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.