Vaping has replaced smoking actual cigarettes and cigars, especially among youth. In 2016, state laws were passed to prevent these products from being sold to minors under 18. Then in January 2020, that age limit was raised to 21. However, what has been a health hazard among adults is a very real hazard among our youth. While news headlines are no longer dominated by the outbreak of lung illnesses, since the Vaping Associated Lung Injury (VALI) outbreak began last summer, 2807 cases and 68 deaths from across the nation have been reported to the CDC.
CHOICE partners Youth & Family Link and Lewis County Public Health are co-hosting an educational webinar on vaping. E-cigarettes or vape pens, are battery-operated products that deliver nicotine, cannabis, and/or other chemicals in an aerosol for inhalation. Known as vaping, this mode of nicotine and cannabis use comes with a host of public health concerns, especially for youth.
A 2019 review conducted by the Washington State Board of Health points to recent scientific research indicating that solvents and flavor chemicals used in vapor products are hazardous to human health. Flavor chemicals used in vaping products have not been tested for safety when aerosolized. And they are not typically listed on e-cigarette packaging.
Join the Washington Poison Center in taking a deep dive into vaping, including the devices used, their contents, health effects, current trends, and youth-specific concerns. Just click on this link to access the Zoom webinar on June 29th at 3:00 p.m. PDT.
For more information, check out the Poison Center's website: https://www.wapc.org/
For a primer on vaping, check out this video: