|
 E-cigarettes, including e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah and e-cigars,
are known collectively as electronic nicotine delivery systems
(ENDS). According to the FDA, e-cigarettes are devices that allow
users to inhale an aerosol (vapor) containing nicotine or other
substances. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes generally
are battery-operated and use a heating element to heat e-liquid from
a refillable cartridge, releasing a chemical-filled aerosol.
The main component of e-cigarettes is the e-liquid contained in
cartridges. To create an e-liquid, nicotine is extracted from
tobacco and mixed with a base (usually propylene glycol), and may
also include flavorings, colorings and other chemicals.
Because there is no government oversight of these products, nearly
500 brands and 7,700 flavors of e-cigarettes are on the market, all
without an FDA evaluation determining what’s in them. So there is no
way for anyone—healthcare professionals or consumers—to know what
chemicals are contained in e-liquids, or how e-cigarette use might
affect health, whether in the short term or in the long run.
Early studies show that e-cigarettes contain nicotine and also may
have other harmful chemicals, including carcinogens.
 Aside from concerns about e-cigarette use and emissions alone, calls
to the nation’s poison centers related to e-cigarette exposure
poisonings are rapidly increasing, according to data released by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One study found
that while most calls involving e-cigarette liquid poisoning came
from accidental ingestion of the e-cigarette or its liquid, about
one-sixth of the calls related to someone inhaling these items.
Exposure through the eye and the skin were also reported.
Large doses of nicotine have a potential for poisoning, with
symptoms beginning with nausea and vomiting in cases of acute
toxicity and progressing to seizures and respiratory depression in
cases of severe nicotine poisoning. This is particularly true in
children.
Tobacco smoke is enormously harmful to your health. There’s no safe
way to smoke. Replacing your cigarette with a cigar, pipe, or hookah
won’t help you avoid the health risks associated with tobacco
products.
When using a hookah pipe, you’re likely to inhale more smoke than
you would from a cigarette. Hookah smoke has many toxic compounds
and exposes you to more carbon monoxide than cigarettes do. Hookahs
also produce more secondhand smoke.
No matter how you smoke it, tobacco is dangerous to your health and
affects your entire body. Smoking can affect your central nervous
system by allowing mood-altering drug called nicotine to reach your
brain in mere seconds. Because it’s a central nervous system
stimulant, it makes you feel more energized for a little while. As
that effect subsides, you feel tired and crave more.
Nicotine is habit forming. When you inhale smoke, you’re taking in
substances that can damage your lungs, affecting you respiratory
system. Over time, your lungs lose their ability to filter harmful
chemicals. Coughing can’t clear out the toxins sufficiently, so
these toxins get trapped in the lungs.
[to top of second column] |
Smokers have a higher risk of respiratory infections, colds, and flu.
Some of the more obvious signs of smoking involve the skin. The
substances in tobacco smoke actually change the structure of your
skin. Smoking causes skin discoloration, wrinkles, and premature
aging. Your fingernails and the skin on your fingers may have yellow
staining from holding cigarettes. Smokers usually develop yellow or
brown stains on their teeth. Hair holds on to the smell of tobacco
long after you put your cigarette out.
Smokers are at great risk of developing oral problems. Tobacco use
can cause gum inflammation (gingivitis) or infection (periodontitis).
These problems can lead to tooth decay, tooth loss, and bad breath.
Smoking also increases risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx,
and esophagus. Smokers have higher rates of kidney cancer and
pancreatic cancer. Even cigar smokers who don’t inhale are at
increased risk of mouth cancer.
Smoking also has an effect on insulin, making it more likely that
you’ll develop insulin resistance. That puts you at increased risk
of type 2 diabetes. When it comes to diabetes, smokers tend to
develop complications at a faster rate than nonsmokers. Women who
smoke may experience menopause at an earlier age than nonsmoking
women.
Smoking increases a woman’s risk of cervical cancer.
Smokers experience more complications of pregnancy, including
miscarriage, problems with the placenta, and premature delivery.
Pregnant mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are also more
likely to have a baby with low birth weight. Babies born to mothers
who smoke while pregnant are at greater risk of low birth weight,
birth defects, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Newborns who
breathe secondhand smoke suffer more ear infections and asthma
attacks.
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United
States. If you or someone you know needs information or help
quitting, you can call the Illinois Tobacco Quit line at
1-866-784-8937.
|
