Commentary: Vaping is not a safe alternative, especially for young adults

Vaping -- the use of electronic cigarettes to inhale vapors that could contain substances such as nicotine, marijuana or flavoring -- is a disconcerting habit gaining popularity across the country, especially among teenagers.

From 2017-18, more than 3.6 million kids reported using e-cigarettes, which represents a 78 percent increase in adolescent vaping in one year. Even more frightening: Use among middle school students jumped by 48 percent in the same period.

As of Oct. 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 1,600 cases of severe lung disease in 49 states -- including 34 deaths -- associated with e-cigarettes. The facts are equally disturbing in Texas, where just this month, officials announced that 147 cases of suspected serious respiratory disease, including one death, are believed to be linked to vaping devices. According to Austin Public Health officials, 11 cases of lung injuries related to vaping have been confirmed in Travis County alone.

We must address this issue before it becomes worse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, early use of substances such as nicotine and marijuana are especially harmful to developing brains and could lead to additional substance use disorder later in life.

Some might argue that vaping is one method in helping smokers transition away from carcinogenic tobacco. However, vaping has introduced nicotine into the lives of millions of children who otherwise might have been unaffected. Many tried vaping due to misinformation around the perceived safety of this format of consuming nicotine.

To put the toxicity of vaping products into perspective, a single popular e-cigarette sold widely across the U.S. contains the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. E-cigarette brands claim their products are a safer option than traditional cigarettes. Though it's true that e-cigarettes do not include all the contaminants of tobacco smoke, e-cigarettes still are not safe.

In addition to nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the brains of developing teens and children, e-cigarette vapor often contains other potentially harmful substances. These substances include diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds; and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead. The liquid used in e-cigarettes can also be dangerous, as it has been linked to the thousands of lung injuries across the country.

Because of youth-centric marketing campaigns and fruit-flavored products such as mango and cucumber, Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes (PAVE) and other organizations say vaping is a key reason for the recent surge in teen tobacco use. The use of e-cigarettes has begun to re-normalize smoking, which has been declining for years.

We must work together to continue to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping. Parents, please talk with your children about the dangers of vaping -- the earlier the better. Adolescents as young as middle school students are being introduced to vaping, and many of these young adults do not know what the e-cigarette products they are using contain.

As healthcare providers, legislators, educators and parents, if we can encourage cessation, delay the purchase of tobacco products and underscore prevention early on, our young generation of Texans and Americans will face healthier futures.

Beachler is a pediatric pulmonologist at Dell Children's Medical Center, part of Ascension Texas.

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