UPDATE: Teens Who Vape Develop Breathing Problems within a Month of Starting
A new report estimates 4.5% of all adults over 18 vape but the rate more than doubles to 11% for those 18-24.
Photo: brillianata, Adobe Stock
UPDATE AUGUST 16, 2023: New research has found that teenagers often develop wheezing, bronchitis, and shortness of breath only 30 days after they start using e-cigarettes.
According to the study from the Ohio State University, teens who vaped within the past 30 days were 81% more likely to develop wheezing and 78% more likely to experience shortness of breath than those who never smoked. The study participants who used e-cigarettes were also twice as likely to develop symptoms of bronchitis.
Another health risk associated with e-cigarette use is the increased likelihood of developing asthma.
Campus Safety previously reported that 11% of Americans, ages 18-24, vape. The July 26, 2023 article covering these statistics is below.
More than one in 10 Americans ages 18 to 24 use e-cigarettes regularly, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The research estimates 4.5% of all adults over 18 use vapes. However, the rate more than doubles to 11% for young adults.
The report also found more young people are smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes interchangeably. E-cigarettes are more common with people under 25 while cigarettes are more common with older Americans.
“Dual use of tobacco products is a health concern because it may result in greater exposure to toxins and worse respiratory outcomes than using either product alone,” the study reads. “In 2021, most e-cigarette users aged 18–24 had never smoked cigarettes. Despite this, the percentage of adults aged 18–24 who were dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes was similar to the percentage among adults aged 25–44 (1.8% compared with 2.0%).”
Additional key findings from the report include:
- Among all adults aged 18 and over, the percentage of White non-Hispanic adults (5.2%) was higher than Asian non-Hispanic (2.9%), Black or African American non-Hispanic
(2.4%), and Hispanic or Latino (3.3%) adults - Among adults aged 18 and over, e-cigarette use was higher among men (5.1%) compared with women (4.0%)
- Among adults aged 25-44, current e-cigarette use was higher among men (7.9%) compared with women (5.1%)
- E-cigarette use among adults aged 18 and over generally declined with increasing family income
- E-cigarette use decreased with increasing age for both men and women
- Among all adults aged 18 and over, 1.3% smoked both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, 10.2% smoked cigarettes only, and 3.2% used e-cigarettes only
The findings are based on 2021 data from a National Health Interview Survey that defined current e-cigarette use as respondents who said they vape “every day” or “some days.” The numbers are likely higher now as another CDC report released in June announced e-cigarette sales rose 46.6% from Jan. 2020 (15.5 million) to Dec. 2022 (22.7 million). During that same timeframe, the number of e-cigarette brands rose from 184 to 269 — an increase of nearly 50%.
Researchers Discuss Health Risks Associated with E-Cigarettes
A report released last week by the American Heart Association (AHA) found long-term vaping can damage your heart and lungs, according to The Hill.
“E-cigarettes deliver numerous substances into the body that are potentially harmful, including chemicals and other compounds that are likely not known to or understood by the user,” the AHA wrote in a statement. “There is research indicating that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are associated with acute changes in several hemodynamic measures, including increases in blood pressure and heart rate.”
An earlier CDC survey found 14% of high schoolers vape, which the agency says is concerning as brains don’t finish developing until a person is around 25 years old.
“The effects of vaping on kids and adolescents is an addiction that can come about from the chronic exposure to nicotine,” Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told CBS News.
As of Dec. 31, 2022, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah, as well as 378 jurisdictions, have some type of restriction on flavored e-cigarette sales to decrease the appeal to young adults and children.
Data published last year in the National Youth Tobacco Survey found more than 2.5 million people under the age of 18 vape, and 85% of middle and high school students who reported using e-cigarettes were buying flavored e-cigarettes.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
History repeats itself …
The young adolescence who are being led by their parents and or the fellow profit hungry society members, have already recruited and sustained a base of addicted citizens for the vaping industry. Just like the tobacco industry has done in the last century. (4, 1)
The federal legislation ad FDA is obviously dragging its feet (on regulation this) just as was done with the tobacco industry. It a large business with lots of demand and cash flow at the expense of its consumers. Despite a settlement US vs Juul just last year, other companies have rushed to fill the gap targeting underage. “As of March 16, 2023, there were 5,969 Juul lawsuits from around the United States combined in multidistrict litigation (MDL), MDL-2913. The cases represent both class action lawsuits and individual personal injury cases filed in four states.” (2)
Federal and state legislation has done little to control, educate or stem the increasing flow gas station and vapor shop sales of CBD, THC, DELTA, 8, 9, 10 (get you higher faster) etc. The FDA has issued numerous “warning letters” to manufacturing companies (insert eyeroll) thus far. (3)
“E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) is a potentially fatal disease, with 68 deaths reported as of this writing. A significant number of patients may end up requiring non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation. A recent study of 98 patients showed that as many as 76% of the cases needed supplemental oxygen, 22% required non-invasive ventilation (NIV), and 26% required intubation and mechanical ventilation.[12] Poor prognostic indicators include a patient age of more than 35 years, comorbidities that compromise pulmonary reserve, and patients presenting with resting oxygen saturation of less than 95%.[18] These patients can rapidly deteriorate and end up developing acute respiratory distress syndrome.” (5)
If one had no moral compass they should deeply invest in vaping companies and products for a decade, then dissolve any relations and reinvest in the medical pharma companies specializing in vaping related diseases. I have unfortunately spent enough time visiting others in oncology facilities to see the cancer related damage to humans.
I as a child never remember any fruit cereal flavored cigarettes in the vending machines, which were later removed from circulation by the US gov. Have you tried the new fruity pebbles flavored (mostly unregulated manufacturing, your choice) brand? Its to die for, example.. (https://d8superstore.com/product/flying-monkey-fruity-pebbles-live-resin-d8-d10-hhc-thc-p-cbd-disposable-2g) … lets revisit this statement in 2040 and see what has transpired. Also see https://webtribunal.net/blog/vaping-statistics/#gref
Last but not least those students in school that are “high” from vaping the “tree top” or “cloud” club are not retaining the education being presented to them.
1 https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2014/03/smoke-gets-in-your-eyes-20th-century-tobacco-advertisements.html
2 https://www.vox.com/2019/1/25/18194953/vape-juul-e-cigarette-marketing
3 https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/looking-back-looking-ahead-fdas-progress-tobacco-product-regulation-2022#:~:text=FDA%20has%20authorized%2023%20tobacco,menthol%2Dflavored%20e%2Dcigarettes.
4 https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/ecigarette-ads/index.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560656/#:~:text=Vaping%2Dassociated%20pulmonary%20injury%20(VAPI,findings%20mimicking%20various%20pulmonary%20diseases.