McMeen Elementary

Weekly Message from Nurse Miriam

11/02/22, 2:21 PM

Good Afternoon McMeen Families and Happy Wednesday,

 

   This week's topic: Vaping 💨🚬🚭

   Though vaping has been around for a decade or so, there was a huge increase in vaping (or JUULing, which is a specific popular brand of vape) use in 2017. Since there was a great public health response to this large increase in 2017, some data has shown that the amount of teen vaping has somewhat decreased. However, vaping continues to occur within a large amount of the teen population and many of these studies do not represent children younger than teen-age. Pre-teen children, and even younger, are also affected by the unfortunate popularity of vaping.

   A major misconception about vaping is that it's not dangerous because it's "water vapor" and flavor, not smoke and tobacco, like in cigarettes. Because vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, there is not enough data, yet, to know the full effects of vaping on individuals throughout a lifespan. However, what we do know is that none of the ingredients in vaping liquids are good for our lungs. Even when the liquid does not contain nicotine (many still do have trace amounts of nicotine even when the packaging states "no nicotine.) the other ingredients that make up the vape liquid can be toxic and cause permanent damage to lungs.

  One specific common, flavoring ingredient in vape liquid is diacetyl. Diacetyl is a flavoring found in many food items to give a butter flavor. This ingredient acts very differently in our stomachs versus our lungs. Diacetyl has been linked to "popcorn lung". Popcorn lung is a condition of permanent, scarred lung tissue found in workers who have been exposed to inhaled diacetyl in popcorn factories. Popcorn lung has been yet to be found in vape users, however, this condition takes years to develop and we may start to see vape users develop this condition over time. 

  The bottom line?

     Vaping is not only illegal in individuals younger than 18 year-old, it is a great health risk to anyone, especially children who are still mentally and physically developing.

Please consider clicking on the link below to read a very helpful guide for parents provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and written by the Partnership for Drug-Free Families.

"Vaping: What you Need to Know and How to Talk With Your Kids About Vaping" is a comprehensive and helpful document for parents to learn about vaping, the health dangers if causes to our children, and tips on how to talk with children about the risks of vaping. 

  Let's work together to keep our children as healthy as possible and empower them to make safe and informed decisions!

 

Thank you,

 Nurse Miriam