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Michael Costello

Mrs. Wilson

English 2

December 15, 2019

Teenage Vaping

There is a big problem that teens are facing in today's world that is affecting their future

health and lifestyle. There have been similar problems like cigarettes with teens and people in the

1900’s. But today's cigarette is vaping. Vaping has several health issues that can affect a teens

health and future health. It is also getting in the way of their education with teens vaping in

bathrooms during school.

Vaping has many health issues and concerns. Vaping is a very new thing, starting in 2006

and gaining popularity in around 2017, so we don't know all of the long term issues that can

happen from vaping. Even though vaping is just water vapor there are many harmful substances

in this vapor. Vape juice contain nicotine which is a substance in tobacco that is also in cigarettes

and is highly addictive. There are also harmful substances in vape juice. Substances like

propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and produces formaldehyde. Propylene glycol is a

substance used in some foods and is generally safe. But this substance is also used in antifreeze

and fog machines. Even though it's generally safe in small doses it can become unsafe if too

much is taken into the body. Propylene glycol goes into the bloodstream and it breaks down after

48 hours. If too much is taken into the body in that 48 hours it can cause skin or lung irritation in

your body. Vegetable glycerin is vegetable oil which is safe to eat but not to inhale. Breathing in

this substance can cause lipoid pneumonia. This is a condition where liquid oil droplets get into

the lungs. When the liquid oil builds up inside your lungs it cause lipoid pneumonia. Lipoid
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pneumonia can cause respiratory failure, meaning the lungs or a part of your respiratory system

doesn't work anymore and you can't breathe. Formaldehyde is a colorless gas that is used in

things like getting wrinkles out of clothing in packaging. The gas is used in small undetectable

amounts though and can be easily washed off with soap and water. Formaldehyde is also a

carcinogen. A carcinogen is a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue. It can also

cause asthma and nausea and if on clothing ashes, blisters, and itchy,dry skin. There are also

other substances that are produced when vaping like acrolein and other substances (Naftulin).

Does all that sound like something you want to inhale? In a study a research organization found

“In 2015, over 3 million middle school and high school students reported e-cigarette use,

equating to 1 in every 6 school students” (Douglass, Solecki). There is an increased amount of

High school students and even middle school students that are becoming addicted to vaping.

Which will affect their health. But there are solutions to this new problem.

There are many solutions to the problem of teenage vaping but these are two solutions.

One solution to this teenage vaping is parents, or parental figures, getting involved into these

kids lives. They can get themselves informed about the dangers and the effects of vaping. And

then they can give this information to try and help their child understand what they're doing to

their bodies and their future bodies. Parents or parental figures can also live a vape free life

(Douglass, Solecki). This is because parents or parental figures have a big impact on their teens

and what they like, dislike, and do. So not vaping will assist in helping the children of these

parents not vape. The pros of this solution is that it gets the parents involved in their child's lives

and gets them closer to their child. It also helps the teenagers to understand what they're doing to

their body and how it will affect them now and in the future. The cons are that they can still not

listen to the information and still go out and do it. It doesn't stop them it just helps them make an
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educated decision. Another solution to this problem is to take legal action against vaping. This is

things like making the product less marketable. Things like having less flavors available so

people aren't enticed to try these new flavors. Also the format of how the teens are vaping. The

vaping product juul is very popular among teens for its sleek and small design making it easier to

hide (Hurst). So states can try and put product bans on the popular formats of vaping . Then also

not allowing vape products to be promoted. Things like promoting them on billboards and

online(Hurst). This will allow people to try and not know what new things are coming out and

knowing about vapes. The pros of this is that it will help less people know about vaping. The

cons of this is that people still know about it and there are still several flavors of vape.

Vaping is a big problem with teens these days and will hurt their lives and their future

lives. The best solution is to get the parents involved in their child's lives and for the parents to

help inform the teen about the dangers of vaping and that it will negatively affect them and their

body for the rest of their lives. This will help them make the best decision for them and for their

future.

Works Cited:

Douglass, Brenda L., and Susan Solecki. "Teen vaping: time to clear the air." Contemporary

Pediatrics, Aug. 2017, p. 24+. Gale Academic Onefile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A504054248/AONE?u=ncowl&sid=AONE&xid=2fe0543e

Hurst, Anne. "MARKETING, FEDERALISM, AND THE FIGHT AGAINST TEEN E-

CIGARETTE USE: ANALYZING STATE AND LOCAL LEGISLATIVE OPTIONS." Case

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Western Reserve Law Review, Fall 2018, p. 173+. Gale Academic Onefile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A575010176/AONE?u=ncowl&sid=AONE&xid=4f6

Naftulin, Julia. “Nicotine vape juice may contain ingredients like formaldehyde and a chemical

used in weed killer. Here’s what they can do to your body”. Insider, Sep 27 2019.

https://www.insider.com/what-chemicals-in-nicotine-vapes-can-do-to-your-body-2019-9