Indian Head, MD – The recent craze of vaping—electronic cigarettes—was originally touted as safer than traditional cigarettes. According to Mary Beth Klick, tobacco program manager for the Charles County Department of Health, vaping is anything but safe. The popular products have been proven to contain such chemicals as formaldehyde, heavy metals such as nickel and high concentrations of nicotine.
“The industry did a good job putting the word out there that it is not harmful,” Klick said, adding the product may be more addictive than less. What’s worse, she said, is that public health officials are seeing increasing use of vape cigarettes by middle school students.
“Middle school students can tell you how to mix the flavors and nicotine levels,” Klick told the Indian Head Town Council Monday, Aug. 7 during an outreach program. “That is troubling.” She noted that cigarette ads have been banned from television since 1972, but the so-called e-cigarettes are a recent phenomenon, one that regulations are still catching up to.
“There is no stringent regulation,” Klick explained. “It’s more than just water vapor. They are ingesting nicotine in its purest form. That vapor is a moist chemical. They are getting nicotine, which is highly addictive, added to the brain. Middle school brains are getting high doses of an addictive drug.”
While it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase vaping devices, she said children have been able to purchase the ingredients and vaping mechanisms online by using fake birth dates.
“Some have learned to replace the flavors and nicotine with alcohol and marijuana,” Klick warned.
While the Federal Drug Administration has established new laws to regulate the products, she said the products are relatively new and still being regulated. “Some of the laws took a while to catch up,” Klick stated. “New laws have roped it in somewhat.”
While middle school students are seeing an increase in the use of vaping cigarettes, high school students in Charles County have gone largely in the opposite direction, she said.
“Our high school students understand and are putting the concept out there [Klick held up a poster designed by high schoolers from North Point and Westlake] about how dangerous they can be,” she explained. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cigarettes or e-cigarettes, nicotine addiction is nicotine addiction.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com