Many teens do not know that e-cigarettes expose them to nicotine

A new study reveals that most teenagers who smoke electronic cigarettes instead of traditional cigarettes are not aware that vaping them exposes them to nicotine.

According to statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4.9 million American teenagers have used electronic cigarettes in 2018.

In a new report, while many teenagers admit that they regularly use electronic cigarettes, most of them have sworn to take only "nicotine-free" products. However, urine tests of a chemical known as a nicotine marker have proven the opposite.

Teens do not know that e-cigarettes expose them to nicotine

A team of researchers led by Rachel Boykan, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University in New York, revealed that about one in five high school students report using electronic cigarettes at least once in the past year. last month.

In 2017 and 2018 alone, the vape teenage rate rose to 78 percent, researchers said.

To determine if teens understand the "dangers" of vaping, Boykan and his colleagues asked 517 participants aged 12 to 21 to answer questionnaires regarding the use of electronic cigarettes, traditional cigarettes and marijuana .

The results of the investigation were then compared to the results of urine tests involving the presence of a chemical called cotinine.

Cotinine is a chemical known as a marker of the presence of nicotine in the body of a person. Boykan and colleagues reported that urine tests for cotinine were positive 40% of the time among survey participants.

The majority of survey participants were honest about their answers. Only about 2% of participants who reported no smoking of electronic cigarettes, traditional cigarettes or marijuana actually had traces of nicotine, pot or tobacco in their urine samples.

The researchers found a significant difference between young vapers. In fact, about four out of 10 teens who reported vaporizing nicotine-free e-cigarettes had cotinine in their urine.

This lack of awareness has occurred with the use of Juul vaping pods, researchers said. The study indicates that the vaping pods apparently have the highest concentrations of nicotine so far.

In addition, Juul spray capsules have also become the most widely used product by adolescents, researchers said.

Stricter regulation on awareness of electronic cigarettes

Experts believe that because of the lack of nicotine awareness in e-cigarettes, teens could potentially have more nicotine addiction throughout their lives because they believe that vaping is more "harmless" than traditional smoking.

Patricia Folan, director of the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health in New York, said other studies have shown that teens were using electronic cigarettes because they thought they were harmful for combustible cigarettes, without having a complete knowledge of their contents.

"The risk of addiction is clear," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a specialist in lung health and not involved in the study.

Horovitz explained that electronic cigarettes provide more nicotine, as each "draw" produces nicotine. In comparison, traditional cigarettes burn between puffs and release less nicotine.

Meanwhile, Folan said that more needs to be done to alert teens to the dangers of e-cigarettes. Folan insisted that there should be more regulations regarding electronic cigarettes, including health warnings and labeling of ingredients.

Informing teens about the ingredients of vaping products could help them make more informed decisions, Folan added.

The details of the new study are available in the journal Pediatrics.

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