E-Cigarettes and Vaping

A Guide For Parents

By Calhoun Police Department/Calhoun City SchoolsSchool Resource Officer Mark Waycaster

I hope this presentation will help you as a parent to become familiar with Vaping and the dangers it presents to our children.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

E-mail: waycasterm@calhounschools.org

E-Cigarette use has exploded across the United States and has become popular in our own community.

It’s a $22 Billion

Dollar Industry.

E-Cigarettes basics

E-cigarettes are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales. The liquid usually has nicotine and flavoring in it, and other additives. The nicotine in e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes is addictive. E-cigarettes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco.

Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes can contain harmful ingredients such as:nickel, tin, and lead. Formaldehydecan be produced when the heating element touches the liquid and produces a chemical reaction.

Difference between E-cigarette and Vapes

E-cigarettes are devices that arecigarette-, cigar-, or pen-shaped.

A vape refers to e-cigs, smoking rigs, as well as larger kits consisting of battery cases (mods) that hold between one and four lithium-ion batteries, tanks that hold e-liquid and an atomizer for heating it and turning it into vapor. So basically, a vape is whatever combination of juice and hardware you’re making cloud with now.

Juul: The iPhone of Vaping

The Juul has became the most popular e-cigarette in the United States.

The Juul is a sleek e-cigarette that looks like a usb drive.

The JUUL seems like any other e-cig, but it's much smaller, sleeker, and far more discreet.

• The Juul uses pods with assorted flavors that contain the same amount of nicotine as a pack of tobacco cigarettes.

The Juul uses a lithium ion battery and is charged via a usb adapter.

The Juul is pitched and designed to pack a dual punch in that it is high-tech and highly addictive.

Juul owns more than 70 percent of the e-cigarette market.

Juul delivers higher concentrations of nicotine than other e-cigarettes.

Known health issues associated with E-cigs and Vaping.

Popcorn lung is a rare medical condition that damages the bronchioles, the lung's smallest airways.

Over a decade ago, workers in a microwave popcorn factory were sickened by breathing in diacetyl—the buttery-flavored chemical in foods like popcorn,

caramel and dairy products.

While this flavoring may be tasty, it was linked to deaths and hundreds of cases of bronchiolitis obliterans, a serious and irreversible lung disease.

As a result, the major popcorn manufacturers removed diacetyl from their products, but some people are still being exposed to diacetyl - not through food flavorings as a worksite hazard, but through e-cigarette vapor.

Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of nicotine due to their rapidly developing brain.

The area of the brain responsible for emotions and controlling our wild impulses is known as the prefrontal cortex. It’s very vulnerable to nicotine’s effects. This is especially true for young people. The reason: this part of the brain doesn’t finish developing until about age 25.

Nicotine acts like a key to unlock special receptor molecules on the outside of cells in the brain, including those in the prefrontal cortex.

Nicotine causes these cells to release signaling molecules, such as dopamine (DOE-pah meen). These chemical signals travel across a gap between nerve cells (called a synapse). When they reach the neighboring nerve cell, they release their “message.” And it gives users a feel-good high.

Meanwhile, the brains of teens who smoke or vape may create more receptors to handle the flood of nicotine they have come to expect. As the number of receptors increases, teens will need more nicotine to get the same high. That makes nicotine users seek hit after hit.

In teens, this can provoke side effects. For instance, it can make it hard for them to stay focused. It might also trigger bouts of depression or anxiety, research suggests.

We are seeing a rise in hospitalization of teens due to vaping.

8 teens hospitalized with 'severe lung

damage' from vaping in Wisconsin

A teen in Pennsylvania developed hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sometimes

called wet lung, an inflammation of the lungs due to an allergic reaction to chemicals or dust, after

only three weeks of vaping.

E-cigarette have exploded leaving the user with severe burns and other injuries.

Signs Your Teen Is Vaping

Sweet smells. E-cigarettes don’t put off the same odor as a traditional cigarette. They may smell like a variety of flavors, like bubble gum or fruit. But those sweet smells may be a sign your teen is vaping in the other room.

Bloodshot eyes. There aren’t many physical signs that a teen is vaping, but bloodshot eyes can be a clue.

Irritability- If your teen is moodier than usual, it

could be a sign of nicotine withdrawal.

Be on the lookout for e-cigarettes or vaping paraphernalia.

Be aware of your child’s online activity.

Pay attention to packages addressed to your childthat may be delivered

to your home.

If your child is vaping, have a direct conversation with them about your concerns.

Schedule an appointment with your teen’s physician to talk about your concerns. Sometimes, teens are more likely to hear warnings issued by medical professionals than by their parents.

Online Resources

http://www.center4research.org/the-dangers-of-juuling/

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-today-dangers-vaping.html

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/e-cigarettes.html

https://www.cdc.gov/features/ecigarettes-back-to-school/index.html

Online Videos

E-cigarette Explosion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyQEo1Ln_5k

Eight teenagers in Wisconsin were hospitalized with severe lung damage and doctors believe the damage could be from vaping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0MuBmflxIM&t=7s