The negative health effects of vaping nicotine have quickly overtaken any potential benefits in part due to aggressive marketing campaigns targeting teens.

Vaping products like JUUL pens have recently become vilified due to their potential side effects. Although the safety of these devices remains in question, there is one fact that most scientists can agree on: vapes are highly addictive.

The nicotine salts used in vape products are reportedly designed to impart a large amount of nicotine at once. For example, one JUUL pod is reportedly equal to an entire pack of cigarettes.

When vape products are used as replacement therapies, this high nicotine content can be highly effective. It reportedly allows smokers to get a satisfying amount of nicotine similar to cigarettes without exposing themselves to carcinogens and other hazards.

However, in the context of young consumers and teenagers, this high nicotine can be dangerous – especially when vaping products are accompanied with enticing flavors. The attractive flavors and cultural attitude towards vaping may encourage teenagers to use vape products more frequently. With the higher nicotine levels, this translates to young consumers intaking a massive amount of nicotine.

Health Effects of Vaping Nicotine

In general, it is hard to determine the long term side effects of vaping due to the lack of long term studies on the products. However, an agreed-upon risk is the risk of nicotine addiction.

Unlike the years it takes to become addicted to traditional cigarettes, teenagers are allegedly finding themselves addicted to e-cigarettes within two months. This can be especially harmful since developing brains are at a higher risk for the health effects of vaping nicotine.

According to a study by researchers from Amsterdam, exposure to nicotine during developmental years can result in long term neurological effects including an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment, and attention deficits.

“The prefrontal cortex, the brain area responsible for executive functions and attention performance, is one of the last brain areas to mature and is still in the process of developing during adolescence,” the researchers note.

“This places the adolescent brain in a vulnerable state of imbalance, susceptible to the influence of psychoactive substances such as nicotine.”

In most cases, teenagers are needlessly exposing themselves to nicotine despite never having used traditional cigarettes before. A 2015 report from the U.S. Surgeon General reportedly showed that 40 percent of young people using e-cigarette users hadn’t used regular tobacco products.

The health effects of vaping nicotine are also concerning because people who vape are statistically more likely to try traditional cigarettes eventually. This means that vaping products may only be the beginning on a lifelong addiction to nicotine and exposure to known cancer-causing habits.

“What I find most concerning about the rise of vaping is that people who would’ve never smoked otherwise, especially youth, are taking up the habit,” Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Michael Blaha says.

“It’s one thing if you convert from cigarette smoking to vaping. It’s quite another thing to start up nicotine use with vaping. And, it often leads to using traditional tobacco products down the road.”

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.