many vape fluids contain flavoring agents at concentrations that may pose risks to users.

Another study from 2016 tested more than 50 e-juice flavors. The researchers found that 92 percent of the flavors tested for one of three potentially harmful chemicals: diacetyl, acetylpropionyl, or acetoin.

Researchers in a 2018 study found that cinnamaldehyde (found in cinnamon), o-vanillin (found in vanilla), and pentanedione (found in honey) all had toxic effects on cells.

Its difficult to know for sure which flavors contain respiratory irritants, as ingredients tend to differ from one brand to the next.

To be safe, you might want to avoid the flavors listed below:

If youre concerned about the side effects of vaping, you might want to avoid the following ingredients:

The above ingredients are known irritants.

If youre concerned about the adverse effects of vaping, try the following:

Contact the manufacturer to ask for a list of ingredients in your vape fluid. If the manufacturer cant provide a list of ingredients, it might be a sign of a not-so-safe product.

Unflavored vape juices are less likely to contain potentially toxic flavoring agents.

If youre using vaping to quit smoking, you should gradually reduce your dose of nicotine. Transitioning to nicotine-free vaping can help you minimize side effects.

Drink water right after you vape to prevent symptoms such as dry mouth and dehydration.

To reduce oral side effects after vaping, brush to clean the surface of your teeth.

It cant hurt to talk to a doctor or other healthcare professional about the risks of vaping, especially if you already have a chronic health condition, such as asthma.

You may also want to make an appointment with a doctor if you think vaping is behind any new symptoms, such as coughing, difficulty breathing, or increased heart rate.

Excerpt from:

Is Vaping Bad for You? And 12 Other FAQs - Healthline

Scientists Protecting Public Health through Research on Vaping, PFAS, Parkinsons Disease, and More Are 2023 SOT Award Recipients  Newswise

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Scientists Protecting Public Health through Research on Vaping, PFAS, Parkinsons Disease, and More Are 2023 SOT Award Recipients - Newswise

Amherst-Pelham Regional High School principal: fewer fights, but cell phones and vaping remain issues  MassLive.com

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Amherst-Pelham Regional High School principal: fewer fights, but cell phones and vaping remain issues - MassLive.com

Teens caught smoking or vaping at Dearborn Public Schools will face zero tolerance from district, police  Dearborn Press and Guide

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Teens caught smoking or vaping at Dearborn Public Schools will face zero tolerance from district, police - Dearborn Press and Guide

ST. PAUL, MN: The Minnesota Department of Health is trying to prevent youth from using e-cigarettes and commercial tobacco by letting the target audience shape the campaign.

The state has hired marketing agency Haberman to develop a youth-led initiative. The Minneapolis-based firm this year worked on an anti-tobacco usage campaign aimed at state residents outside the Twin Cities, African Americans and the Hmong community.

The new campaign comesafterreportsof a recent decline in the number of high-school students who vape, following concerns about an epidemic of teenagers becoming addicted to nicotine. About 11% of high-school students, or 1.7 million, and 2.8% of middle schoolers, or 320,000, use e-cigarettes, according to2021 datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Still, one in five Minnesota high-school students used e-cigarettes, and 70% of high-school and middle-school users reported signs of nicotine dependence, according to the states 2020 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey.

We are really focused on developing youth engagement and having youth be at the forefront of not only working in their communities but also working with Haberman hand-in-hand to create those messages and what that counter marketing campaign will really look like, said Jen Cash, acting manager for the health departments Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

The youth engagement campaign is part of the states $8 million effort to curb youth and young adult tobacco usage. The health department hopes to launch it in early 2023.

In developing the campaign, the state is following Centers for Disease Control and Prvention guidelines on best practices for youth tobacco prevention and control.

Those include an emphasis on youth engagement.

Young people naturally challenge the traditional attitudes that may limit how adults think and act, the report states. They can add innovation and creativity to any program, making it more attractive to other youth and community leaders. Their novel ideas for tobacco control strategies can help push efforts forward.

Haberman will conduct consumer research to learn more about youth e-cigarette usage via surveys and potentially, focus groups, Cash said.

The state will also work with ACET, a Minnesota evaluation firm, to form a youth advisory committee that will review the consumer research and shape the campaign.

This is not the first time the state has turned to youth for help in curbing tobacco usage. For the past two years, the Health Department has conducted the Escape the Vape contest in which local middle-school and high-school students compete to create a public service announcement about the dangers of vaping and the tobacco industrys marketing tactics.

Anything targeting youth needs to be led by youth, Cash said. We're really interested in creating messages that youth will respond to, and we know that that changes quickly.

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Minnesota turns to Haberman to keep kids off vaping | PR Week