June 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 48

YOUTH VAPING EPIDEMIC

health outcomes associated with
e-cigarette use, as well as the added
risk of second-hand smoke exposure.
They are also working with their city
officials to establish smoke- and tobacco-free park policies.

What Are Electronic
Cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-operated devices that release doses of vaporized
nicotine, or non-nicotine solutions, that users inhale. Although
companies market these products
to adults as aids to reduce or quit
smoking, recent studies suggest a
single vape pod contains as much
nicotine as a full pack of cigarettes.
The term " vaping " refers to the use
of e-cigarettes or vaporizers.
E-cigarettes are a $2.5 billion industry with more than 460 different
e-cigarette brands, according to the

National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Common nicknames for these
products include e-cigs, e-hookahs,
hookah pens, vapes, vape pens and
mods, which are more powerful, customizable vaporizers. The most popular among these brands is JUUL,
which sells an e-cigarette device that
resembles a USB flash drive.
E-cigarettes and other tobacco
products pose many health risks to
youth. They contain harmful and
potentially harmful ingredients, including formaldehyde and acrolein,
which can cause irreversible lung
damage. They also contain nicotine,
which has addictive properties. Other studies show these products can
affect brain development in youth.

Health Advocates
vs. the FDA
Three years ago, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) began

regulating sales, marketing and production of these products, especially as they relate to youth. By 2018,
the agency proposed strict rules
that would ban retailers from selling menthol cigarettes and flavored
vaping products. What's more, the
FDA commissioner at the time,
Scott Gottlieb, called for additional
measures for prohibiting companies
from marketing e-cigarettes directly
to youth via the internet. However,
health advocates contend the agency hasn't done enough.
In the American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control 2019
report, the nonprofit gives the FDA
an " F " grade. " The FDA regulation grade has a few components, "
notes Thomas Carr, national director of policy, the American Lung
Association. He says the FDA
hasn't moved forward with the prohibition of menthol-flavored tobacco products, which is one reason
for the failing grade. " The fact that
the FDA hasn't regulated tobacco
products in an adequate way is another reason why, " Carr continues.
" But overall, it's just been a lack of
action in general. "
He also notes that the slow pace
at which the FDA seems to be
moving on tobacco control isn't
solely reflective of Trump Administration policies. " I think the FDA
under the Obama Administration
dragged its feet as well on this, "
he says. " Back in 2011, [the FDA]
said it was going to regulate e-cigarette tobacco products, and then it
took the agency until 2016 to get a
final rule in place that would allow
the FDA to actually do that. I think
just that delay alone hurt our abil-

E-cigarettes and other tobacco products contain ingredients, including
formaldehyde and acrolein, that can
cause irreversible lung damage.
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June 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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