Extension Focus

Several months ago, I wrote an article about teen e-cigarette and vaping use. I want to again tell you about what kind of work I am doing on this topic, and more importantly why you should care about e-cigarettes and vaping.

It has been my great privilege to work with two other Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents in the Northwest Region on an e-cigarette and vaping presentation we will record at the end of October with Nex-Tech in Hays. This presentation will air on Nex-Tech cable channels sometime later in the year, and will also be shared via a YouTube link on our Midway District Facebook page and website.

E-cigarettes are commonly referred to as vapes, and the act of using an electronic cigarette is vaping. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the past year, vaping among high schoolers has increased by 78 percent.

These devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and many fit discreetly in a user’s hand and resemble a flash drive. Clothing is even being manufactured to make it easier to vape inconspicuously.

A common myth is that e-cigarettes are healthier than a regular cigarette and are nicotine free. E-cigarettes come with a refillable tank, refillable cartridge, or a disposable pod. These compartments contain e-juice that is inhaled by the user.

In addition to the nicotine and often times flavoring in this liquid, there are many chemicals. One pod contains the same amount of nicotine as is in two packs of cigarettes or more. You may recognize a few common chemicals found in e-juice like propylene glycol, acetone, and formaldehyde. E-juice can also contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinoid (CBD) oils.

Now that you have a very condensed idea of what an e-cigarette is, let’s talk about why you should care.

At the end of September 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an outbreak on lung injury associated with e-cigarettes and vaping. There are 805 lung injury cases reported from 46 states and one

U.S. Ter-ritory. Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states.

The Kan-sasDepart-ment of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported that two of the 12 vaping related deaths were in Kansas. Additionally, the KDHE reports that the state has 11 probable/confirmed vaping related cases, including the two deaths. Of those cases, 64 percent are male and range in age from 17 to 67 years old. Nationwide, the CDC reports having sex and age data on 771 patients with 16 percent of those patients being under 18-years-old.

The CDC, of course, recommends not to use e-cigarette products if you are a youth or young adult, are pregnant, or are an adult that is not currently using tobacco products. More importantly, the CDC urges users to refrain from using e-cigarettes while investigating the outbreak of lung injuries.

What else can be done?

In 1982, RJ Reynolds was quoted as saying,“If a man has never smoked by age 18, the odds are three-to-one he never will. By age 24, the odds are twenty-to-one.”

Tobacco 21 is a national campaign committed to raising the minimum legal age of tobacco and nicotine sales in the United States to age 21. Per the Tobacco 21 website, Newton, Kan. became the 501st city/county in the U.S. that has increased the legal age to

21.

Help protect our children and our public health by educating others on the ill effects of e-cigarettes.

Information obtained from FDA Center for Tobacco Products, www.cdc.gov, www.kdheks.gov, and tobacco21.org.

Jessica Kootz is the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in the Midway Extension District. For more information on this article or other Family and Consumer Sciences related questions, email Jessica at jessicak@ksu.edu or call a Midway Extension District office at

(785) 472-4442 or (785) 483-3157.