Harrisonburg, VA — September 6, 2019. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, has just announced that vaping may be responsible for more than 200 reported cases of severe lung disease in the United States and possibly 2 deaths… thus far. So what is the attraction for kids and young adults?

Yesterday while driving down the main street of the town in which I live and shop, a car pulled up next to mine at a stoplight. I had my window open and the adult driver of the car next to mine had his car windows open as well. I looked to the left, and noted that he was vaping and, just then, a cloud passed out of his mouth into his car and out his window… and some of it floated into my car. I didn’t have time to shut the driver-side window. First of all, the vapor had a horrible, stale odor and made me cough. My immediate thought was, what in the world was in that pipe, bong or whatever you call it?!!! When I returned home, the news was on TV and it was all about vaping! What a coincidence!

Not happy news either: “U.S. health officials are investigating 215 possible cases of severe lung disease associated with vaping across 25 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said in a joint statement Friday.” (CNBC.com, August 30, 2019)

And:

“DC, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of severe pulmonary disease associated with e-cigarette product (devices, liquids, refill pods, and/or cartridges) use. This investigation is ongoing and has not identified a cause, but all reported cases have a history of using e-cigarette products.” (www.cdc.gov, 9/5/2019)

“E-cigarettes are devices that deliver an aerosol to the user by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver marijuana or other substances.” (www.cdc.gov, 9/5/2019)

We have long known (since I was working at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in the 1970s) that the Surgeon General, head of the Public Health Service, issued a warning then that cigarettes may be harmful to your health… and now, almost 50 years on, we have e-cigarettes, another way to get your tobacco and nicotine… and vaping.. And no one knows what’s in the vapor that people are inhaling, but two people have died and others across 25 states are seriously ill with severe lung disease associated with e-cigarettes and/or vaping.

Somewhere along the line, people need to be taking responsibility for their actions:

The e-cigarette and vape manufacturers and vendors, the suppliers of flavoring chemicals (yes, they are chemicals) additives to the vaping devices may even be liable in deaths due to the use of these products. Here comes another health-related cash cow for lawyers! And another big problem for parents if their children become addicted to e-cigarettes and/or vaping. Did I mention that the American Academy of Pediatrics believes that e-cigarettes lead children to begin smoking regular cigarettes?

There’s another side to this issue beside the health issue: e-cigarettes and vaping are now contributing to medical costs across the board…and invisibly (to the consumer) raising the risk of insuring you and your family and increasing the cost of your insurance…and your family’s insurance.

Back to my original question: What is the attraction for children and young adults? Looking cool? Whatever it is, if I were a parent of teenagers right now, we would have to have a serious talk about vaping and e-cigarettes and what could possibly happen to them if they used these products that are widely available. In my father’s vernacular, the law would have to be laid down. This would not take place in our home (and hopefully, no where else) and no money for this pursuit would pass from my purse to their wallets. There would be serious consequences if they were identified as vaping or having vaped or participated in the use of e-cigarettes. And I would have to trust them not to do this and end up in the ER or worse.

So perhaps it’s up to parents–and people who care– to protest the availability of products like e-cigarettes and vaping devices that can make their kids (and others) sick.