As of mid-November, 2,290 cases of lung injury from e-cigarettes or vaping products were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between August and November, 49 cases occurred in Iowa and Gerd Clabaugh, director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, declared that beginning Dec.1, vaping-related illnesses are to be reported to the state.
The wide variety of brands and mixtures of substances in vaping products make it challenging for health experts to pin down the exact cause of these lung injuries. In Iowa, while 80 percent of persons treated reported using products with THC, 14 percent reported only using nicotine products, and a few others reported not knowing what they used.
Discuss with your children or teens why e-cigarettes are harmful to them. If you not only talk but also listen to them, you can help correct the myths and misinformation they get from social media and peers.
You might think they aren’t listening, but they actually rely on you for guidance.
Be aware that e-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like regular cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Others are purposely designed to resemble other objects, such as ink pens or computer USB sticks.
