In Long Island's youth, health experts and even school officials attest to the increased number of teenagers using e-cigarettes. In fact, the purpose of e-cigarettes is to taper cigarette smoking but it has become a worldwide trend especially among the youth.
According to Shawn Petretti, Principal of Mattituck High School, he has seen that there is an indeed an increase in their students using e-cigarettes. However, Dr. Jill Creighton, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics and medical director of ambulatory primary care pediatrics with Stony Brook University Hospital, said that parents should be keen in observing their children and to let them be aware of the hazardous effects of nicotine and other chemicals present in e-cigarettes.
What are e-cigarettes anyway? Are they safer than traditional cigarettes? E-cigarettes are battery-operated products that give nicotine, flavor, and other chemicals as vapor that is inhaled without producing actual tobacco smoke. They look like pens which are discreet that is why more and more teens are engrossed in this new trend.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 250,000 teenagers who had never before smoked a cigarette, tried to use e-cigarettes in 2013. Also, more youth become addicted to nicotine, which is the primary content of e-cigarettes.
Nicotine is a stimulant and can give the person the enhancement of performance. However, it can cause addiction and other side effects like nausea, vomiting and lung disorders. Also, e-cigarettes have a bad effect to the lungs because it leads to inflammation and even asthma.
Also, using e-cigarettes poses a threat to the health of teenagers such as nicotine poisoning. Nicotine toxicity can cause seizure, vomiting, coma and even death. Parents are to be advised to be responsible in their teen's practices. Also, e-cigarettes are marketed to be sold to teenagers because it has a flavor, a sleek design and can be obtained without restrictions and policies from the government.
