The Cost of Vaping

McKenna Gunn

“Yo, can I have a hit?” This common question has made its way to teenagers all over the country, and even globally. Juuls, NJoys, Sourins, Altos, and other E-Cigarette devices are being targeted to teenagers with the slick designs and fun flavors such as strawberry lemonade, mango, crème brûlée, strawberry milk, and several other flavors. Though vaping is “trendy,” the long term and short term health effects are not worth the “nicotine high.”  Ultrafine particles can be inhaled into the lungs, certain flavorings in vapes have been linked to lung disease, as well as heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead are often times found in the vaping liquids. Speaking to some fellow students, I got their opinions on vaping. “It’s bad and it ruins your reputation,” said Tiffany Duncan. Kaylee Hobbs said, “Most teenagers feel influenced by friends to do it, but when it comes down to it, it’s actually not cool.” The unknown health effects vaping causes combined with the known effects all points to the fact that vaping is not worth the popcorn lung.