The Science Behind the Smoke

Vaping is a quickly growing epidemic that has taken the lives of 33 people across the United States. The CDC received over 1400 reports of illnesses caused from vaping this month alone. There have been cases all over the world with the youngest person affected being just 13 years old. The vaping craze continues to rise, and may cause more harm as time passes. The vaping fad seems like innocent fun at first, but can lead to an abundance of illnesses and, in more extreme cases, death.

Dr. Carrie Kelly, a pediatrician in Watkinsville, Georgia says, “The biggest problem here with vaping is that we don’t know a lot of what happens to people when they do it. There’s things that say maybe it’s better than smoking cigarettes but I don’t think we know enough about it yet to say for sure that is better than smoking.”

Vaping can lead to flu like symptoms including shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fever, fatigue and more. Illness from vaping has become so widespread that it now has its own name. According to the CDC, the illness is called “evali” which stands for e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury.

Many vape users know the functions and dangers of vape products, but continue to use anyway. Jordan Diaz, a 22 year old vaper claims that even though he vapes he doesn’t condone it.

Diaz said “I just do it for fun, but I wouldn’t want to influence anyone to do it. I have younger siblings and I wouldn’t want them doing it. I know I should stop, but it is hard to do when I have been doing it for a while.”

The age of vaping ranges from 13 to 75, but the majority of vapers are under 35. The FDA has reported a dramatic increase in the amount of vaping in highschoolers between 2017 and 2018. The FDA says that 11.7 percent of highschoolers in 2017 used a vape at least once over a 20 day period. This number increased to 20.8 percent in 2018. The vaping epidemic is on the rise and seems to be impacting a younger audience.

Vaping has become popular among many ages, but what makes it so attractive? Some believe it’s because of the small size, and the sweet scents available. However, the ingredients may be what’s creating such a buzz.

A Stick Prince vape filled with cotton candy juice in Athens, Georgia on October 18, 2019. The Stick Prince vape prices range from $6.99 to $35.99 and come in several different colors.

Flavors mask the true ingredients of what is actually in a vape. Most packaging labels list USP VG, USP PG, and nicotine as ingredients but leave out several others. A quick Google search will reveal what is really in these seemingly harmless devices.

USP PG, stands for Propylene glycol. This substance is used in lots of foods and cooking chemicals. It is used for several bizarre things as well, such as environmentally friendly antifreeze and insect preservation substances. When Propylene Glycol gets into the body, it is metabolized into pyruvic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid which are all pretty normal within our stomachs. PG also produces a bit of propionaldehyde, a potentially dangerous chemical reactant that is the base for formaldehyde. However, when Propylene Glycol gets in our lungs it leaves deposits of these chemicals. Stomach acid does not belong in the lungs, so the white blood cells in the lungs will attack it. A buildup of these attacks overtime will create scarring in the lungs which can lead to anything from a minor bronchial infection to “popcorn lung”.

On the other hand, the ingredient USP VG stands for Vegetable Glycerin. Vegetable Glycerin is used in lots of foods due to it’s sweet scent and flavor. It is a simple carbohydrate that the body metabolizes into water and carbon dioxide. Once the Vegetable Glycerin makes its way into the lungs through the vapor, the organ must take time to condense it and absorb it into the bloodstream. Your lungs will respond by increasing mucus production to help push out the foreign substance.

As for nicotine, several years of research and scientific publications have concluded that it is not helpful to our lungs. Nicotine addictions hurt the lungs, brain, heart, liver, and skin.

University of Georgia student, Jas Anderson, can attest to this, “I stopped enjoying things I cared about in life. Like music is such a big part of everything for me, and it got to the point that unless I was vaping, I couldn’t enjoy it.”

There has yet to be any scientific research to link the ingredients of vape juice to mental and physical ailments. The CDC continues to dedicate resources to solve this issue. With the help of their new vaping task force, the public health organization believes it can deliver more concrete answers soon.

(Both QR codes lead to the video me and my partner Peyton worked on)

Credit for video & animation for Science Behind the Smoke is Peyton Lewis, my partner, in the Grady Mobile News Lab