The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of patients hospitalized for vaping-related conditions has hit just over 2,700 as of Jan. 21.

Of that figure, 60 people have died.

The center has linked those deaths to the presence of vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent typically found in e-cigarettes containing THC, in vaping products.

Often branded as the lesser of two evils, vaping has experienced a rapid spread throughout the U.S., partially thanks to its claim of being less harmful than cigarettes. Its rise has hit teens particularly hard; in 2019, nearly 30% of high school students admitted to using e-cigarettes within the last month, according to the Truth Initiative, a nonprofit aimed at inspiring youth to live tobacco-free lives.

One reason youth in particular are vulnerable when it comes to vaping addictions, Dr. Livia Bratis, a pulmonologist within the St. Luke’s Health Network, explained, is because the tobacco market caters specifically to them. Colorful artwork plasters the fronts of many e-cigarette cartridges, whose flavors are often inspired by popular candy.

What’s worse, representing a relatively new and loosely regulated market, teens have easy access to e-cigarettes, which often go for cheap on the web.

“This whole crisis got away from us,” Bratis said, sitting in the center of Lehighton Area High School teachers, administrators and local health advocates. Bratis visited the school Wednesday night to speak about vaping and the risks it poses to teens in a presentation called “The Truth About Vaping: An Important Discussion on Vaping and E-Cigarettes.”

Despite advertising around the public event, no parents or students attended.

Vaping and its unknown risks

E-cigarettes started hitting the market in the early 2000s, and unlike smoking tobacco their potential health risks aren’t completely known to health officials. Vaping has sparked an outbreak of lung injuries, landing nearly 3,000 people in the hospital, 37% of which were aged 24 or younger.

The only common link in each case was vaping, Bratis said.

While cigarettes burn tobacco, e-cigarette cartridges run off vaporized THC, cannabinoid oils or highly addictive nicotine. But their vapor also contains harmful chemicals like diacetyl — a chemical that has been linked to lung disease — formaldehyde, acetone and cadmium. And many marketing campaigns for e-cigarettes take inspiration from past cigarette advertisements, selling vaping as an integral part of one’s social life and popularity.

“It’s really a different product with the same goals,” Bratis said. “They want to get you addicted, and they want to get you as a customer for life. It’s not altruistic.”

Aside from addiction, Bratis pointed out that the short-term symptoms of vaping mimic those of a viral infection; patients may experience coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and even weight loss.

But the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still unclear.

“We do know that our children are being used as human test subjects though,” Bratis said.

Educating parents

The alarming statistics surrounding vaping may be making headlines across the country, but Suzanne Howland, principal of Lehighton Area High School, said some parents don’t even know their children are using these devices until they’re caught at school.

That vaping is so widespread among teens made Wednesday’s low attendance more disheartening.

“The key for us is really parent education,” Howland said. “We didn’t have a turnout, so that’s a little disappointing for us.”

Howland added that the district will continue to reach out to students and families about vaping and its dangers. Earlier this school year, it implemented a new disciplinary protocol that sends students who are caught using e-cigarettes through a vaping education program, facilitated by a counselor from Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol.

But even for students who are well-versed in vaping’s dangers, there stands one hurdle education alone can’t clear. Howland said many students are honest about their e-cigarette use but are simply unable to quit.

“They will truly say, ‘We are addicted,’” she said.