What’s Going On With Vaping?

By Ally Keefe and Sylvia Strupp|October 28, 2019

Photo Credit: Jordan Sindelar

Vaping may not be a recent thing, but information on people getting sick and dying from it is. As of Oct. 18, the death total is 33 in the United States, but many more have gotten sick―right now, over a thousand cases of vape-related lung injury have been confirmed in 49 states and one U.S. territory. 

This problem has gained lots of media attention and coverage very quickly, but according to Huffington Post, researchers and health investigators are not entirely sure if vaping-related illnesses started recently. Have these illnesses just started, or is this pre-existing and it was the connection to vaping that was discovered? The Washington Post says that the first recorded vaping-related illnesses happened around April of this year. Since then, more and more states are looking into vaping-related deaths and illnesses and have been finding a significant amount of cases that were tied to vaping. 

Some symptoms of vaping-related illnesses are coughing, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. Many people turned out to have respiratory distress syndrome, which is what happens when fluid builds up in the lungs and causes breathing problems.

  The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) says that researchers and doctors have found that all have been people who vaped or used e-cigarettes; none of them were smokers. According to the CDC, nearly a

FAQ

E-cigarettes, also called vapes, are devices that vaporize nicotine-based liquid for inhalation. The modern e-cigarette was invented in 2003 by the Ruyan e-cigarette company and vapes were introduced to the U.S. by around 2006. Since then, there’s been no shortage of argument over the unhealthiness of a vaping habit, and several countries including Brazil, India, and Singapore have banned e-cigarettes entirely.

 

In Oregon, vaping is banned in all indoor and non-smoking areas. On October 4th, 2019, Governor Kate Brown introduced an 180-day ban on all sales of flavored vaping products. Sale of e-cigarettes to persons under 21 is prohibited, but young adults 18 or older can possess them. Selling e-cigarettes to minors is a Class B violation with a first-time presumptive fine (according to Oregon Law: “ the amount the defendant can pay to resolve the violation offense without having to do anything else”) of $260. Possessing e-cigarettes as a minor is a Class D violation, with a first-time presumptive fine of $110.

ll cases involved people who had been using THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of marijuana), but there have been cases of illness for people who vaped nicotine or another substance, according to the Huffington Post. 

Based on the current research, doctors strongly advise people to avoid vaping. Tegan Leipzig, Cleveland high school nurse, said, “My biggest concern about vaping is that we don’t know a lot about it yet. People often assume that it’s safe or safer than cigarettes or other drugs, but there’s really no research to support that, and I think that people think that no data means that it’s safe, but it just means there hasn’t been enough exposure to understand what long-term effects it can have.”

The general suspected cause of the vaping-related lung injury now is vitamin E acetate, an additive found in some illegal vaping cartridges. The theory is that the vape liquid had been contaminated with it, as contamination would explain the likeliness that this illness has had a very sudden onset. Most cases were found to have had vitamin E acetate in their vapes, which serves to enhance the vapor cloud. Conversely, there has been a case of death where the person had been using products from legal stores, and other suspects in these illnesses have been the type of metal used in vape pens. 

There are also other theories about other contaminants that were found with the majority of the victims. For example, a sample of 10 unregulated vape cartridges were tested and all 10 were found to have a substance in them that turned into hydrogen cyanide when burned. The cyanide is another big suspect in the search for a cause of the vaping illnesses.

After learning about the likely connection between the illness and contamination, the New York government stated that they will subpoena three companies that had been using nearly pure vitamin E acetate as a thickening agent, according to the Washington Post.

When people think of vaping, they usually associate it with teens. This association isn’t wrong, as backed by a study from the Schroeder Institute. The study showed that youth aged 15-17 were around 16 times more likely to use JUUL e-cigarettes than those aged 25-34. Why is this disparity so stark?

Nearly all smokers (98% ) start smoking by age 26, and 90% start before age 18. Knowing this, the most profitable decision for tobacco companies, however immoral, has not been to stop youth from using their products; it’s often to encourage it. 

In the summer of 2015, the e-cigarette company JUUL started their “Vaporized” ad campaign, which portrayed youth having fun and being independent, cool, and relaxed while using their product. JUUL also marketed on social media like Instagram and Twitter, both frequented by teenagers, using hashtags to spread their influence. They hired social media influencers and artists to advertise.

However, as their product became more popular, the company came under fire as people recognized that this marketing appealed largely to teenagers, and was in part responsible for the rise in teenage vaping. This theory is countered with the anecdotal evidence from the Clarion reporting that most teenagers who vape have never seen an e-cigarette ad online at all.

A small non-profit called Center for Environmental Health entered into a legally binding agreement with JUUL to limit marketing to teens on Oct. 17 and suspend sales of fruity flavored juul pods. For example, JUUL has agreed to not advertise at events like concerts where the under 21 crowd is allowed, and they can’t use models under the age of 28 in their advertisements. However, JUUL is still allowed to sell mint and menthol flavors. This agreement is only binding in California, and many regulators say that the FDA needs to step in to make more of an impact.  

In 2018, JUUL launched their “Make the Switch” ad campaign, showing former adult smokers who had “made the switch” to JUUL as a “safer” alternative. JUUL also removed their fruity flavored pods from retail stores. This marketing posed a smaller risk to being responsible for getting teenagers into their product, but it didn’t make much of a difference. Vaping has become a largely social activity mainly picked up from friends and youth who end up getting vape supplies usually purchased online. The percentage of 12th-graders who reported vaping at some point in their life continued to rise from 32.5% in 2017 to 35.8% in 2019. 

Currently, teenage vaping is highly normalized. One of the students we interviewed stated that “people who wouldn’t even think about doing anything illegal or anything like that just try vaping because it’s seemingly normal and ok.” Health issues are bound to continue rising among teenagers and young adults.

Vaping supplies are cheap and accessible to kids buying online, and according to another one of our interviewees, most people who vape in high school had started in middle school. It’s becoming more and more common, but there isn’t any research available yet that illustrates the long-term effects of vaping. Consequently, this trend puts the health of many teenagers at risk. According to the CDC, nicotine can harm adolescent brain development into the early 20s and is highly addictive.

We interviewed a Cleveland senior who had experience in the high school vaping scene to gather more information on this subject. We granted anonymity to the senior so that he could speak freely. The Clarion wants to make it clear that it does not condone or support vaping, which is illegal to possess for anyone under age 18 in the state of Oregon, and is highly addictive. Here’s what he had to say:

 

Do people mostly vape socially?

People often start off vaping as a social thing in early years, but you’ll see a lot of seniors who just do it because they’ve become addicted to the nicotine.

You’ve heard about Trump proposing a ban on flavored pods. Do you think that it would make any difference when it comes to teenage vaping?

People are just going to find another way to get them, and it’ll create another illegal market. The flavoring thing isn’t really that important, because most people I know with JUULs just use the mint and menthol flavors. A lot of the tropical flavoring doesn’t even appeal to kids nowadays.

There was a whole investigation into JUUL specifically marketing to youth, Do you think that this branding made any impact on how many kids vape?

I don’t think that any of my friends who JUUL have ever seen one of those commercials. The nicotine industry is so regulated that they aren’t very common. Most people pick it up from their friends, rather than advertisements convincing them to try it.

What do you think are the riskiest and least risky vaping habits?

If you vape constantly, you’ll go through a lot of pods pretty fast, and it adds up if you’re a very heavy user, but I think that―especially at this school―it’s very social, and a lot of people share. The usage isn’t usually that heavy, but it’s up there.

When most users consider quitting, why? Do they go through with it?

All of my friends, at one point, have said that they’re going to quit. It mostly happens when they’re out of money, or their devices break, or they’re out of juice, but they always end up finding a way to get more.

How do you feel about the health-related side effects involved?

Honestly, with vaping, I personally don’t feel like I’ve had any side effects, and I’ve been vaping for around three and a half years. I think there are some juniors who have been vaping longer than me, and I’m not really seeing any noticeable changes in their vaping habits and health. Right now, the long-term effects don’t have much research behind them, and it’s really hard to know what’ll happen. I think there’ll be something, but I don’t think it’ll be as disastrous as, say, a cigarette addiction might be. 

You’ve probably seen the news about vape-related deaths and illnesses. What are your thoughts on that?

It’s good to have information about that, but I feel like a lot of that information is falsified and mis-spread. They don’t really specify the type of device the person’s using or how long they’ve been using it, they’ll just show you the pictures of a person in a hospital bed, and then call for banning JUULs. It’s not a very constructive way of looking at the issue. A lot of those instances have been linked to exotic cartridges and illegal THC. Yeah. I don’t think that any kids at this school are on that stuff, and so I don’t think that they have that specific health issue to worry about, but there are still many problems [with nicotine and standard cartridges] in the long term.

What are your thoughts on the expense of vaping and nicotine addiction? Is it a lot for kids to keep up with or is it pretty accessible and cheap?

It’s pretty accessible. A lot of legal stuff isn’t that expensive. I can see why kids are able to keep up with it.

You said you vaped a pod a day. Isn’t that equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day?

That’s referring to the nicotine content, not the health effects. As someone who vapes and smokes, it’s so much of a different experience. A cigarette―first of all, it does burn, and though you get a nicotine headrush at first, you feel so much worse a few moments later. If you hit a JUUl, you’re still able to function, but if you’re on cigs, I feel like you become slower, not as motivated―at least with me personally.

E-cigs were made so that people who smoke cigarettes would stop, but is this happening?

I feel like it’s almost the other way around now; a lot of kids will start off out of their friends’ JUUl, and then one day their friend will pull out a pack of cigarettes―it all just starts from there, basically. 

I don’t know anyone who vapes that won’t also smoke. You have to make a conscious decision, and you have to realize that they both have negative health factors, but you take those into account when you’re making an educated decision. Even if it’s not for your best welfare, the facts are there for you. It’s not like it’s a secret.

Do you feel like vaping is a gateway drug?

I don’t think so. Like I said, it’s more likely for kids to smoke if they vape, but I don’t think that that opens up any doors to anything harder. It’s a nicotine addiction, I don’t think that goes hand-in-hand with a hard drug addiction.