cut her use of it sometime in the near future.
“I’m addicted but I’m not weak,” she wrote. “I was literally staring at my vape today that normally I’d hit a thousand times a day and hit it two times instead. I’ma try to go cold turkey for now but hopefully, my brain doesn’t need it at all by then.”
Vaping Side Effects
Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it’s still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings, and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale.
The aerosol from e-cigarettes can contain harmful chemicals, including nicotine; ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead.
An FDA analysis of e-cigarettes from two leading brands found that the samples contained carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals, including diethylene glycol, which is found in antifreeze. These chemicals are dangers for both adolescents and adults.
A report from Greek researchers found that using e-cigarettes caused breathing difficulties in both smokers and non-smokers of all ages.
As of September 2019, 530 cases of lung injury and seven deaths due to vaping have been reported in the U.S. Symptoms of vaping-related lung injury include:
- Rapid onset of coughing
- Breathing difficulties
- Weight loss
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
Physicians have attributed these symptoms to a buildup of oil and/or white blood cells in the lungs.
THC and CBD, another active ingredient in cannabis, are heated up as oil in vape pens before being converted to vapor to smoke.