VAPING RISKS

Many vape juices come in a variety of flavors to make them more appealing. These flavors are targeting youth. Even though flavors like strawberry, coffee and cotton candy may smell good, they are not good for anyone’s health. Flavored vape juices may expose those who vape to even more harmful chemicals. Inhaling these chemicals either directly from a vape pen or secondhand can have toxic effects on cells. Plus, e-cigarettes can deliver more than just nicotine and flavors. Some devices contain marijuana or other drugs.

The dangers of vaping juice aren’t limited to the air. Swallowing, breathing and absorbing e-cigarette liquid from vape cartridges has poisoned both children and adults. The CDC reports that, across the United States, children five years old or younger make up about 50 percent of the calls made to poison control centers for e-cigarettes.

When you vape, the exhale isn’t just a harmless vapor. Don’t let the sweet scents fool you — these clouds contain seriously dangerous chemicals.

• Nicotine
• Ultrafine Particles
• Carcinogens Like Lead, Formaldehyde and Toluene
• Flavorings Such as Diacetyl
• Heavy Metals
• Volatile Organic Compounds

Just how you put yourself at risk when vaping, you may be exposing those around you to the same chemicals from inhaling the aerosols secondhand. Not only are you introducing yourself to cancer-causing chemicals, but you’re also exposing your friends to them when you vape. Remember that flavored vape juices may expose you to even more harmful chemicals.

Many vape juices come in a variety of flavors to make them more appealing. Even though flavors like sugar cookie, butterscotch and mint may smell good, they are not good for you. Remember that flavored vape juices may expose you to even more harmful chemicals.

Inhaling these chemicals either directly from a vape pen or secondhand can have toxic effects on your cells.

Beware of vape juice that offers “fun” flavors like watermelon or butterscotch. When you vape, you’re breathing in an aerosol, and that’s not harmless. It may leave behind a nasty trail of oral health problems. Those are some scary dentist visits.

You could be at risk for symptoms like these:

• Dry mouth — which leads to bad breath, sores and tooth decay
• Periodontal disease — which damages gums and can damage the jaw
• Cavities — which may come from acidity in vape juice
• Tooth and bone loss
• Receding gums

Learn more about oral health.

Inhaling the “vapor” from a vape pen poses a serious threat to your lung health. “Fun” flavors can be extra risky. Along with the possibility of inhaling nicotine, there are a slew of chemicals in aerosol that can be harmful, according to the American Lung Association.

Many ingredients in e-cigarettes are toxic and can cause serious damage to your lungs.

Lung disease can leave you winded, fatigued and prone to coughing. Vaping can also put your cardiovascular health at risk due to the effects on your lungs.

Your heart is at risk, too! You may even increase your risk of heart disease at the same level as a standard cigarette. Most people with heart disease are older than your parents, but you could experience them much more quickly by vaping. Blood flow to your heart may be even slower than that of cigarette smokers, according to the American Heart Association.

Contracting heart or lung disease could mean bringing unnecessary disease into your life.

It’s not just your lungs you’re putting at risk when you vape. You can hurt the part of your brain that helps you make good decisions.

Your brain is still developing. Don’t let a vape pen derail your brain function for the rest of your life. If you vape, you’re more likely to take risks that are dangerous to your health and safety.

That means struggling to focus and learn in school, feeling anxious or depressed, being stressed and battling a lifetime of addiction. If you vape, you’re more likely to take risks that are dangerous to your health and safety. You may experience:

• Addiction
• Mood Disorders
• Impulsive Behavior
• Stunted Learning
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Depression
• Increased Likelihood of Exposure to Harder Drugs

Your brain continues to develop until the age of 25. During this time in life, the brain is super vulnerable. Be careful with it.

You may be compromising your immune system. That’s sick — and not in the good way!

Don’t put your white blood cells at a higher risk of failure. That means putting down the vape pen to ensure your body is better prepared to fight off anything that may come your way.

Vaping makes you more vulnerable to illnesses like COVID-19, the flu and more. E-cigarette vapor tampers with vital white blood cells, causing them to have a weaker response. This puts you at a higher risk of contracting infections and diseases, and it increases the likelihood of more severe symptoms.

When exposed to this vapor, the affected white blood cells struggle to make it to where they need to be in the body in order to fight infection. They also lose the ability to produce the necessary chemicals to complete their task.

Cells called neutrophils make up 50-70 percent of your white blood cells, and they play a huge role in fighting off illness. Even without nicotine, e-cigarette vapor has been proven to interfere with the effectiveness of white blood cells.

Yes! Vape clouds are not just harmless water vapor. E-cigarettes and their vapor deliver a cocktail of toxic chemicals like carcinogens, heavy metals, flavorings linked to lung disease and other harmful substances. Exposure to these chemicals, whether you are vaping yourself, can be dangerous.

If someone close to you vapes while you are around, you are exposed to secondhand vape. You could also be exposed to thirdhand vape if someone you know smokes indoors, causing these harmful chemicals settle on surfaces and items and build up over time.