Vaping comes with serious risk for teens

No one has to remind Geri Sullivan of the dangers of vaping and e-cigarettes.

She sees it every time she looks at her 17-year-old son, Eddie.

The strapping former offensive lineman for Monsignor Bonner spent two weeks in the hospital this summer suffering from lung ailments linked to the wildly popular e-cigarette products.

At first Eddie tried to brush off a persistent fever and lack of appetite. Eventually he found himself in the hospital, diagnosed with pneumonitis as a result of vaping.

The Boclair family of Broomall can attest to the danger of vaping. Their 19-year-old son has been in a medically induced coma, connected to a heart-lung machine, suffering from lung damage. Again the culprit is believed to be vaping.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that can deliver nicotine and flavorings to the user in the form of an aerosol.

They are often marketed as a substitute for smoking, or a path to kick the tobacco habit. But increasingly it is becoming evident that vaping comes with serious health risks of its own.

In Delaware, the Division of Public Health is now investigating three cases of lung illnesses believed linked to the vaping craze.

Six people have now died nationwide of lung ailments linked to vaping. The CDC says it is investigating at least 450 other cases of severe lung disease possibly tied to vaping and e-cigarettes. The incidents have popped up in 33 states, including Pennsylvania.

No single device has been singled out. And authorities caution that many of the incidents seem tied to other ingredients blended into the process, often THC or CBD oils.

Regardless, CDC officials issued a warning — specifically for teenagers and pregnant women — to avoid using e-cigarette products as their investigation proceeds.

Apparently, President Donald Trump agrees. On Wednesday the administration announced they would seek a ban on thousands of flavors used in e-cigarettes. In the meantime, the Food and Drug Administration will develop guidelines to remove all flavors except tobacco.

They will get no argument from Dr. George Avetian. He’s the chief medical adviser for Delaware County. The county issued its own safety alert on the dangers linked to vaping last month.

“Although the medical community is still learning about the long-term effects of vaping, it is becoming evident that vaping is a major health hazard,” Avetian said. “There is already enough evidence to support the prevention of vaping use by young people.”

Clearly, Geri Sullivan concurs, and now she wants to use her own family’s scare and the plight of her son, to sound an alarm for other parents, so they don’t wind up suffering a similar ordeal.

“I was very naïve to what this was,” Sullivan said. “Parents, you need to educate yourself to what it really is. I really do think it’s an epidemic.”

Sullivan is particularly bothered at what she considers a clear marketing campaign targeting young people, pointing out there are e-cigarettes in 150 different flavors.

The marketing is working. Research shows a dramatic spike in the use of vaping devices by teens. A survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders done in conjunction with the University of Michigan showed 37.3 percent of the youths had done some vaping in 2018, compared with 27.8 percent the year before. The results of the study were released recently by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. They came with another stern warning.

“Research tells us that teens who vape may be at risk for transitioning to regular cigarettes, so while we have celebrated our success in lowering their rates of tobacco use in recent years, we must continue aggressive educational efforts on all products containing nicotine,” said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of NIDA. America has made huge strides in the battle against tobacco.

But it appears that at least one avenue being offered to avoid cigarettes and tobacco comes with fairly stark risks of its own.

Young people, you’ve been warned. Don’t take our word for it. Listen to Geri Sullivan and the many other parents dealing with the very real fallout from vaping.

It appears that where there is smoke, there really is fire.