Why experts say e-cigarettes are bad for your kids

Warning of an e-cigarette “epidemic” among youths, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams issued an advisory in December stressing the importance of protecting children from potential harm.

“We need to protect our kids from all tobacco products, including all shapes and sizes of e-cigarettes,” Adams said. “Everyone can play an important role in protecting our nation’s young people from the risks of e-cigarettes.”

Here’s what federal health officials say parents and youths need to know about using e-cigarettes, also known as “vaping.”

1. E-cigarette products contain nicotine, the same highly addictive drug found in tobacco, making it an “on-ramp to addiction.” Nicotine can harm brain development and affect learning, memory and attention.

2. Smoking e-cigarettes can lead teens and young adults who haven’t previously smoked to try cigarettes, which cause cancer and a host of other diseases and remain “the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.”

3. New vaping devices have become smaller and easier to conceal, including one shaped like a computer flash drive that is now the most popular such device on the e-cigarette market.

Aso: Millions of teens are vaping every day. Here’s what they have to say about it

4. E-cigarettes create an aerosol by using a battery to heat up liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings and other additives. Users inhale this aerosol into their lungs. E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver marijuana and other drugs.

5. Most youths ages 12 to 17 who use e-cigarettes prefer liquids flavored to taste like candy, fruit or chocolate.

More information on e-cigarettes is available on the surgeon general’s website.

By Deborah Yetter
Louisville Courier Journal