Vaping refers to the use of e-cigarettes, or vaporizers, often as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. Read the overview below to gain an understanding of vaping and explore the previews of other articles examining health concerns and other aspects of vaping.
Nurmi, Deborah L. "Vaping." Gale Health and Wellness Online Collection, Gale, 2022.
Vaping is inhaling the steam or vapor created by any type of electronic "smoking" device. The vapor may contain nicotine as well as other substances, flavors, and chemicals.
In 2014, vaping became the most common form of tobacco use among people under 25 years of age. Usage increased among teens until 2020, when fewer teens reported having recent use of electronic cigarettes than the year prior. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that nearly 3 percent of middle school students and about 11 percent of high school students had used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days. While e-cigarettes may be an effective way to stop smoking traditional cigarettes, the CDC states that vaping is unsafe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products.
Vaping began in 2007 with the introduction of the first electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) as a form of smoking cessation therapy. These e-cigarettes were available by prescription only, and several brands remain a popular prescription option to help quit smoking cigarettes.
The first e-cigarette was patented in 1965. In 2007, Chinese manufacturer Hon Lik introduced the first version of modern e-cigarettes. As of 2019 there were over 460 different brands on the market and thousands of blends of vaping liquids created by local vaping shops.
There are many ways to vape, but all the instruments have the same basic components and work in the same way: they heat a liquid until it becomes a vapor or aerosol that a person can inhale.
The parts of any vaping machine include:
According to the CDC, most e-cigarettes produce fewer toxic chemicals than regular cigarettes, which contain over 7,000 chemicals. For this reason, e-cigarettes may be an effective way to stop smoking conventional cigarettes. However, vaping aerosol has risks, too. The inhaled vapor usually includes nicotine and other chemicals such as carbonyl compounds, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), solvents, heavy metals, and cancer-causing agents. In fact, the liquid for e-cigarettes can cause nicotine poisoning and even death if swallowed.
The Surgeon General of the United States reports that vaping has risks, especially for younger people. A 2014 report from the Office of the Surgeon General noted risks from vaping, including:
In 2019, 59 people died in the United States from vaping, and more than 2,600 people who used various forms of vaping, primarily adolescents and young adults, from at least 28 states were hospitalized with lung injuries. Most patients tested negative for respiratory illness, and all patients used vaping products. In response, several jurisdictions began implementing tighter restrictions related to vaping sales and use.
Vaping, and the appliances used for vaping, go by many names:
When first introduced, e-cigarettes required a prescription to purchase and were unavailable to minors; however, since 2007, when a consumer version was introduced, vaping became a cottage industry with shops that mix their own blends of vaping liquids. Many of these products included flavors, packaging, and styles specifically designed to appeal to teens and children. But because e-cigarettes do not use actual tobacco, the FDA had limited power to manage sales.
In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration passed new rules that add vaping liquids and vaping products to the regulations for tobacco products. Called "Deeming Regulations," these rules require anyone who mixes vaping liquids or makes or modifies vaping equipment to follow the same rules as other tobacco manufacturers and retailers. They must receive approval from the FDA before they can make or sell liquid or devices that deliver nicotine. These rules were fully implemented in 2022. All 50 U.S. states also restrict the sale of vaping instruments to adults only, and many states prohibit vaping anywhere smoking is restricted.
Although vaping and e-cigarettes began as a way to stop smoking traditional cigarettes, and were available only by prescription to adults, the introduction in 2007 of modern e-cigarettes made vaping inexpensive and easily available. Several studies have found that, rather than replacing combustible cigarettes, vapes have been added to many people's smoking habits, with many smokers using both. For young people, vaping has been found to pose serious risks such as addiction, exposure to toxic ingredients, and a much higher likelihood of smoking traditional cigarettes. For these and other reasons, both the CDC and the Surgeon General recommend that people under the age of 25 avoid vaping and vaping products.
"5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know." Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping (accessed December 7, 2022).
"Electronic Cigarettes." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 12, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/index.htm (accessed December 7, 2022).
"The Facts on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults." Office of the Surgeon General. https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/ (accessed December 7, 2022).
"Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 10, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html (accessed December 7, 2022).
"Under the influence: NIH research shows teen vaping, social pressure on the rise." NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. November 5, 2020. https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/under-the-influence-nih-research-shows-teen-vaping-social-pressure-on-the-rise (accessed December 7, 2022).
American Cancer Society, 3380 Chastain Meadows Pkwy NW, Suite 200, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, (800) 227-2345, https://www.cancer.org .
American Lung Association, 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL, 60601, (800) 586-4872, [email protected], https://www.lung.org.
Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
Nurmi, Deborah L. "Vaping." Gale Health and Wellness Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale Health and Wellness, link.gale.com/apps/doc/OCBFPC663943285/HWRC?u=omni&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=f503f491. Accessed 23 June 2022.
Gale Document Number: GALE|OCBFPC663943285
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"Illnesses and Deaths in the United States Related to Vaping, CDC Totals as of early October 2019." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019, www.gale.com. Tribune Content Agency Graphics, 2019.
Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this map highlights in orange those states that had seen at least one vaping-related death and, in blue, those states that had recorded cases of vaping-related illness, as of October 1, 2019. Just days later, by October 8, 2019, the total number of deaths attributable to vaping had risen to 26, and a new total of almost 1,300 cases of vaping-related lung injury had been reported to the CDC.
© Good/Tribune News Service
"Illnesses and Deaths in the United States Related to Vaping, CDC Totals as of early October 2019." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019, www.gale.com. Tribune Content Agency Graphics, 2019.