Vaping & e-cigs
You’re the only one to decide to say no to vaping.
You only have one set of lungs.
It only takes one decision to stop or never start, before it impacts your health.
It takes only one person to make a difference in your life. And that’s you.
Children’s Minnesota: What you should know about vaping.
Children’s Minnesota is here to partner with parents and teens, to help you understand the negative effects of vaping and to support prevention. As one of the first health care systems to warn about vaping, we have seen firsthand what vaping can do to your body.
Vaping is not safe
E-cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, e-cigars and e-hookahs have been marketed as safe alternatives to smoking, but in reality, they are far from safe. Breathing in these chemicals can harm brain development and growing lungs. Vaping is especially risky for kids who have asthma because it irritates the lungs, can make it more difficult to control asthma on a day-to-day basis and can lead to more flare-ups.
Many vaping products include food flavorings that might be safe in your stomach, but that doesn’t make them safe in your lungs. Food flavorings are not meant to be inhaled in the lungs, and doctors are concerned that they may get in the way of your lungs’ natural ability to fight off infection. Illegal products are often mixed with other chemicals intended for foods (like ice cream thickeners) that can be really harmful and hard for lungs to break down.
Symptoms of vaping lung injury and poisoning
See a doctor if you have a history of vaping and notice:
- Shortness of breath.
- Cough, especially with chest pain.
- Nausea and vomiting, especially with diarrhea and/or a fever.
Even with legal vaping products, we don’t have data and research yet to tell us the long-term effects. Just this summer, the Minnesota Department of Health issued an alert that people were becoming very sick from vaping THC-based marijuana products. Because symptoms of vaping THC can look very similar to being ill with COVID-19, doctors have to delay treating patients as they figure out what’s going on.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General.
Information for parents
E-cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, e-cigars and e-hookahs are battery-powered smoking devices. Nearly 25 percent of teens use these products, making them a big concern for pediatricians and parents.
Source: Minnesota Department of Health summary of MN Youth Tobacco Survey results for 2019.
Today’s most popular vaping devices are intentionally designed to look deceptively like innocent, everyday items. We’ve emptied a typical teen’s backpack and included a vape in each image. Can you find it?
Click the image to find the vape.
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E-cigs or vapes come in many shapes and sizes. While some vape devices are made to look like regular cigarettes, many could easily be mistaken for other everyday items, like USB flash drives and pens.
Additionally, the vapor from a Juul is a lot less noticeable than normal cigarettes and disappears very quickly. Many come unscented, and others often have artificially sweet scents that may be mistaken for air fresheners or candles. Here are just a few examples of product designs:
Re-chargeable e-cigarettes
Tank devices (including “pens” and “mods”)
Re-fillable pod devices (“pod-mods”)
THC cartridge (for “dab pens”)
Disposable device
Devices may also be referred to as “nic sticcs”, “mods”, “wops”, or “wop machines”. Learn more with this visual dictionary PDF by the CDC. Images courtesy of http://missingitmn.org/
Related articles
Children’s Minnesota is a leading national voice in raising awareness about the dangers of vaping.
From the Children’s Minnesota blog
Are COVID-19 and vaping connected? A pediatric pulmonologist explains.
For those who vape or smoke, the risks for complications if you get COVID-19 might be even greater. Dr. Anne Griffiths, a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Minnesota, explains the possible connection between vaping and COVID-19 complications.
What parents need to know about e-cigarettes and vapes
Nearly 25 percent of teens use battery-powered smoking devices known as e-cigarettes or vapes. Dr. Gigi Chawla shares more about these devices and how to deter your teen from using them.
Tips to quit vaping
Quitting vaping isn’t easy, that’s why Dr. Anne Griffiths, pediatric pulmonologist and vaping expert at Children’s Minnesota, is sharing how parents can help their kids quit vaping and e-cigarette usage this year.
Our experts in the news
Teen vapers up to 7 times more likely to get COVID-19 than non-e-cig users, says new Stanford study
NBC News
Some patients with vaping-related lung injuries are being hospitalized a second time
Washington Post
Doctors suspect vaping behind dozens of lung illnesses in US
Associated Press
5 things to keep in mind when talking to your kids about e-cigs
MPR
New details from doctors treating vaping victims
Good Morning America
Officials investigating after young adults hospitalized with lung damage from vaping
NBC National Nightly News
Dozens of Young People Hospitalized for Breathing and Lung Problems After Vaping
New York Times
Mystery lung illness linked to vaping. Health officials investigating nearly 100 possible cases
Washington Post
Teen blames vaping after his lung collapses
CBS National News
Minnesota is the latest state to report patients with severe lung disease after vaping
CNN
Teen lung diseases linked to vaping, Minnesota Health Department reports
Star Tribune
Take action
Spread the word
Helpful sites
- Living Now
Behavioral health resources to help children through challenges in life. - Know the Truth MN
Educates and empowers youth, parents and educators to take a stand against substance use. - Clear Way Minnesota
Independent nonprofit organization that reduces tobacco use through research, action and collaboration. - Minnesota Teen and Adult Challenge
Services for people struggling with drug, alcohol, and other life-controlling addictions. - Quit Partner
Free and confidential way to quit smoking or vaping.
For health care professionals
Visit our Children’s Minnesota page for health professionals that offers information and resources about vaping among children and young adults.