TEEN VAPING Staggering
36.9% ofstartstudents on the
e-cigarettes
between the ages of
14 and 15
In vaping, a battery powered device called an e-cigarette heats a liquid into vapour that can be inhaled. The vapour may contain addictive substance such as nicotine, flavourings, plus other chemicals. What originated as a smoking cessation aid has quickly became a popular and addictive product in its own right. A GROWING TREND According to the Tobacco and E-cigarette Survey among Malaysian Adolescents 2016 (Tecma), a staggering 36.9% (compared to 3% 4 years ago) of students start on the e-cigarettes between the ages of 14 and 15, and now, we’re seeing a spike in teenage use. Easily passed-off as a thumb drive or pen, the eye-catching devices look like the latest fashion accessories. Although vaping companies emphatically deny that they are marketing to young people, critics note such features in their advertising as youthful images and colours, animation, social media influencers, and suggestions that vaping improves your social status. HEALTH RISKS On January 2018, the United State National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released a consensus study report that reviewed over 800 different studies. The report has made it clear that the inhalation of harmful chemicals can cause irreversible lung damage and lung disease based on the following findings: • A study from the University of North Carolina found that the two primary ingredients found in e-cigarettes—propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin—are toxic to cells and that the more ingredients in an e-liquid, the greater the toxicity. • E-cigarettes produce a number of dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde. These aldehydes can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease. 09 |
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E-cigarettes also contain acrolein, a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds. It can cause acute lung injury and COPD and may cause asthma and lung cancer. • Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine have warned about the risks of inhaling second-hand e-cigarette emissions, which are created when an e-cigarette user exhales the chemical cocktail created by e-cigarettes. • In 2016, the Surgeon General concluded that second-hand emissions contain, "nicotine; ultrafine particles; flavourings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead." • The Food and Drug Administration has not found any e-cigarette to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit. A NEW ADDICTION Researches have revealed that teenagers are much more susceptible to addiction compared to adults. Some even start to have nicotine cravings after just one try. Teenagers have a higher degree of “synaptic plasticity” compared to adults. This means they are building bigger and faster connections in their brain. They can imprint on good things and bad things. For example, addiction, which is a form of learning, is faster, is stronger and longer in young people. Researchers suggest that vaping is leading youth into nicotine use and nicotine addiction, not away from it. Nicotine high lasts for less than two
hours before the craving starts. So, getting youngsters hooked on ECV is also a business tactic. The NARCC smoking prevention programme in schools mentioned that when the use of ECV is related to crimes like theft, violence, fighting, bullying, and running away from home, more effort is needed to curb the habit. Therefore, more needs to be done to prevent a new generation of nicotine addicts from emerging. In the wrong hands, E-cigarettes can also be used in marijuana and meth warns Universiti Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences (UMCAS). AWARENESS The Education Ministry recently announced that it would intensify awareness campaigns after claims of ECV being freely distributed among students, and photos of youths vaping, went viral. More awareness campaigns need to be conducted by health scientists, educationists, politicians and non-governmental organisations, to show that ECV use is not “normal behaviour”. Campaigns can be effective they also target parents and teachers. The more you say no to children and adolescents, the more they rebel and the more they want to try it. Make them realise that sellers only want to make money by getting youths hooked on an addictive habit whether it’s nicotine or drugs. It is important that parents shouldn’t over-react if they find their child smoking or on drugs. Group activities, instead of talks, work better to impart knowledge. Plus, it’s more sustainable and continuous.
