Thinking Critically: E-Cigarettes and Vaping

"By 2007, giant tobacco had begun selling their own versions of e-cigarettes. They marketed e-cigarettes as so-called smoking-cessation devices, or aids to help smokers quit their dangerous habit. They claimed e-cigarettes were a more effective version of nicotine patches and nicotine gum, which delivered the addictive substance in a less hazardous form. The federal government pushed back against e-cigarettes and teen vaping due to its health consequences. Researchers found that vapor from e-cigarettes is dangerous. It contains toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and acrolein that could cause cancer and lung disease. It also contains heavy metals and volatile organic compounds that increase the risk of lung damage. In addition, the nicotine in e-cigarettes is not only highly addictive, it can also affect brain development in young people"--