According to a recent study, up to 4 out of 5 vaping teens and young adults have independently “hacked” their electronic cigarettes.
According to a study conducted by Yale University experts, these alterations may expose people to burns from exploding devices, lung damage from e-liquid pollutants, and maybe covert marijuana usage (1).
Researchers polled over a thousand teenagers and young adults (ages 14 to 29) who had vaped at least once in the previous month between November 2022 and February 2023.
Even though rechargeable e-cigarettes are not designed to be recharged, they discovered that over 40% of users replenished their devices. Since it is more cost-effective to reuse vapes, many websites and social media accounts offer advice on how to refill and change them.
These changes do, however, potentially have health hazards because the refilling procedure could break the gadget and cause leaks and harm to the battery. Additionally, users may encounter e-liquid and, if it is not thoroughly mixed, may overdose on nicotine.
Twenty percent of participants added cannabis fluids or mixed cannabis and nicotine fluids in their vapes, while about twenty percent of participants altered their vaping fluid.
The Link between Lung Injuries and Cannabis Use
The scientists expressed concern that using cannabis and nicotine concurrently could put a user at higher risk of lung damage.
They pointed out that an epidemic of vaping-associated lung diseases, also known as EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung disease), occurred in 2019, during the peak of e-cigarette popularity among younger people. This epidemic resulted in 2,807 hospitalizations and 68 deaths in the US.
When there is no lung infection present, lung inflammation results in EVALI, a dangerous lung ailment.
Chemicals in the vaping fluid can cause irritation and inflammation of the lungs in patients with EVALI.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, and vitamin E acetate, an addition used in the manufacturing of e-liquids and added as a thickening agent in certain THC products, are the key substances associated with EVALI (2).
In a study including 867 EVALI patients, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked vitamin E acetate to the condition (3).
According to the CDC in the news release, although vitamin E acetate is generally safe to take, it can stick to lung tissues because it is extremely sticky (4).
Three months before the beginning of symptoms, 86% of the patients also reported using THC-containing products, according to the study.
The etiology or mechanism by which vitamin E acetate causes lung harm has not been found by the CDC.
Cannabis is not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, but nicotine delivery devices like vape pens and e-cigarettes are.
Notes on the Clinical Findings
Patients with EVALI reported acquiring the unregulated cannabis products that are likely to cause the illness via unofficial sources (friends, dealers, etc.). These results highlight how important it is to control cannabis vaping.
More than half of the participants knew how to change the e-liquids in vape pens, such as by mixing liquids based on cannabis with the nicotine vape fluid.
The authors found that the most popular sources of information regarding these activities were friends and social media. The fact that 11% of respondents said they obtained information from vape shops alarmed them.
Given that many participants were younger than 21, it is troubling that vape shops were included in the findings.
Given the significant prevalence of cannabis vaping among (adolescents and young adults) who vape nicotine, prevention and education initiatives should include cannabis vaping as well as the hazards of modifications, such as explosions and burns.
![Teens and E-Cigarette Use What You Need to Know](https://i0.wp.com/jasminefeliciano.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Teens-and-E-Cigarette-Use-What-You-Need-to-Know-pin.png?resize=683%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1)
To Wrap Things Up
A lot of teens and young adults are modifying their e-cigarettes, which is dangerous. The Yale study shows that these changes can lead to serious issues like battery explosions, lung damage from bad e-liquids, and problems from using cannabis with nicotine.
Many are learning how to do this from friends and social media, with some even getting tips from vape shops. This calls for better education and stricter rules to keep young people safe.
Sources |
- Modification of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Among Adolescents and Young Adults | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics (aap.org)
- Evaluation of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from Patients in an Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury — 10 States, August–October 2019 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
- Evaluation of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from Patients in an Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury — 10 States, August–October 2019 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
- Transcript of CDC Telebriefing: Update on Lung Injury Associated with E-cigarette Use, or Vaping | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC
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