http://www.loyolamaroon.com/10009466/on-campus/e-cigs-vapor-clouded-with-health-concerns/
Even though the use of e-cigarettes among college students are exponentially on the rise, according to a study in the Journal of American College Health, a cloud of vapor is rarely seen anywhere near Loyola’s campus.
While incriminating statistics, for example a new carcinogen found in vapor clouds, have yet to be discovered, cessation experts and health care professionals are hesitant to suggest them to their clients in order to help them quit.
Loyola’s Human Resources website said the uncertainty around e-cigs is why they are included in the campus-wide ban on smoking and tobacco products that is nearly a year into effect.
“E-cigarettes have not been fully studied, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so consumers currently don’t know the potential risks of them when used as intended, how much nicotine or other potentially harmful chemicals are being used, or whether there are any benefits associated with using these products,” it reads.
Gil Lerma, Loyola staff counselor, said he is unsure that the rise of electronic cigarette use has positive implications.
“I do not recommend electronic cigarettes to anyone who is looking to quit tobacco use or who is looking for a tobacco alternative. I hear the word “safer” being used a lot when advertisers are referring to electronic cigarettes,” Lerma said. “The fact of the matter is that electronic cigarettes have not been around long enough so that researchers can conduct clinical trials to determine the long-term effects of the use of electronic cigarettes.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, regardless of delivery, nicotine is highly addictive. CDC estimated that 40 million adults currently smoke cigarettes daily, and their prevalence has led them to be the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year.
This could be why the 2.7 billion e-cigarette industries’ sales pitch of nicotine without the the consequences can be so attractive.
Beyond a lack of long-term evidence against vaping, health professionals are concerned that electronic cigarette use from adolescents introduces a fixation on nicotine that could lead to analog cigarettes if their presence was more available and cravings needed to be slaked.
Andrew Landry, history junior, agreed and said that in his experience, not using e-cigs for cessation purposes made him more inclined to start smoking cigarettes.
“I used disposable e-cigs for a while, and enjoyed the vapor they produced, but when they would inevitably run out, I started bumming cigarettes from friends and eventually started buying packs,” Landry said.
Joseph Gehringer, English junior, that negative stigma around e-cigs and the universities need to ban them could cause unforeseen consequences.
“I think the rise of satirical memes mocking vaping on social media has led to a negative stigma around the practice that is at odds with the image of a liberal arts smoking culture,” Gehringer said. “If these students are going to intake nicotine, and all methods are banned, then they’re going to do it traditionally.”