{"id":5128,"date":"2019-12-16T15:53:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T15:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/?post_type=project&p=5128"},"modified":"2019-12-16T21:49:01","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T21:49:01","slug":"vaping-popularity-amongst-youth-spurred-on-by-modern-and-flavourful-vape-brand-products-overlooks-the-increasingly-common-risks-of-lung-damage-as-seen-in-a-mayo-clinic-study","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/project\/vaping-popularity-amongst-youth-spurred-on-by-modern-and-flavourful-vape-brand-products-overlooks-the-increasingly-common-risks-of-lung-damage-as-seen-in-a-mayo-clinic-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Increased vaping popularity amongst minors may put them at risk of severe lung injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By\u00a0Dylan Proulx and Chelsea Emode<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Vaping popularity amongst youth, spurred on by modern and flavourful vape brand products, overlooks the increasingly common risks of lung damage.<\/h4>\n

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[Photo by\u00a0\u00a9 Dylan Proulx]<\/em><\/p>\n

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Every five minutes, Keelan Murphy lifts a vaporizer to lips and inhales. A daily routine he started ten years ago when he was 8-years-old, as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a quick numbing sensation, but it hurts at the back of your throat, then it rushes to your head and you just feel all loosey goosey,\u201d he said. E-cigarettes give users the ability to control and change nicotine levels, a useful tool for those trying to kick the smoking habit.<\/p>\n

But at 18 years of age, Murphy is one of 470,000 vape users who started vaping before reaching the legal age, according to a 2017 government survey.<\/a><\/p>\n

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According to an article from Forbes, the rise in popularity in youth is due in part to the growing trend of vape tricks and videos online, and the many different flavored vape \u201cjuices\u201d – \u00a0the liquid pod inserted into the vape – that are offered. However, now studies are showing that vaping is the cause of serious lung injuries.<\/p>\n

According to Health Canada, as of December 3, 2019, there have been 13 confirmed or probable cases of severe lung injury as a result of vaping in the country. Meanwhile, American health authorities have reported over 2900 injuries and 48 deaths in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Now JUUL, a popular North American vaping company, is being investigated by the FDA for multiple health and ethical violations,<\/a> while also facing multiple lawsuits from parents and underage users. Health groups are urging policy makers to crack down on vaping products and regulation, especially to youth, while researchers race to figure out exactly what is causing the vaping-related injuries.<\/p>\n

The risks of vaping<\/h3>\n

Originally marketed as a healthier alternative and a way to help quit smoking,\u00a0vape and e-cigarette products have seen a massive rise in popularity in recent years. Not only did vapes become popular among adults trying to quit smoking, but increasingly among many young people, most of whom never smoked cigarettes before trying vape products.<\/p>\n

According to a 2017 government survey<\/a>, a third of Canadian students between grades seven and twelve don\u2019t think there\u2019s much risk to vaping. Meanwhile between 2015 and 2017, vaporizers used by this demographic increased 13 percent and with it the number of cases of vape-related injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a public health crisis\u201d,\u00a0 Brandon Larsen, a surgical patholgist with the Mayo Clinic, said in the initial report published by the Mayo Clinic News Network. He is part of a team that examined biopsies from 17 patients suspected to be suffering from a vaping-associated lung injury and co-author of the study.<\/p>\n

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Government of Canada infographic on the mechanics of vaping. [Graphic courtesy of Health Canada]<\/em><\/p>\n

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[Video Courtesy of Mayo Clinic News Network]<\/em><\/p>\n

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Of the 17 patients examined, two have died as a result of the injuries.<\/p>\n

Larsen said that there is no single common feature responsible for the vaping-related injuries, such as a specific oil or model of vape pen, that all the patients have used. However, his team found that lung injuries from vaping are most likely caused by toxic chemical fumes.<\/p>\n

The lung injuries experienced by patients biopsied was similar to the injuries suffered by soldiers exposed to mustard gas in the First World War, said Larsen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just fries the airways or the windpipes in the lungs, like a toxic chemical exposure and toxic fume exposure, and that\u2019s exactly the kind of findings we\u2019ve seen in the lungs of people who are getting sick from vaping,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It was originally thought that oil accumulation in the lungs from the oils in vape products was to blame for the vaping related illnesses, and although it has not been ruled out, the biopsies studied suggested the lung injury was likely due to contact with noxious chemical fumes, he said.<\/p>\n

Murphy, who used to vape up to 55 mg of nicotine has reduced it to 6 mg because of the negative affect vaping has had on his breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be able to breathe. My lungs ever since I started have been like an 80 year old that has been smoking 14 packs a day,\u201d he said about why he\u2019s quitting vaping.<\/p>\n

The Mayo Clinic study found that of the 17 patients biopsied, 71 percent reported using cannabis or marijuana oil vape products. But, said Larsen, \u201cIt can\u2019t be as simple as vaping marijuana oil or cannabinoid oil, because there are people not doing that who are also getting sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> has found that Vitamin E acetate is possibly to blame for the lung injuries that are occurring. Vitamin E acetate is an additive in many vape products, and is used as a thickening agent. The study found Vitamin E acetate in all 29 samples of lung fluid that were taken from patients suffering from lung injury caused by vaping.<\/p>\n

\u00a0As the number of cases grow, Health Canada continues to investigate the emergence of vaping-associated lung illness, and has warned people of the potential risk of pulmonary illness associated with using vaping products.<\/p>\n

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) have created websites to keep Canadians up to date on cases of illness related to vaping.<\/p>\n

\u00a0PHAC and the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health have also formed a task group with the purpose of creating a uniform approach to identifying and reporting cases, as well as testing vaping products, according to Health Canada.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The website created by Health Canada advises illegal vape products should not be used, as well as cannabis vape products.\u00a0 In May 2018, before the vaping injuries became as widely known, the Government of Canada enacted the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, legally allowing adults 18 and older to purchase vape products that contain nicotine. This act was intended to reduce chance of youth addiction to nicotine by prohibiting advertisements that appeal to them and placing health warnings on packaging.\u00a0However, most provinces and territories also have their own regulations for tobacco and vaping products, which creates a lack of uniformity across the country.<\/p>\n

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