Vaping 'Just' Sweet And Fruity Flavors, Not Nicotine: Is This Really A Safer Option?

First Posted: Aug 27, 2016 09:13 AM EDT
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The increasing number of teens using e-cigarettes and other vaping devices has alarmed health officials due to the fact that they contain nicotine. But it turned out that a lot of teens are not actually vaping the harmful substance. In a recent study, researchers were surprised to find out that majority of the vaping teens they interviewed are just inhaling different sweet and fruity flavors; some of which are strawberry, passion fruit, watermelon, bubble gum, and even chocolate cake. Now, the question is: Is vaping 'just' sweet flavors a better and safer option?

Known to many, nicotine is harmful especially to the developing brains of teens. Hence with the results of the aforementioned research, lead study author at the University of Michigan Richard Miech said that big questions are currently raised regarding U.S. health officials' portrayal of the e-cigarettes' adverse effects to youth. Amidst the common assumption that all e-cigarette users are inhaling nicotine, CBS reported that two-thirds of the young vapers said they vaped just flavoring.

Additionally, researchers claim that there is limited data regarding the substances inhaled by teens when they use e-cigarettes, according to Medical News Today. This was the reason why the team set out to identify the specific substances inhaled by youth while using e-cigarettes.

Meanwhile, another research shows that some chemicals in e-cigarette flavors have health risks, too. Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a study last December, which tested 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes. They examined refill liquids as well. They looked for chemicals linked to serious and irreversible respiratory problems among workers: acetoin, diacetyl, and 2,3-pentanedione. According to lead study author Joseph Allen, 92 percent of the e-cigarette samples contained one of these chemicals.

Apparently, vaping just sweet flavorings can also be dangerous to one's health. Moreover, Meich believes that another research should be done to find out if young vapers are more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes in the future.

References:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-teen-electronic-cigarette-vapers-want-fruity-sweet-flavors-not-nicotine-2/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312535.php

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