Why Does it Matter?
THE RISKS OF VAPING
The Missouri Tobacco Prevention and Control program offers free materials to promote quitting, free cessation resources, and awareness of the harms of commercial tobacco use, secondhand smoke, and vape aerosol exposure. Request free materials in the form below or download materials to use today.
The FDA states no e-cigarette has been approved as a cessation device or authorized to make a modified risk claim, and more research is needed to understand the potential risks and benefits these products may offer adults who use tobacco products. Learn more at here!
E-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals
According to the Surgeon General, these products are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products. The aerosol created by e-cigarettes can contain ingredients that are harmful and potentially harmful to the public’s health. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that some people who use e-cigarettes have experienced seizures, with most reports involving youth or young adult users. Seizures or convulsions are known potential side effects of nicotine toxicity.
E-cigarettes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco. Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including:
E-Cigarettes Contain:
- Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
- Additives such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease (such as popcorn lung)
- Volatile organic compounds
- Heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead.
What happens from the moment you finish your last vape:
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In 20 Minutes
Heart rate and pulse return to normal levels and your blood pressure drops.
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In 3 Days
Your body will be completely free of nicotine.
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Within 1 Week
Withdrawal symptoms like headaches, mood swings, and increased hunger will lessen or go away completely.
Start Your Quit Journey
1. Set Your Quit Date
How many times have you said, “I’m going to quit” and then not gotten around to it? Setting an official Quit Date (with smaller goals along the way) helps your plan feel real and makes you more likely to follow through.
2. Identify Your Triggers
Triggers are people, places, or situations that make you want to vape. Maybe you always vape when you hang out with certain friends. Or maybe your triggers are less obvious. Either way, we’ll help you see what’s driving your cravings. Because the more you understand your triggers, the less power they’ll have over you.
3. Make a Plan
The last step is finding ways to handle your triggers. That could be chewing gum, playing a game, or reminding yourself why you want to quit. A Quit Coach will help you come up with strategies that work for you.
Learn More About the Harms of Vape
Adults
Teens
Vaping and the Planet
Vaping doesn’t just affect the air. Vape pods, e-liquid cartridges, and some e-cigarette devices are often single-use plastic cartridges that cannot be refilled or reused and are then thrown away.
Your vape is hazardous waste.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, e-cigarette parts like batteries and cartridges are officially classified as hazardous waste. When thrown into household or public trash, e-liquid cartridges can release harmful chemicals into the ground or water, which is hazardous for people and animals who come in contact with it.
Vape waste may even be a more significant threat to the environment than cigarette butts, as they are plastic and not biodegradable, and they contain metal, batteries, toxic chemicals and more. That means there have to be special guidelines for safely handling and disposing of them. Vape products often don’t have these instructions listed clearly, causing the pods to end up discarded improperly. Plastic vape pods don't biodegrade.
With millions of teens vaping, there are bound to be millions of empty plastic pods – on the ground, in the trash, in our landfills.