Protecting Youth From the Harms of Vaping

What's in an E-Cigarette?

E-cigarettes, vapes or vape pens use a battery to heat up a special liquid into an aerosol that users inhale. It's not just harmless water vapor. 

The "e-juice" that fills e-cigarette cartridges usually contains nicotine (which is extracted  from tobacco), propylene glycol, flavorings and other chemicals. Studies have found that even e-cigarettes claiming to be nicotine-free contain trace amounts of nicotine. Additionally, when the e-liquid heats up, more toxic chemicals are formed.

Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not begun its review of any e-cigarette or its ingredients, nor has FDA issued any standards on the products, e-cigarette composition and effects vary. What researchers do know is that these toxic chemicals and metals have all been found in e-cigarettes: 

• Nicotine – a highly addictive substance that negatively affects adolescent brain development

• Propylene glycol – a common additive in food; also used to make things like antifreeze, paint solvent, and artificial smoke in fog machines

• Carcinogens- chemicals known to cause cancer, including acetaldehyde and formaldehyde

• Acrolein – a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds, can cause irreversible lung damage

• Diacetyl – a chemical linked to a lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans aka "popcorn lung"

• Diethylene glycol – a toxic chemical used in antifreeze that is linked to lung disease

• Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, lead

• Cadmium – a toxic metal found in traditional cigarettes that causes breathing problems and disease

• Benzene – a volatile organic compound (VOC) found in car exhaust

• Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs

What are Health Effects of Vaping for Youth?

• The use of tobacco products in any form, including vapes, is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults. • Most vapes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development. Adolescent brain development continues until about age 25. 

• Nicotine exposure during adolescence can impact students’ learning, mood, and attention.

 • The aerosol from vapes can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including:

 ∙ Cancer-causing chemicals ∙ Heavy metals (such as nickel, tin, or lead)

 ∙ Ultrafine particles

 ∙ Flavorings such as diacetyl (a chemical linked to serious lung disease)

 • When a person becomes addicted to nicotine and stops using it, their body and brain must get used to not having nicotine. This can result in temporary symptoms of withdrawal, including feeling anxious or depressed or having trouble concentrating. Youth might keep using nicotine to help relieve these symptoms.

 • Youth might turn to vaping to try to deal with stress or anxiety, creating a cycle of nicotine dependence. But nicotine addiction can also be a source of stress.