Cloud of uncertainty

Getting a grip on vaping dangers

The more federal authorities investigate dangers associated with vaping, the more we discover how much we do not know about the dangers of this suddenly popular habit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revealed that its investigation into the serious lung conditions related to vaping that began emerging last year have been largely traced to E acetate, a chemical compound found in THC vaping products.

Of the nearly 2,000 cases of vapingrelated lung illnesses reported through early this year, 82% of patients said they had used THC vaping products. A little more than one-third of the patients said they exclusively used THC vaping products.

More alarmingly, many of the patients reported using non-commercial vaping products. In other words, they were not buying name-brand, commercial vaping products that can be regulated by authorities. Instead, they may have been sickened by homemade or illicit vaping products.

In response to the lung illnesses that began showing up last year, many states and local governments banned the menthol and fruit-flavored vaping products that experts contend are most likely to attract — and hook — young people.

Though it may not directly address the issue of dangerously formulated black-market vaping products, it is still a solid strategy for protecting young people from a dangerous habit.

Vaping among America’s youth is increasing dramatically in just a few short years.

Early data from the 2019 National Youth Tobacco survey indicates that more than 5 million American youths report that they have used vaping products in the last month. That’s up from 3.6 million in 2018.

E-cigarettes are such a new product that federal authorities did not even begin asking youths about their vaping habits on the survey until 2016.

Like the sale of the products themselves, research into the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes has only gotten started, and the effects remain unknown.

Late last year, a study published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine looked at data on adult e-cigarette users collected by the Food and Drug Administration between 2013 and 2016. The study found that vaping increased the risk of respiratory illnesses, including asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

E-cigarettes were initially thought to be a helpful, less dangerous, tool to help smokers kick their cigarette habits.

The rate at which we learn the true dangers of vaping — for adults or teenagers — does not seem to be keeping pace with the growing popularity of e-cigarettes. And the dangers posed by illicit or homemade vaping products remain even harder to understand.

Authorities must step up research into vaping hazards, but also work to come up with strategies to root out and eliminate the illicit vaping products that are threatening public health.