Vaping among youth continues to be an issue in South Lake Tahoe and across the U.S.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After decades of anti-tobacco campaigns, American youth are now facing the possibility of more addiction to nicotine than when cigarettes were a popular choice, thanks to vaping and e-cigarettes. The American Lung Association says youth vaping is a significant health issue, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 99 percent of the e-cigarettes sold in assessed venues in the country contain nicotine.

Vaping was once touted as the cure to nicotine addiction and to stop cigarette smoking. The flavored juices sold to go into the devices smell sweet and harmless, and many labels state they are harmless, but the contents are many times far from that. Health organizations across the country used World Lung Day on September 25 to raise awareness about lung health, and vaping, and to promote better lung care around the world.

What is Vaping? Vaping simulates smoking. Battery-powered vape devices create an aerosol that looks like water vapor but contains nicotine, flavoring, and more than 30 other chemicals. The aerosol is inhaled into the lungs where the nicotine and chemicals cross over into the bloodstream.

An average vape pod has as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes. Inhaling too much nicotine can cause seizures and convulsions. There have been reports of young people experiencing seizures after vaping.

"They will all end up with lung disease if they keep it up," said Dr. Farah Madhani-Lovely of Renown Medical Center in Reno of youth that vape. University of Nevada Reno medical students teamed with Renown and Washoe County schools this past Tuesday to show students the effects of vaping.

The UNR students said vaping affects the lungs and 90 percent of kids using nicotine in a vape device can be an addict in just one try. They also said during the school visits that most students had no idea of the dangers of vaping and they thought it was just "water vapor."

According to the CDC, 19.6 percent of high school students and 4.7 percent of middle school students in the early months of 2020 reported using a vaping product (also known as an electronic or e-cigarette) in the past 30 days. In 2022, the CDC reported that 1 in 10 or 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students said they vaped in the past 30 days when asked. The numbers dropped in their report in 2022 to 14.1 percent of high school students and 3.3 percent of middle school students.

In the last Healthy Kids Survey results for Lake Tahoe Unified School District students in the school year 2021-22, 45 percent of 7th graders responded, 65 percent of 9th graders, 29 percent of 11th graders, as did 72 percent of the 25 students in a nontraditional schedule.

The student responses in that survey showed that of those who answered, 6 percent of 9th graders, 18 percent of 9th graders, 20 percent of 11th graders, and 38 percent of nontraditional school students said they were currently using alcohol and/or drugs. 3 percent of 7th graders, 15 percent of 9th graders, 12 percent of 11th graders, and 23 percent of nontraditional students were currently vaping.

In South Lake Tahoe, vaping by students continues to be a huge concern at both the middle and high schools, and it has once again made it to a local elementary school when fourth and fifth graders were found with vape pens this week. At South Tahoe High School, it isn't always vape juice and there is sometimes marijuana inside the devices.

When kids are asked if they'd ever smoke a cigarette, the answer is typically a resounding "no."

The biggest myths of vaping:

Vaping is safer than smoking. Cigarettes contain poisons, toxic metals, and carcinogens that enter the body with every puff. Vapers also breathe in dangerous chemicals, such as acetone, which is used as a solvent. Acetone may irritate the skin and eyes when you come into contact with it. Other chemicals in vapes may cause cancer over time.

Vaping helps people stop smoking. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not found vaping to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit. One study found that vaping was more effective than other nicotine replacement therapies (like nicotine patches) in helping people quit cigarettes. However, most people kept vaping after they stopped using cigarettes, so they were still getting nicotine and other dangerous chemicals. The study also noted that vaping may make teens more likely to start smoking.

Vaping produces harmless water vapor. Even though the term ‘vapor’ is normally used, vape devices do not produce water vapor. Vaping produces an aerosol mist. Unlike water vapor, the aerosol mist includes ultra-fine particles that are breathed into the lungs.

Vaping doesn’t create second-hand smoke. Breathing in second-hand smoke is a health risk for people who are around cigarette smokers, including vapers. In addition, third-hand smoke on clothes and furniture is smelly and can be dangerous for people with respiratory conditions. Vaping doesn’t produce the same smelly fumes as cigarettes, but the secondhand vapor contains chemicals and compounds that pollute the indoor air. Even though you may not smell it, third-hand particulates cling to surfaces and dust and can be breathed deep into the lungs or absorbed through the skin.

It’s easy to quit vaping. One vape pod delivers as much addictive nicotine as 20 cigarettes. Vaping trains the brain to expect more nicotine and creates the desire to vape even more. The teen brain is especially susceptible to the effects of nicotine. That makes it harder to stop vaping and also increases the chance that teens will go on to become smokers, too. Learn more about how to help your teen quit when they are ready.

These myths are from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Here are four facts that every parent needs to know about e-cigarettes from the American Lung Association:

1. It isn’t just water vapor. Vaping involves inhaling “e-juice” in the form of aerosol produced by an electronic cigarette or vape device. The aerosols typically contain flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease, nicotine, and other harmful chemicals. Vape cartridges or “pods” can also be filled with THC, CBD, or other “e-juice.” The earliest vape devices looked like cigarettes but newer models look like a USB flash drive or small pod.

2. It can cause health risks, including lung damage and lung disease. In January 2018, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released a consensus report that reviewed over 800 different studies. That report made clear that using e-cigarettes causes health risks, increases the chance that youth will start to use combustible tobacco products and exposes others to dangerous secondhand e-cigarette emissions. In addition, e-cigarettes deliver a high level of addictive nicotine quickly. Nicotine is harmful to developing brains, affecting attention, learning, mood, impulse control and memory. “The mid-to-long-term health consequences of this current generation of e-cigarettes are not yet known. While much remains to be determined about the lasting health consequences of these products, we are very troubled by what we see so far. The impact on the lungs from inhalation of these harmful chemicals can cause lung damage and lung diseases,” said Dr. Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association.

3. Signs Your Teen is Vaping Can Be Difficult to Detect: Vaping is easy to hide, and the signs can be easy to miss. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes don’t leave the telltale scent of smoke. E-cigarettes and vape devices come in a number of forms. While some resemble tobacco products, others resemble household objects like USB devices, pens, highlighters and chargers. If you notice any of the following things, it’s best to talk with your child about whether or not they are vaping:

- The presence of unfamiliar technology, online purchases or packaging
- Faint sweet or fruity scents
- Behavioral and mood changes
- Increased irritability or restlessness
- Pneumonia
- Nosebleeds

4. Talk to your child about vaping early: You can play a significant role in protecting your child from the dangers of vaping and nicotine dependence. Maintain an open line of communication with your kid and use the tips and suggestions at TalkAboutVaping.org as a framework for having a productive conversation. The Lung Association recommends parents speak to their children about vaping early, while they are still willing to listen (middle school or earlier) before they may be exposed to e-cigarettes.
TalkAboutVaping.org provides a guide for parents to talk to their kids about vaping.

There is also an e-book, Vaping: What Families Need to Know that can be found HERE.