Concerns about the long-term effects of vaping continue to grow

By Ellen Ely •

Mauricio Danckers, clinical associate professor of medicine in the Department of Clinical Sciences, is concerned about the yet-to-be-discovered long-term effects of vaping on youth.

“The evidence on vaping is still growing. We don’t know the long-term effects, but we do certainly know the short-term effects,” Danckers said. “There is a conception that it’s not as harmful as smoking tobacco. But science has proven to us that vaping is not healthy.”

Danckers said e-cigarettes come in different shapes and forms, making them easier to use.

“You don’t see in a party, students saying ‘Hey, I’m going to go outside for a smoke.’ They just grab their device and smoke,” Danckers said. “Different from the combustible cigarettes that you have to go outside and smoke.”

Results from the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey in 2023 found that more than one in four (25.2%) of current youth e-cigarette users use an e-cigarette product every day. Why have e-cigarettes caught the attention of youth?

For Kristina Hankinson, freshman psychology major, people start using e-cigarettes because they think it is cool to smoke.

“I have watched my family trying it. I have watched my friends trying it. And I have just watched people suffer from addiction. They think it is cool and their friends are going to think it is cool. They think it is a cool thing to do, so they start and can’t stop,” Hankinson said.

Danckers said the nicotine found in e-cigarettes has been associated with changes in mood, deteriorated cognitive performance, seizures, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, increased appetite and having sometimes a hard time sleeping.

“The act of vaping is mostly the delivery of a highly addictive substance, and that substance is called nicotine,” Danckers said. “When you smoke one regular tobacco cigarette that you combust, that’s usually I will say 4 milligrams of nicotine. E-cigarettes, each of the little vials that you put on, you can have a starting of 50 milligrams.”

However, nicotine is not the only problem found in e-cigarettes. Danckers said even e-cigarettes without nicotine are still unhealthy.

“There are e-cigarettes without nicotine, but there are still other substances that we know will be harmful for the lungs and that are associated with cancer in animals, kidney injury, changes in skin and dental teeth, in oral ulcers,” Danckers said.

Hankinson said the dangers of smoking e-cigarettes often do not provide enough motivation for young people to quit.

“I think [the fruity flavor] is a cover up and a good excuse for younger people to condone using vapes because it is said to be better than cigarettes so they are not doing something as bad as smoking a cigarette, but really, they are or it is even worse,” Hankinson said.

Sheri Schour, NSU Area Health Education Centers senior project specialist, said there are resources available free of charge at NSU AHEC to those who want to quit smoking any type of tobacco, including e-cigarettes.

“It is a four-week program with in-person or virtual sessions. You can come back three times within the year and get more patches, gum or lozenges free of charge,” Schour said.

The AHEC program, partnered with Tobaco-free Florida, has helped people since 2007, with more than 280,000 attendees to date.

“People that want to quit don’t jump right in. They need to prepare themselves to quit. It is not easy,” Schour said. “This program offers support by highly-trained specialists to create goals, help manage withdrawal symptoms, and work with trigger urge to smoke.”