Vaping/E-Cigarettes
What’s an E-Cigarette?
Image Credit: Dr. Gideon St. Helen, University of California-San Francisco
- E-cigarettes are made of a battery an atomizer with a heating coil, and an absorbent material that absorbs a liquid that can contain nicotine, flavoring and chemicals.
- The battery allows the atomizer to heat the liquid, called e-juice, which creates an aerosol that is breathed into the lungs and breathed out into the air repeatedly.
- Some of these devices are pre-loaded with the e-juice that comes in bottles like these and others where the users add it themselves.
- E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).”
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices (ENDS), or e-cigarettes, come in all different shapes and sizes. Some e-cigarettes are made to look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some resemble pens, USB sticks, and other everyday items.
E-Liquid/E-Juice
Image Credit: Talkingretail.com
Image Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products
- E-liquid or e-juice is what is put into the e-cigarette/vape pen device and often contains flavors and nicotine.
- The e-liquid is heated inside the device and creates the flavors and aerosol that is inhaled into the body and out into the air.
- There are over 15,500 flavors and counting, marketing to every kind of consumer.
Vapor vs. Aerosol
The clouds made by e-cigarettes are not vapor. A vapor is a chemical that has evaporated. An aerosol is a mixture of liquid particles suspended in a gas and can contain many chemicals. Instead of just mixing with the air like a vapor, aerosols can leave drops behind.
What’s in E-Cigarette Aerosol?
The e-cigarette aerosol that users breather from the device and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances:
Image Credit: Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
It is difficult for consumers to know what e-cigarette products contain. For example, some e-cigarettes marketed as containing zero percent nicotine have been found to contain nicotine.
Image Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
What are the health effects of using e-cigarettes?
Scientists are still learning about the long-term effects of e-cigarettes. Here is what we know now.
Image Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Thirdhand Smoke
Although it is not yet known whether secondhand smoke from e-cigarette/vape pen devices is harmful, there is evidence to show that thirdhand smoke is dangerous to others.
Thirdhand smoke is chemicals in e-cigarette/vape pen aerosol that remain on surfaces and in dust, even after the aerosol is gone, and react with other chemicals in the environment to form toxic chemicals.
These potentially harmful chemicals can be exposed to other people or animals through the respiratory system, through ingestions, and through skin exposure.
Small children are especially at risk for thirdhand smoke exposure because they tend to put things into their mouths and they have more vulnerable skin.
Are e-cigarettes less harmful than regular cigarettes?
Image Credit: Truth Initiative
E-cigarette aerosol generally contains fewer toxic chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from regular cigarettes. However, e-cigarette aerosol is not harmless. It can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including nicotine,heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds,and cancer-causing agents.
Video Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Can e-cigarettes help adults quit smoking?
Image Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
However, e-cigarettes may help non-pregnant adult smokers if used as a complete substitute for all cigarettes and other smoked tobacco products. To date, the few studies on the issue are mixed. Quitting smoking completely, including e-cigarettes, is the best way to protect your health.
Learn more:
- Talk with Your Teen about E-cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents
- Teachers and Parents: That USB Stick Might Be an E-Cigarette
- E-cigarettes Shaped Like Flash Drives: Information for Parents, Educators, and Health Care Providers
- Electronic Cigarettes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health)
- Know the Risks: E-cigarettes and Young People (U.S. Surgeon General’s Report)
E-cigarettes: Facts, Stats and Regulations (Truth Initiative)
