What is the Top Preventable Cause of Death?

E-cigarettes, aka JUULs and vape pens, use a battery to heat up a special liquid into an aerosol that users inhale. It’s not just harmless water vapor. The “e-juice” that fills the cartridges usually contains nicotine (which is extracted from tobacco), propylene glycol, flavorings and other chemicals. Studies have found that even e-cigarettes claiming to be nicotine-free contain trace amounts of nicotine. Additionally, when the e-liquid heats up, more toxic chemicals are formed.

Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not begun its review of any e-cigarette or its ingredients, nor has FDA issued any standards on the products, e-cigarette composition and effects vary.

Learn more in the CDC’s tobacco visual dictionary. 

E-cigarette liquids, at the bare minimum, have three main components: flavors, sweeteners and solvents. Solvents are substances used to dissolve either nicotine or marijuana-derived compounds including THC or CBD so those ingredients can be inhaled.

Sweeteners include sucralose and ethyl maltol. E-liquid flavors are wide-ranging, and can read like a wine tasting: “notes of vanilla” or “berries and herbal notes.”

All of those ingredients — the solvents, the sweeteners and the flavors — are considered “generally recognized as safe” by the Food and Drug Administration. But that designation refers only to when those compounds are consumed as food. The ingredients take on different properties when heated into an aerosol, which typically contains nicotine, and little is known about the effects those ingredients have on the human body when inhaled.

E⁠-⁠cigarette aerosol can also contain other chemicals like formaldehyde and metal particles such as nickel, lead, chromium, tin, and aluminum. Breathing in e⁠-⁠cigarette aerosol can deliver these chemicals to your lungs where they can cause damage.

Unfortunately, no. Despite the name, vaping doesn’t make water vapor. It actually creates an aerosol (or mist) that contains small particles of nicotine, metal and other harmful substances. You breathe these particles into your mouth from the mouthpiece, where they go down your throat and into your lungs.

Many people think vaping is less harmful than smoking. While it’s true that e-cigarette aerosol doesn’t include all the contaminants in tobacco smoke, it still isn’t safe. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

• Most e-cigarettes deliver nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing brains of teens, kids and fetuses in women who vape while pregnant. Some types expose users to even more nicotine than traditional cigarettes.
• In addition to nicotine, e-cigarette vapor includes potentially harmful substances such as diacetyl (a chemical linked to a serious lung disease), cancer-causing chemicals, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead. Users breathe in these toxic contaminants, and non-users nearby risk secondhand exposure.
• The liquid used in e-cigarettes can be dangerous, even apart from its intended use. Children and adults have been poisoned by swallowing, breathing or absorbing the liquid through their skin or eyes.
• E-cigarettes have been linked to thousands of cases of serious lung injury, some resulting in death. While the exact cause is still not confirmed, the CDC recommends that people not use e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes’ biggest threat to public health may be this: The increasing popularity of vaping may “re-normalize” smoking, which has declined for years. Reversing the hard-won gains in the global effort to curb smoking would be catastrophic. Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death and is responsible for over 480,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. (Information provided by the CDC.)

• It is illegal for 18-20 year olds to purchase, possess, or use nicotine vaping products like e-cigarettes or vape pens.
• The minimum age to buy or possess tobacco and nicotine products, including vapes, is 21 state-wide.
• There are no exceptions for minors with parental consent, medical prescriptions, or if homeschooled. The age law applies universally.
• Vape shops, convenience stores, and all other retailers cannot legally sell nicotine vapes or tobacco to those under 21.
• It remains illegal for any person to give or furnish vapes to minors under 21 in Colorado. Parents and guardians risk fines up to $15,000 if caught allowing underage vaping.
• Purchasing vapes on minors’ behalf is prohibited, even if the products are intended as gifts.

While some vapes do not contain nicotine or THC, most do. In fact, 100 percent of Puff Bar and Juul products – teens’ top choices for vaping – contain nicotine. Both of these products use nicotine salts that allow for much higher levels of nicotine compared to earlier generations of e-cigarettes.

Plus, studies have shown that most vaping products labeled “nicotine-free” actually contain trace amounts of nicotine. For teens who don’t want to become addicted to nicotine, the safest option is not to vape at all.

It can be very hard to tell. Not only do manufacturers make discreet devices that resemble flash drives, highlighters and more, but vape also does not have a strong odor that is often a giveaway for parents and teachers. Plus, many of today’s products are designed for one-time use, making them easy to dispose of and conceal.

The best strategy is to talk to your kids.

Talking to the young people in your life about tobacco use can be difficult, but research shows that having these tough conversations can make a difference in their choices to use substances. Connecting with the young people in your life to discuss these topics, whether you’re a family member, teacher, coach, or anyone else with a meaningful relationship with a young person, can influence their decision to make a healthier choice.

According to the American Lung Association:

• Smokeless tobacco is linked to several different types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas.
• Smokeless tobacco contains at least 28 cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens).
• Smokeless tobacco use can cause gum disease, tooth decay, tooth loss and the formation of white or gray patches inside the mouth called leukoplakia that can lead to cancer.
• Smokeless tobacco use during pregnancy increases the risk for early delivery and stillbirth.

There are two main types of smokeless tobacco used in the U.S., chewing tobacco and snuff.

• Chewing tobacco comes in loose leaf, plug and twist.
• Snuff is finely ground tobacco that comes dry, moist or in bag-like pouches.

E-cigarettes should NOT be placed in your household trash or recycling. The lithium batteries can become damaged and cause fires. Nicotine is toxic and poses a risk to both workers and the environment.

Contact the CDPHE Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division’s Customer Technical Assistance at (303) 692-3320 or comments.hmwmd@state.co.us to get answers about nicotine-containing hazardous waste.

E-cigarettes can be disposed of on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. by appointment:

Rooney Road Recycling
151 S. Rooney Rd.
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 316-6262