The Golden Trident

By Zach Smith

Vaping, one of the most common addictions shared by Gen Z across the globe, is becoming more and more common every single day. To say the least, vaping is socially acceptable, much more so than cigarettes were twenty years ago. As a high school student, it is noted that you see your peers consuming nicotine, THC, or even melatonin through vaporization methods of consumption. The CDC says that “7.8% of high schoolers vape.” Some of the higher figures I have seen have come from drugwatch.com, which states a “national high school student vaping rate of 14.1”.

These drugs that are in the vapes are commonly viewed as the main substance of the vapor exhaled, and focus is drawn to their less harmful or “beneficial” effects possessed in their pure chemical form. For instance, someone who vapes most likely vapes nicotine. It is common to hear someone who vapes list the benefits of the chemical nicotine, such as its “stress-relieving properties” or “testosterone-boosting qualities”. These benefits are not only overshadowed by the risks associated with the pure chemical of nicotine, to name one, cancer, but also commonly don’t take the multitude of other chemicals and toxins contained in vapes into account. 

For my first example, I will use the vape that I most commonly see people my age using, the “Geek Bar,” a nicotine vape. These devices contain a mesh coil enclosed in a cotton swab that is soaked in juice containing fruity or sweet flavours. This juice contains the toxic chemicals Nicotine, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Acrolein, Diacetyl, Propylene Glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerin (VG), Benzene, Toluene, Carbonyl Compounds, Hydroxyacetone, Nitrosamines, and finally Isoprene. Every single one of these chemicals is either inflammatory, carcinogenic, or both, or when heated, becomes inflammatory, carcinogenic, or both. The inflammation these chemicals cause is not just throughout the respiratory system, though the entire respiratory system will be severely affected by the common use of these chemicals, and so is the brain. The effects of the inhalation of these chemicals over the long term on adolescent development are quite unknown, but in the short term, the development of memory, learning, and impulse control is all linked to short-term inhalation of these chemicals.

Adding insult to injury, per the NCBI, vaping of any sort heavily impacts the male and female endocrine system and their reproductive health. They state “… even those (vapes) which are nicotine-free, contain many harmful substances, including endocrine disruptors, which disturb hormonal balance and morphology and the function of the reproductive organs.”  Studies from Manchester University paired with Saint Mary’s managed Clinical Service state, “Recent animal studies have shown that E-cigarettes, even when nicotine-free, include many harmful substances that disturb the hormonal balance and reduce the implantation of an embryo in women. It also negatively affects the structure and function of the sperm cells in men.”

The second most vaped substance by high schoolers behind nicotine is THC.  The main issue that these vapes possess is their quality control; lots of times, these vapes will be full of a mimic drug of THC or other synthetic forms of THC. Even worse, it is common for these types of cartridges or vapes to be opened and tampered with, making them easy to lace with another drug. However, just these forms of THC, along with many additives added to THC cartridges and vapes, are carcinogens, taking away cannabis’s non-carcinogenic label. Furthermore, these vapes cause the same or even more metal to enter your lungs than vapes, especially through the popularised method of overheating the oil in order to get a very large amount of vapor, and therefore THC. This method of consumption overheats the metal coil and causes thousands of micro-metals, including iron, zinc, lead, and more, to enter your lungs. Paired with the pesticides, preservatives, and flavoring agents, THC vapes are commonly cancer-causing and always have metals that get into the vapor. 

This extends to any feasible vaping product as well; the coil that heats up the juice into vapor is always going to expose you to the inhalation of heavy metals. Furthermore, any kind of disposable vape that does not use THC uses cotton absorption and storage of its vapor liquid. This cotton, often containing plastic on the outside or very near the heating element, is another carcinogenic material. The method itself is flawed. THC disposable vapes use a similar method to reusable vapor products made for nicotine. In which the vapor substance is absorbed into a smaller cotton swab and then into a metal coil. The only difference is that the vapor juice itself is not contained in the cotton, causing slightly less cotton itself to burn, but increasing the number of heavy metals in the vapor.  

Once again, the entire method is flawed. Most high schoolers have hit a vape, and I argue that the statistics I read are wildly inaccurate, with 7.8-14% of high schoolers vaping. I assume that this number is closer to 20-30%. As impacts such as peer pressure, sweet, fruity flavors, and the overall addictive nature of nicotine, paired with habitual “hand to mouth” addiction. Vaping is a clear epidemic across our generation that, before vaping, thought the idea of cigarettes and nicotine was generally unhealthy or gross. Our generation is on track to become the first group of test subjects for the effects of these chemicals and metals going into your body’s most rapid absorption center, your lungs. Though it may be socially acceptable and give you quick dopamine, it’s known to be unhealthy, and its long-term effects are widely unknown. With such terrible short-term effects and the common presence of carcinogens in the vapor, the long-term effects are most likely not good. In the end, vaping has become deeply ingrained in youth culture, and it’s understandable why so many people turn to it, whether for stress relief, social bonding, or just out of habit. The flavours, the convenience, and even the ritual of vaping can make it feel harmless, especially compared to cigarettes. But the reality is, we don’t fully understand the long-term effects, and the short-term effects alone, like lung inflammation, heavy metal exposure, and potential impacts on brain development, are concerning enough. This isn’t about judgment, it’s about awareness. Many people who vape never intended to get addicted to it, and quitting isn’t always easy. But as research continues to come out, it’s important to ask, is the temporary relief worth the short and long-term effects? That decision ultimately is up to you, but being informed is always beneficial to everyone.