As an imaging scientist, I fear the deadly impact on people's lungs.

Vaping causes serious illness in healthy young adults and teenagers. It causes life-threatening toxicity and lung lesions, which can be abbreviated and sometimes fatal – with seemingly irreversible lesions that can not be cured.

A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine of 53 confirmed cases of young users of hospitalized electronic cigarettes with severe pulmonary toxicity and injuries clearly show that this is the case. The average age of these patients was 19 years old.

Relatively short history of vaping resulted in hospitalization, weeks of intensive care, pulmonary insufficiency, urgent need for heart-lung bypass, and, after all unsuccessful attempts, unnecessary deaths in healthy young people .

As a pulmonary imaging scientist, I develop new ways of looking at the chest so that lung abnormalities can be easily measured and monitored in patients. I see the devastating effects in the lungs of cigarette and cannabis smokers. I also see how the airways are destroyed and how millions of airbags seem to be demolished or completely destroyed, resulting in severe shortness of breath, a miserable quality of life, and then death.

Because of my experience in developing new ways to visualize the lungs and the impact of smoke and inhaled gases on lung health, I was troubled by the fact that the government and Other regulators have adopted a passive approach to the risk of e-cigarettes.

I am alarmed that the marketing of e-cigarettes is so ubiquitous, persuasive and widespread, especially when it targets children and adolescents whose growth and development of the lungs are not yet complete.

Fat found in the lungs

Some recent reports of patients with pulmonary toxicity associated with vaporization have revealed the presence of oily substances in white blood cells, lung tissue and respiratory tract.

Although these oils may be related to the nicotine and THC mixtures contained in the e-cigarette used by these patients, it is not yet known – and remains difficult to understand – how such a serious and life-threatening lung disease can be triggered by the use of the e-cigarette.

I think it's useful to visualize this by imagining a pound of solid butter, then blending into a liquid and heating up again at high temperatures, the butter turns into gaseous vapor that can be inhaled. The steam coating of butter, although delicious on popcorn, forms a solid when it cools inside the lungs and becomes a toxic initiator of inflammation and inflammation. failure of the lungs.

A quarter of high school students in vaping

Electronic cigarettes have been touted as a safe and cool alternative to cigarettes. Not surprisingly, this marketing has worked well in children and adolescents.

Over the 2017-2018 period, the rate of electronic cigarette consumption among high school students in the United States has doubled to 21%, which is higher than the smoking rate among children and adults. Estimates for 2019 suggest that a quarter of North American high school students use electronic cigarettes.

Spray devices also offer the ultimate flexibility: it is relatively easy to mix and match inserts, oils and active ingredients. This means that the products are marketed and sold to children who have the time and energy to invent new mixtures, have a high risk tolerance and have a complex need for peer approval to be able to try them too.

What's wrong? Why are we surprised by the current situation?

Aggressive marketing, lack of security testing

We have known for decades that the lungs are damaged by exposure to chemicals in high-risk occupations and by chronic inhalation of gas and smoke. So I wonder why anyone would presume that e-cigarettes would not be dangerous or harmful?

I wonder why the resplendent and aggressive marketing of electronic cigarettes is acceptable in convenience stores and gas stations everywhere, while cigarettes are properly kept, incognito, behind locked and opaque shelves in the same store.

Worse still, the small "vape shops" also offer free aftermarket replacement products – many of which have dubious origins and are not subject to any safety testing. This must be exposed, studied and stopped.

Fashionable electronic cigarettes must be banned

For all these reasons, the regulation of vaping products, their advertising and their placement in stores must be re-examined and tightened, like tobacco products.

Pleasure and fashion electronic cigarettes that are promoted directly to children should be banned. Health professionals and scientists need to shout out dangers outside of their offices, labs and clinics – until things change.

Multinational corporations such as Big Vape, Big Cannabis and Big Tobacco have always found – and will continue to find – ingenious new ways to take advantage of the tragic decisions of adults, adolescents and children, their addictions and their conceptions. the risks associated with inhaled products.

It's like cigarettes again.

[[[[Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter and get a digest of university news every day. ]