What Are E-cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, heat a liquid to create an aerosol, or mixture of tiny particles in the air.
There are numerous sizes and shapes for e-cigarettes. The majority feature a heating element, a battery, and a liquid-holding capacity.
Certain e-cigarettes have the appearance of traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Certain ones resemble pens, USB flash devices, and other commonplace objects. Tank systems, sometimes known as “mods,” are larger devices that don’t resemble other tobacco products.
There are numerous names for e-cigarettes. They go by several names, including “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS),” “tank systems,” “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” and “vapes.”
Sometimes, using an e-cigarette is referred to as “vaping.”
Why Is Nicotine Unsafe for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?
Nicotine, the addictive substance found in traditional cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products, is a common ingredient in e-cigarettes, or vapes.
According to a CDC research, nicotine was present in 99% of the e-cigarettes sold in the US in locations that were evaluated.
Certain vape products have nicotine hidden on their labels, and it has been discovered that some vape liquids advertised as having no nicotine actually do contain nicotine.
Adolescent brain development can be harmed by nicotine. Up until around age 25, the brain continues to develop.
Adolescents who use nicotine may experience damage to the areas of the brain responsible for mood, impulse control, learning, attention, and learning.
The synapses, or connections, between brain cells are stronger every time a new memory or ability is gained. The brains of children develop synapses more quickly than those of adults. Nicotine alters the process by which these synapses develop.
Adolescent nicotine use may also raise the chance of developing a substance addiction in the future.
How Does Nicotine Addiction Affect Youth Mental Health?
The body and brain of a person who is dependent on (or addicted to) nicotine must adjust to not having it when they quit using it. This may cause brief withdrawal symptoms from nicotine.
Irritability, restlessness, anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, difficulty focusing, and a need for nicotine are some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. People may continue to use tobacco products in an attempt to manage these symptoms.
Young people may consider vaping as a coping mechanism for stress or anxiety, which can lead to a vicious cycle of nicotine addiction. However, an addiction to nicotine can lead to stress.
Addiction might develop from something that may begin as social experimentation.
“A friend used them” is the most frequent excuse given by middle and high school students in the United States for attempting an e-cigarette.
Youth most frequently cite “I am feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed” as their justification for keeping up their e-cigarette use.
Teenage use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes has been linked to mental health issues like depression.
What Are the Other Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?
About the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes, scientists are still discovering.
In the long run, several of the components in e-cigarette aerosol may be detrimental to the lungs. Because the stomach can handle more compounds than the lungs, some flavourings found in e-cigarettes, for instance, may be okay to eat but not to inhale.
Some fires and explosions caused by faulty e-cigarette batteries have resulted in significant casualties.
E-cigarette liquid has been known to poison both adults and children who have inhaled it, swallowed it, or absorbed it through their skin or eyes. Kids under the age of five make up about 50% of the calls made to poison control centres nationwide over e-cigarettes.
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