Bradley Barker
Contributor

 

Vaping is commonly used by teens and young adults, but now a risk of hospitalization and even death has come to surface from usage.

The first reported vaping related death occurred in Illinois Aug. 23, according to the Washington Post. Since then, 380 confirmed cases of vaping-related illnesses were reported in 36 states as of Sep. 11. 

Although there is no direct proof as to why vaping is making people deathly sick, there is some information on how it affects users. Vaping has been proven to destroy the mitochondria used in wound healing and contributes to the hardening of the arterial walls which can lead to a cardiac event due to nicotine, according to the American Lung Association.

The World Health Organization found that the amount of young adults vaping is rapidly increasing, going from 7 million in 2011 all the way up to 41 million in 2018. It is estimated that it will reach 55 million by 2021. 

“I’m addicted to it, it’s frustrating because I can’t focus on important things like school in class without wanting to hit it,” said Dalton Piening, a current L&C student. “It’s not good if you’ve never smoked before and you start vaping; it’s not good.”

The nicotine amounts found in e-cigarettes can way surpass that of any cigarette. One of the most popular e-cigarettes, Juul, contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes in just a single pod, as stated by the company itself. 

“Users can consume more nicotine than smokers because they can literally vape all day whereas a smoker has to light each cigarette individually and usually takes a break between cigarettes,” said Barbara Van Walleghen, L&C’s clinical care coordinator.

The Illinois Tobacco Quitline is a FREE resource that is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to9 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to5 p.m. A personal counselor can provide a customized plan to help you quit smoking and get six weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy like patches, gum and inhalers.