What Is Vaping?

Vaping is when you inhale or exhale the

vapor of an electronic cigarette. Vaping has

been around for more than a decade, but

has greatly increased in recent years.

E-cigarettes are now the most frequently

used tobacco product among teens.

Electronic cigarettes work by having a sensor in the device. When the smoker inhales (breathes in), a vaporizer heats a small amount of liquid flavoring. The liquid turns to vapor (a gas) and the smoker draws it into his/her mouth. The tip lights up but this is just an LED in the tip that looks like burning; no actual burning occurs.

Vaping liquids that come in flavors are especially popular. Flavors like bubble gum, peppermint, candy flavors, vanilla flavors, and dessert flavors appeal to teens. Vaping companies deny that they have been marketing to teens, but with flavors like bubble gum, it is hard to believe. The flashdrive-looking devices are easy to hide and the tech-like look also appeals to teens.

Why Is It Harmful to Market to Teens?

After the dangers of nicotine became widely known, there was a decrease in teen smoking. Nicotine is extremely addictive; once you are addicted to nicotine, it is very hard to quit. Tobacco companies were losing their customers as large numbers of people either managed to quit or didn’t start smoking at all.

E-cigarettes were first marketed as a safer way to smoke. There is no safer way to inhale nicotine. But, the 5 MILLION middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2019) didn’t realize that.

Many middle and high school students are addicted to vaping. The addiction is hard to break and vaping has many harmful physical effects on your body. Even more alarming is the recent trend of severe lung disease seen in young people. The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) have reported that lung injuries from vaping have been reported in all 50 states. Some young people report that they had not been vaping for long and still got severely ill. Many were in intensive care units on mechanical breathing machines.

Read more about vaping in the background information for this module.

Young woman sitting on a park bench in a coat slowing vape out of her mouth.