Epidemics such as smallpox, measles, polio, and malaria are all prime examples of diseases that have created a chokehold on populations throughout history. These diseases, despite attempts at prevention, seem to ruthlessly invade people’s immune systems.

However, what should have been one of the easiest epidemics to prevent has now become one of the most dangerous and widespread: vaping.   

Despite countless attempts throughout the 20th century to create the first e-cigarette, most of them routinely failed. 2003 was the first year that the world saw a successful vape created; Hon Lik lost his father due to his incessant smoking habit, and since Lik also smoked, he decided to create something to kick the habit. (This was unsuccessful: Lik is now a dual user of tobacco and e-cigarettes.) While he claims that “[t]he e-cigarette is the alternative to smoking cigarettes,” (Lik qtd. in Boseley), big tobacco now has the ability to take advantage of the vape. E-cigs have since gone global and seen various pushbacks from the WHO, FDA, Hong Kong Department of Health, etc. Despite all this, vapes have continued to be sold to widespread demographics, including children.  

In the US, although the legal age to obtain tobacco or nicotine products is 21 years old, this does not deter companies. According to the FDA, “10.0% (1.56 million) high school students and 4.6% (550,000) middle school students reported current use of e-cigarettes,” and of those users, “[m]ore than 1 in 4 (25.2%) of current youth e-cigarette users use an e-cigarette product every day” (“Results from the…”). Of course, peer pressure likely plays a factor in these numbers, but these alarming statistics are a direct result of tactics big tobacco companies use in order to gain younger consumers. For instance, the various flavors (e.g., fruit, candy) particularly appeal to high schoolers and middle schoolers. Ads have also pushed people to begin vaping, even including misleading information about the benefits of vaping. Access to e-cigarettes has also been facilitated due to online sales and the disguise of vapes/e-cigs as something else (such as a flash drive). These companies are not unfamiliar with the negative effects of vaping, especially on children; they just want a constant audience.    

In terms of consequences, vaping causes many detrimental effects to people’s health. Addiction, in itself, is an impact of vaping (due to the high concentration of nicotine), but it can also exacerbate other harmful effects: lung disease, asthma, cancer, headaches, or even mental health issues (anxiety, depression, etc.). Such illnesses may occur, potentially leading to death. EVALI, e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury, has led to 68 deaths, according to the CDC. Additionally, these effects are amplified in young adults and can often hurt them throughout the rest of their life, especially seeing as the nicotine exposure can harm brain development (which ends when someone is about 25 years old). Vapes themselves can also be extremely dangerous: there have been a few instances where vapes have exploded, even fracturing one minor’s jaw. 

Recently, individuals and organizations have made strides in curtailing the epidemic. The American Heart Association, FDA, American Lung Association, and more have all long-been national organizations and have made efforts to focus attention on vaping. Specific organizations, such as The Real Cost, aim to properly inform the public about vaping. However, despite all of these attempts, there are not yet any federal laws against vaping itself. States have made progress on their own, displayed by New Jersey “[p]rohibit[ing] sale of menthol cigarettes and sale or distribution of flavored electronic smoking devices and related products” (“Bill S2667”) or California banning tobacco retailers from selling or possessing (with intent to sell) most flavored tobacco products (e.g., flavored e-cigarettes) in state law SB793.  

Progress has been made, but epidemics do not end quickly. With the FDA only declaring a vaping epidemic in September 2018, there is a long walk left to diminish the root cause and prevent it from spreading any further.  

Works Cited

“Bill S2667.” New Jersey Legislature, www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S2667/bill-text?f=S3000&n=2667_I1. Accessed 2 June 2024. 

Blaha, Michael Joseph. 5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 20 Jan. 2022, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping. 

Boseley, Sarah. “Hon Lik Invented the E-Cigarette to Quit Smoking – but Now He’s a Dual User.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 June 2015, www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/09/hon-lik-e-cigarette-inventor-quit-smoking-dual-user. 

“California Prohibits Retailers from Selling Flavored Tobacco Products.” California Department of Public Health, www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DCDIC/CTCB/Pages/CAFlavorTobaccoLaw.aspx. Accessed 2 June 2024. 

“E-Cigarettes and Teens.” The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/E-cigarettes_and_teens/. 

Edwards, Erika. “Vape Pen Explodes, Shattering Teen’s Jaw amid Rising Concerns over Batteries.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 June 2019, www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/vape-pen-explodes-shattering-teen-s-jaw-amid-rising-concerns-n1018741. 

“FDA Takes New Steps to Address Epidemic of Youth E-Cigarette Use, Including a Historic Action against More than 1,300 Retailers and 5 Major Manufacturers for Their Roles Perpetuating Youth Access.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, 11 Sept. 2018, www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-new-steps-address-epidemic-youth-e-cigarette-use-including-historic-action-against-more. 

“The History of Vaping.” CASAA, 18 Oct. 2022, casaa.org/education/vaping/historical-timeline-of-electronic-cigarettes/. 

Kramarow, Ellen A., and Nazik Elgaddal. “Current Electronic Cigarette Use Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2021.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 July 2023, www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db475.htm. 

“9 Strategies Big Tobacco Uses to Addict Kids to E-Cigarettes.” 9 of the Strategies Big Tobacco Uses to Addict Kids to E-Cigarettes | American Lung Association, American Lung Association, 24 Jan. 2024, www.lung.org/research/sotc/by-the-numbers/8-things-industry-ecigs. 

“Results from the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS).” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, 2 Nov. 2023, www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey. 

“Risk Factors for E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) among Adults Who Use e-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products - Illinois, July–October 2019.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Nov. 2019, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6845e1.htm. 

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