The Negatives of Tobacco

 The Negatives of Tobacco

by: Calista Rodal 

What is Tobacco and why is it bad?

Tobacco is defined as a preparation of the nicotine-rich leaves of an American plant, which are cured by a process of drying and fermentation for smoking or chewing. Doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Well, it’s actually very detrimental to one’s health. Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and other problems that can eventually lead to death. So, with all these detrimental health consequences what keeps people smoking tobacco products?

            Tobacco use also causes short term effects that can happen every time one smokes. Short term effects include bad breath, coughing, fatigue, shortness of breath, elevated heart rate. So, every time you’re near someone who has been smoking it can be very obvious and not appealing.

 

            Nicotine is an oily substance found inside tobacco leaves. When concentrated, nicotine makes tobacco products addictive. Every “hit” someone takes from a cigarette or e-cigarette, releases the pleasure hormone known as “dopamine” inside of the brain. Since Dopamine is associated with pleasure, it wires the brain to crave the behavior over and over again. This is the same thing that happens when people are addicted to different types of drugs, and the reason why the e-cigarette has become even more dangerous.

 

The e-cigarette craze

            The e-cigarette has become extremely popular in the last years. On college campuses around the country E-cigarettes like Juul, Puff Bar, Blu, etc. are on the rise. These students start vaping for many different reasons, but the biggest factor pushing college students to use e-cigarettes is peer pressure. They start vaping because of a social aspect but before they know it, they’re addicted to the nicotine inside. The National Institute of Health reported that 22 percent of college students were vaping as of 2019.

 

            Although the vaping craze seems like a good alternative to smoking cigarettes, it has just as much nicotine if not more than regular cigarettes. It has been said that people try to use e-cigarettes as a way to wean off traditional cigarettes; however, research from Johns Hopkins Medicine has shown that e-cigarettes are just as addictive if not more than regular cigarettes. Some types of e-cigarettes have pods with higher concentrations of nicotine, therefore, being even more potent than regular cigarettes. Furthermore, e-cigarettes have not been approved as smoking cessation devices by the FDA. This means that they aren’t seen as devices that will stop people from smoking. The CDC has even advised people to look for alternate smoking cessation devices because of the EVALI outbreak. 

            Overall, whether using cigarettes or electronic devices, smoking is not healthy. This has become a huge problem in the world today and needs to be brought up more. 

What is EVALI? What You Should Know

What is EVALI?

Have you ever heard of EVALI? You are less likely to hear about it now that COVID has taken top priority for public health. EVALI stands for e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury. The American Lung Association defines EVALI as, “an inflammatory response in the lungs triggered by inhaled substances.” Essentially, EVALI is lung damage due to vaping and can happen to anyone regardless of age.

According to the latest update by the CDC on Feb. 18, 2020, there were 2,807 EVALI cases and 68 EVALI deaths in America. Unfortunately, there is not a more recent update from the CDC because COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. 

Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons

What Causes EVALI?

According to the CDC, vitamin E acetate is definitively linked to EVALI, though there are other chemicals not specified that can cause EVALI. Vitamin E acetate is an ingredient in THC vaping products. Because other chemicals aside from vitamin E acetate may have a link to EVALI, non-THC products cannot be ruled out as a cause for EVALI. In short, vaping of any kind can put you at risk of getting EVALI. 

Is EVALI That Serious?

Yes, lung damage of any severity should not be taken lightly. A New York Times article published Sept. 4, 2020, tells the story of a 20-year-old Janan Moein who vaped THC products regularly for a year. In only a year of regular vape use, Moein ended up in the hospital with a collapsed lung; consequently, he was put in a medically induced coma for two weeks. He was 50 pounds lighter when he woke up. 

The NYT article also tells the story of 26-year-old James Ippolito, who has been addicted to vaping nicotine for about six years. However, Ippolito has not experienced any serious effects from his regular vape usage and admits that he would not quit even if he got COVID-19.

Moein and Ippolito are examples of how vaping affects everyone differently and why you should not risk your health by starting to vape. 

Vaping and COVID?

Is there any correlation between COVID-19 and vaping? According to a study by Stanford University School of Medicine, people who used vapes in the last 30 days were, “4.7 times more likely to experience COVID related symptoms,” than non-vapers. 

The World Health Organization does not explicitly say anything about vaping, but does say, “evidence suggests that smoking is associated with increased severity of disease and death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.” This information does not bode well considering many vapers smoke tobacco products.

EVALI Today

Unfortunately, no updates or information about recent EVALI cases are available because healthcare professionals and scientists are overwhelmed by the pandemic. EVALI was garnering national attention in early 2020 but the pandemic completely overshadowed this issue. However, if you want to improve your overall health, you should quit vaping or smoking.

 

Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons

Young Adults Vaping Can Risk Them Getting COVID

 Benjamin Bourgeois

Professor Sylvester 

MC 4971 

Sept. 23, 2020

    Vaping may cause a positive COVID 19 test in young adults in America because they truly have no idea the damage they are causing to their lungs. Young adults in high school and college have this notion that they are young and the virus is incapable of causing them any harm at all.

    The Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a survey that consisted of 4,351 people spanning from the ages of 13 to 24 who all live in the United States. The results were separated based on age, sex, LGTBQ status, race, and body mass index. The people who both vaped and smoked were 6.8 times more likely to experience COVID 19 symptoms. Coughing, fever, tiredness, and difficulty breathing, are the reasons they continue to receive COVID 19 tests.

    The survey overall showed vaping and smoking tobacco products causes people to experience COVID 19 like symptoms. The users of both are always experiencing difficulties such as wheezing and coughing when in reality they are weakening their immune system using vapes and increasing their chances of getting COVID.

    This survey indicates why both vaping and smoking cigarettes at the same time can damage young adults lungs. Thus, if they were to contract COVID the severity of their health would increase. Teens must refrain from vaping unless they want to continue to damage their lungs causing a worse case of COVID if contracted. 

SOURCE:

"Vaping Linked to COVID-19 Risk in Teens and Young Adults." Center for Tobacco Control Research                  Control Research and Education, 11 Aug. 2020, tobacco.ucsf.edu/vaping-linked-covid-19-risk-                  covid-19-risk-teens-and-young-adults

How Can Vaping Affect the Respiratory System?

Vaping continues to become exponentially popular among young people. Many e-cigarette users believe e-cigarettes don’t affect health. In 2019, roughly 10.5 percent of middle school students vape. Approximately 27.5 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes. Pew Research Center found 9 percent of young adults vape. 

Young people are beginning to frequently vape. The frequency of vaping suggests young people aren’t experimenting with e-cigarettes but using them habitually as a dependent. A 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey shows 18 percent of middle school students and 34.2 percent of high school students vape about 20 days or more per month. Around 7.6 percent of young adults vape every day. 

The increasing number of young e-cigarette smokers implies they are unaware about the damage vaping can have on the respiratory system, leading to various health issues. 

Harmful Chemicals in E-Cigarettes 

Around 42 chemicals can be found in e-cigarettes and are harmful when inhaled. Some of these chemicals include acrolein, benzene, formaldehyde and diacetyl.  

Courtesy of NPR 

Acrolein is a clear, yellow liquid that forms when animal and vegetable fats are heated. The chemical helps make acrylic acid, controls plant and algae growth in irrigation canals and kills microorganisms and bacteria. Constant inhalation of acrolein can result in death from lungs and respiratory system damage. 

Benzene  is a flammable gas commonly used to make plastics, rubbers and pesticides. Women, who breathe in high levels of Benzene for many months, can experience irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in ovary size. Long-term exposure to high levels of Benzene can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs. 

Formaldehyde is a flammable gas that causes cancer when inhaled at high concentrations. The chemical is known to cause nasopharynx, a rare cancer found in the upper part of the throat behind the nose. Exposure to formaldehyde can also result in wheezing, asthma attacks and other respiratory systems. 

Diacetyl is a food additive used to simulate butter flavor in microwave popcorn. Frequent inhalation of diacetyl can cause bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as “popcorn lung.” 

Medical experts discovered popcorn lung when popcorn factory workers started getting sick.

Popcorn lung is a rare condition that results from damage of the lungs’ small airways. Symptoms of popcorn lung include coughing, wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breath. 

Lipoid Pneumonia 

When e-cigarette users inhale oily substances from e-liquid, they can get lipoid pneumonia. The infection develops when fatty acids enter the lungs. As a result, the lungs become inflamed, leading e-cigarette smokers to experience chronic cough, shortness of breath and coughing up blood or bloody mucus. 

Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax , known as collapsed lung, occurs when a hole forms in the lungs through which oxygen escapes. People can experience collapsed lung when air blisters rupture on the top of the lungs and create tiny tears. Vaping can cause air blisters to rupture.  

EVALI

E-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) is a lung disease commonly found in e-cigarette users. Health experts say vitamin E acetate, a food additive, primarily leads to EVALI when inhaled. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, fever and chills, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness and rapid heart rate. As of Feb. 18, 2020, the CDC reported hundreds of hospitalized EVALI or EVALI-related deaths in the United States. 

A Look at Youth E-Cigarette Usage in America

 

    Almost 1/5^th of U.S. high school students use e-cigarettes to some degree, according to data from the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Additionally, disposable e-cigarette products saw a sharp rise in usage rates in 2019-2020. Only 2.4 percent of high school students reported using disposable e-cigarette products (Puff Bars, Juul pods) the year prior, but in 2020 that number increased by 1000 percent to 26.5 percent of high schoolers. These numbers may seem disheartening at first glance, as they still represent “epidemic levels” of usage according to tobaccofreekids.org, but several reasons lead to optimism about the decline of youth e-cigarette usage rates.

            Perhaps the most encouraging data from this year’s NYTS is a significant drop in the percentage of high school vapers, down to 19.6 percent in 2020 compared to 27.5 percent in 2019. Tobaccofreekids.org mentions state and federal prohibitions on flavored e-cigarettes as one factor in the decline, and since the data was collected from Jan. 16 to March 16, 2020 we know the Covid-19 pandemic did not affect usage rates. While disposable e-cigarette products rose astronomically in the past year, the federal ban on flavors (despite some loopholes) should help that number go down. Indeed, the survey lists fruit flavors as the most popular among all high school vapers (73.1 percent) and for those who use disposables (66 percent). With fruit flavors being so popular, it is conceivable that a not-insignificant portion of students may find tobacco flavored pods an unacceptable substitute for their berry and citrus counterparts.

            Concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, it is likely that high schoolers are vaping less overall due to the previously nonexistent difficulty of going out in public. As the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, by the time the NYTS collects data in the beginning of 2021 those factors may still be at play. Researchers and analysts must try to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on youth e-cigarette usage in order to avoid any false conclusions drawn from the survey data.

            Overall, youth e-cigarette usage has declined significantly in one year due in part to newly implemented laws and regulations. As the pandemic continues, health organizations and policy makers cannot forget about addressing the high rates of youth usage in order to continue the downward trend in usage rates.

 

 

 

Tobacco and Louisiana: A Love Story

  

 

Tobacco use in Louisiana is an issue that is worth addressing. According to Tobacco Free Kids, nearly 20,000 high school students in Louisiana smoke cigarettes. This number roughly translates to 8.4% of all high school students. The percentage of high school students who use electronic cigarettes is much higher. Around 22% of high school students are said to be users of electronic cigarettes, like Juul or Vibe. 

Tobacco use is proven to cause premature death. This is not an opinion or claim, rather a fact. Around 7,2000 adults each year die from smoking related illnesses in Louisiana. In fact, smoking has caused more deaths than AIDS, illegal drugs, and murders. So why do people still smoke or use tobacco? High school students claim that it gives them a sort of “high” that is relaxing. Others say that it makes them look “cool” and helps them fit in. The risks of smoking are known, yet people still do it. Around 30% of cancer deaths in Louisiana are attributed to smoking. This number is shocking as smoking is the most preventable way from getting cancer.

According to SmokeFree.gov, the average cost for a pack of cigarettes in the United States is $6.28. According to this information, a pack day smoker will spend $2,292 on cigarettes each year. I found it interesting that productivity in businesses is directly affected by smoking. Tobacco Free Kids states that smoking causes $2.49 billion in productivity losses in Louisiana each year. An easy example of this would be employees taking smoke breaks. I used to work at Acme and the prevalence of smoke breaks was very common. Every time I walked outside, there would be an employee smoking a cigarette. One employee in particular would smoke around 2 cigarettes every hour. With no ash tray in sight, it was my job at the end of the night to pick up the cigarette butts. I estimate that I had to pick up around 70 to 100 cigarette butts every night. 

Last year, the national age to buy tobacco was raised to 21. The minimum age used to be 18, while other states raised the age to 19 before. Still, kids under the age of 18 are using tobacco products. One statistic says that 1,700 kids under the age of 18 in Louisiana become new daily smokers each year. The same statistic also states that 98,000 kids will ultimately die prematurely from smoking. This statistic is alarming, in the fact that these kids legally cannot purchase tobacco. Big tobacco has a hold of children when it comes to advertising. Researchers believe that kids are twice as likely to be influenced by smoking advertisements than adults. 

Tobacco use in Louisiana is a growing issue, and until the number of underage kids and adults are aware of the problem then it must be addressed. too many high schoolers use tobacco on a regular basis, though they are under the minimum age to purchase such products. With the newly popular electronic cigarettes, the number of children who use tobacco has risen. More advertisement campaigns against electronic cigarettes must be released and shown to students. Tobacco use in Louisiana may one day be miniscule, however there is a lot of work ahead. 

 

Below are two sources that I referenced in my article: 

https://www.tobaccofreekids.org

https://smokefree.gov/quit-smoking/why-you-should-quit/how-much-will-you-save

Big Tobacco in the Dawn of 2020

 

After countless years of advocacy work, legislation and numerous deaths linked to smoking, President Donald Trump signed legislation on Dec. 20, 2019 that raised the federal minimum age for the sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years (https://tinyurl.com/y2ry74v8). Following shortly in early January 2020, the FDA announced that it would be tightening restrictions around electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). These restrictions would eliminate the sale of and prohibit any “cartridge-based ENDS products (other than tobacco and menthol-flavored products); all other ENDS products for which the manufacturer has failed to take (or is failing to take) adequate measures to prevent minors’ access; and any ENDS product that is targeted to minors or likely to promote use of ENDS by minors” (https://tinyurl.com/uncmdhp). This would pose a threat to e-cigarette manufacturers, retailers, and the Big Tobacco industry as a whole. 

As underage use of ENDS expanded during the mid and late 2010s, Big Tobacco sought to cash in on this growing consumer market. Most notably was Altria, owner of Phillip Morris USA, one of the largest cigarette companies in the United States, that purchasing a 35 percent stake in Juul for $12.8 billion (https://tinyurl.com/y2ogv7uq). With so much invested in the success of ENDS products, Big Tobacco companies pushed to expand this market as wide as possible using attractive product flavors, ease of use, and effective marketing strategies.

In direct correlation to the rise in underage use of ENDS devices, teens and even young-adult use of marijuana, specifically THC, related e-cigarette devices have increased. (https://tinyurl.com/y6r7oofy). In late October and early November 2019, several cases of an unexplained lung illness began popping up across the country. After further research, medical experts determined that these individuals were suffering from “E-cigarettes or Vaping product use Associated Lung Injury” or EVALI. The culprit of the EVALI cases was found to be Vitamin E Acetate, a thickening agent that was found in a combination of black market THC and nicotine e-liquid devices (https://tinyurl.com/y2b6srjo). In his typical reactionary method, President Trump expedited the legislation raising the minimum age for tobacco purchase to 21 and pressured the FDA to tighten regulations on flavored ENDS devices to combat not only the rising number of EVALI cases, but the mass epidemic of underage vaping.

With the emergence of the novel coronavirus in the United States, many smokers and vapers are reconsidering their habits due to the emerging data regarding the increased negative effects of COVID-19 on the lungs of smokers and vapers. This, in combination with increasing federal regulatory procedures and rules that Big Tobacco companies must follow and comply with to even get their products on the shelves, could entail a possible future decline in the tobacco industry. With all of the hardships and negativity in the world, these new regulations and federal laws can be seen as almost the “light at the end of the tunnel” for anti-smoking/vaping advocates who have fought for years just to raise the minimum age for purchase laws and can hopefully provide that movement with the energy it needs to continue to advocate for a healthier country.