English Composition 111

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Sandra Chavis
Professor Karen Williams
Course Title English Composition 111
Date 07/07/2022
Introduction to Vaping
A vape is an electronic cigarette. It is a device that is designed to change chemical
compounds into vapor. Vapes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can have the shape of
pens, hookahs, mods, or the shape of a regular cigarette. The most popular e-cigarette is the
JUUL which has the shape of a USB drive and has the highest nicotine content. Regardless of
what a vape looks like, they all have similar basic components, including a mouthpiece, battery,
sensor, atomizer, and an e-liquid cartridge. This paper discusses vaping in light of how it works
its effect on the brain, the health effects of the practice, and its use among teenagers and young
people.
Vapes have become a popular means by which smokers use, especially for the
consumption of tobacco and marijuana, as a harm-reduction intervention intended to aid in the
cessation of cigarette smoking. A vape contains an e-liquid (also called e-juice, vape juice, or
vape liquid) that is quickly heated and converted into an aerosol that resembles water vapor but
contains nicotine, flavoring, and over 30 other chemicals (NIH). The cartridge on the vaping
device also called a reservoir or pod, is used to hold the e-liquid, which is heated using the
atomizer. Typically, puffing activates the battery-powered atomizer, which vaporizes the e-liquid
in the cartridge. The user inhales the aerosol into the lungs, called ‘vaping.’
The nicotine in e-liquids is readily absorbed from the lungs into the bloodstream
upon vaping. Once in the blood, the adrenaline glands are stimulated by the nicotine, which
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releases adrenaline, also called the epinephrine hormone (Coke, 225-228). Epinephrine
stimulates the central nervous system, causing an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and
breathing. Like other addictive substances, nicotine activates the brain’s reward circuits and
increases the levels of dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain, which reinforces rewarding
behaviors. The pleasure from the interaction between nicotine and the brain’s reward circuit
motivates users to return to it repeatedly, leading to addiction.
Several studies have found that vaping might not be as harmful as combustible
cigarettes when people who smoke regularly switch to it as a replacement (Weaver et al.).
However, despite these findings, research still shows that nicotine, in whatever form, remains a
highly addictive drug and can cause vapers to become addicted to other drugs. Besides, ecigarettes expose the user’s lungs to various chemicals, including those added to the e-liquid and
those generated during the vaporization process. A study of some products from e-cigarettes
revealed that the aerosol contains common carcinogens, other toxic chemicals, and potentially
metal nanoparticles that come from the device itself (Hess et al. 221-225). The study indicated
that the e-liquids of certain vape brands, such as the cig-a-like have high levels of nickel and
chromium generated by the atomizer’s heating coils (Olmedo et al., 126.). They also have low
amounts of cadmium, a toxic metal present in cigarette smoke and linked to difficulties in
breathing and disease. Lung diseases and deaths linked to inhaling certain vaping oils into the
lungs, which cannot filter out toxic substances, have also been reported.
You have complete control over your nicotine amount when you vape. Ejuice is available in various cigarette concentrations, from nicotine-free to high nicotine.
You may control how much tobacco is in your vaporizer or use none (Graham et al., 926).
Most smokers begin with high nicotine content and eventually work their way down to
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lesser concentrations or completely eradicate smoking. Furthermore, vaping is preferable
to smoking. Since vaping does not involve burning, there is no smoke, and fumes produce
the nicotine and carbon monoxide that trigger most of the lengthy health effects of
smoking. The therapeutic effects of not smoking include increased lung and heart functions
and enhanced sensations of sensory properties. Last but not least, if you sincerely want to
quit smoking, you may try vaping. It has proven to be highly effective in assisting smokers
to quit smoking for good. Although it will be difficult for you, vapes will ensure that you
can do it in a short amount of time. According to a study, vaping is more successful than
using nicotine substitutes.
Vaping devices are particularly popular among teenagers and are the most
commonly used form of nicotine used by youth in the U.S (Coke, 225-228). They are appealing
to teenagers and youth because they are readily available and introduced to them through alluring
advertisements, contain flavors, and are believed to be safer than cigarettes. Besides, they can be
easily hidden from persons of authority such as parents and teachers as they do not lace the user
with the smell of tobacco cigarettes and can be disguised as flash drives. However, research has
revealed that most teenage users are unaware that vaping cartridges contain nicotine, using the
devices with the assumption that the pods only contain flavoring. For teenagers and young
people, vaping can have long-lasting negative effects not only because of the increased risk of
addiction to nicotine and other drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine but also because of how
nicotine affects the development of the brain circuits that control attention and learning (Coke,
225-228). They may also be at an increased risk of mood disorders and permanent difficulties
with impulse control, which means they may fail to fight the urge or impulse that can bring harm
to themselves and others.
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Conclusion
While the long-term effects of vaping are not yet well known, there is consensus that
vaping carries health risks irrespective of what one vapes. E-liquid aerosols have been found to
contain harmful chemicals that, when inhaled, cause breathing problems and increase heart rate.
Besides, puffing on an e-cigarette increases blood pressure, which could affect the heart’s health
in the long run? Among teenagers, vaping has been found to negatively impact brain
development, leading to problems such as self-control, mood disorders, and other types of
addiction.
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Work Cited
Coke, Lola A. “Vaping and Use of E-Cigarette Products in Adolescents: A New
Cardiopulmonary Crisis.” Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 35.3 (2020): 225-228.
Graham, Amanda L., et al. “Effectiveness of a vaping cessation text message program among
young adult e-cigarette users: a randomized clinical trial.” JAMA internal medicine 181.7
(2021): 923-930.
Hess CA, Olmedo P, Navas-Acien A, Goessler W, Cohen JE, Rule AM. E-cigarettes as a source
of toxic and potentially carcinogenic metals. Environ Res. 2017;152:221-225.
doi:10.1016/j.envres.2016.09.026
NIH. Vaping Devices (Electronic Cigarettes). National Institute on Drug Abuse.
https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/drugfacts-vaping-devices.pdf
Olmedo, Pablo, et al. “Metal concentrations in e-cigarette liquid and aerosol samples: the
contribution of metallic coils.” Environmental Health Perspectives 126.2 (2018): 027010.
Weaver SR, Huang J, Pechacek TF, Heath JW, Ashley DL, Eriksen MP. Are electronic nicotine
delivery systems helping cigarette smokers quit? Evidence from a prospective cohort
study of U.S. adult smokers, 2015–2016. PLOS ONE. 2018;13(7):e0198047.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198047