‘Vaping’ is not just a harmless teen pastime

On June 16, The Herald reprinted a Newsday commentary promoting electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) written by Anne Michaud. This piece may not have been deliberately malevolent, but was sufficiently reckless and disingenuous to raise that suspicion.

Each year, tobacco companies spend nearly $10 billion on advertising in the U.S., far more than was spent on the last presidential and congressional elections combined. One has to suspect that huge sums of money, trickling through various media providers, may be influencing editorial content. In any event, an article displaying this much journalistic irresponsibility demands rebuttal.

This article promotes e-cigs and vape pens – “vaping” – as a legitimate “rite of passage” for teenagers and implies that the practice is presumably safe because it has not been “proven to be harmful.” These products have not been around long enough to study their long-term effects, but short term we know that nearly all contain nicotine, and I see no way that any responsible adult could condone their child’s use of an addictive substance.

Here is what else we know about electronic cigarettes:

The vapor contains a number of scary chemicals besides nicotine. One is formaldehyde, a potent cancer-causing agent, which is found in amounts five to 15 times higher than in regular cigarettes. Recently, formaldehyde vapors seeping from imported Chinese laminate flooring triggered a massive recall. Somehow, Michaud suggests we should be sanguine at the prospect of legions of young Americans deliberately inhaling this same poison.

Also found in the vapor are varying amounts of the chemical diethylene glycol (antifreeze) as well as a number of metals including chromium, nickel, zinc and lead. These metals appear in the form of nanoparticles, which are extremely tiny and can reach the farthest corners of the lung.

What happens to people who inhale this stuff? Nobody has any idea, but we eventually will know. An uncontrolled “experiment” is now taking place and the “guinea pigs” are our children. Also be aware that because vaping products are virtually unregulated, there is poor correlation between what is listed on the label and what lab analysis shows is really inside.

As if this isn’t bad enough, the primary purpose of e-cigs is to deliver a drug. These products are skillfully designed to create new nicotine addicts, many of whom will become lifelong customers of the tobacco companies. As if to “sharpen the hook,” pyrazine, a chemical additive known to enhance nicotine dependence, is added to many brands. Most people are not aware that nicotine is a poison when taken in higher doses. Toddlers have been sickened and killed by chewing on vape pens, as have innumerable pets.

For decades, nicotine extracted from tobacco was sprayed on farm fields because it is a highly effective insecticide. Cheaper synthetic nicotine agents are now favored for agricultural use, but nicotine from tobacco is still the choice of some organic farmers.

Tobacco companies know that addiction is easiest to produce in people whose brains have not fully developed, thus their marketing targets children and teens. Vape pens are manufactured in bright pastel colors and in flavors like bubble gum and mint-strawberry. Once hooked on products that look like toys and taste like candy, many of these young people will eventually graduate to standard cigarettes.

As for the flavorings used in these products, they have been deemed safe for use in food by the FDA. Are these chemicals still safe when inhaled, especially after being heated to extreme temperatures and vaporized? Nobody has any idea, though Michaud again seems to feel it is OK to experiment on a generation of kids by promoting this “rite of passage.” Controlled scientific studies need to be done, but with 500 brands and 7,000 flavors already on the market, establishing the safety profile of these devices will be a daunting task.

As soon as refillable vape pens were introduced, they were recognized as generic drug-delivery systems. With their reservoirs filled with hash oil, (marijuana extract) they become effective vehicles for this drug.

Because they produce no detectable odor, these devices are especially useful in public places. Their chambers will also hold liquid spice, methamphetamine and even heroin. If you see young people vaping, be circumspect about what they might be inhaling.

In the 1970s, after the risks of smoking became widely known, tobacco companies introduced and heavily promoted “light” cigarettes. The premise was that these products were safer, and millions of smokers converted. After years of study, scientists concluded that light cigarettes actually caused users to inhale deeper and longer, and did not lower smokers’ exposure to nicotine and carcinogens. Nor did they reduce the health risks of smoking whatsoever.

Now the next iteration of purportedly “safer cigarettes” has come along. Experts at the NIH and CDC urge strict regulation and warn that far more study is needed before the safety profile of these products can be established. Michaud, on the other hand, believes these devices are safe enough for our children.

Based on the current scientific evidence, it seems virtually certain these devices will not be shown to be perfectly safe. There is a real chance they will prove to be just as dangerous as traditional cigarettes. Our experience with “light” cigarettes provides a cautionary tale.

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 5:38 PM with the headline "‘Vaping’ is not just a harmless teen pastime."