Despite very successful anti-tobacco campaigns over the past several years that have greatly diminished cigarette use among tweens and teens, e-cigarettes and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) products are rising quickly in popularity. In 2014, survey results found more teens used e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes: 9% of 8th graders, 16% of 10th graders, and 17% of 12th graders used e-cigarettes, compared to 4%, 7%, and 14% for regular cigarettes, respectively.
If you are a parent and either do not know what an e-cigarette is or do not think they are a danger to your children, please read on.
What are e-cigarettes?
E-cigarettes contain a flavored liquid mixed with nicotine and other chemicals. The liquid is heated in the device (usually through a lithium battery like one you’d find in a watch) and releases an aerosol or vapor that is inhaled. The flavors used in the liquid – chocolate, mint, or various fruit flavors – are very appealing to kids, making an e-cigarette more palatable than regular tobacco cigarettes.
It’s sometimes even hard to tell if your child has started to experiment with an ENDS device like an e-cigarette given what they look like. While some are shaped like traditional cigarettes, cigars, or even pipes, other may look like small flashlights, pens or USB drives.
Why are e-cigarettes dangerous?
As a parent, there are several things you should know about e-cigarettes:
- E-cigarettes still contain nicotine and additionally, the solution has chemicals in it that can be very harmful, chemicals such as anti-freeze, diethylene glycol, and carcinogens like nitrosamines
- E-cigarettes and all ENDS products are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so the amount of nicotine delivered or the specific chemical compounds found in an ENDS device can vary dramatically from one to the other.
- The liquid in an ENDS product is a concentrated solution of nicotine, which can poison children and adults through ingestion or skin absorption. Symptoms of nicotine poisoning include vomiting, sweating, trouble breathing, dizziness, increased heart rate, and sometimes seizures. As little as one highly-concentrated teaspoon can kill a child.
- Recent data indicate that these e-cigarettes are “gateway” drugs, as they mirror traditional cigarette use and seem to increase combustible smoking use
- There is also some concern about associated second-hand smoke with e-cigarettes, too. The vapor, although less obvious or concentrated than smoke from a regular cigarette, is still releasing chemicals and nicotine into the air
In Massachusetts, the Attorney General is pushing for regulation of e-cigarettes and ENDS products so they would be treated in the same way as all other tobacco is treated, regulation which is now in its final stages. Additionally, the Mayor of Boston is concurrently pushing for a ban on all tobacco products at all sporting events.
An American Academy of Pediatrics policy from 2009 was reaffirmed in 2013 and highlights several key overarching principles, including that there is no safe way to use nicotine and there is no safe level or duration of exposure to second hand smoke. So just like you would talk to your teen about tobacco smoking, talk to them about e-cigarettes.
For additional information, speak with your pediatrician or visit the advocacy websites Tobacco Free Mass or Tobacco Free Kids.