It's not safe to use vape pens or e-cigarette devices around kids. The vapor from e-cigarettes has chemicals in it that can be harmful to kids. There's another serious problem with e-smoking devices: Kids can get poisoned if they drink the liquid in nicotine delivery devices or refills.
But some health professionals have recommended avoiding vaping around pregnant women, babies and children. Your GP can give you advice about quitting smoking.
Yes, second and third-hand smoke and vaping aerosols contain harmful, toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that can be breathed in. They can go into the body through the skin. These chemicals can be swallowed, as many children put their hands or other objects into their mouths.
Chemicals Can Harm Kids
While the smell of the vape smoke smells good in many cases, there are still chemicals and nicotine in the smoke. And many of these chemicals are harmful to kids. According to Global News, vaping is considered an aerosol. These "ultra-fine particles" can get stuck in the lungs of kids.
"Aerosols from vaping contain heavy metals and ultrafine particles," Islam said. "If somebody else is vaping in the same area, you're breathing it – those particles are entering your lungs, where they can do damage."
Health harm
In contrast to the known harm from secondhand smoke, there's no evidence so far of harm to bystanders from exposure to e-cigarette vapour. The many harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke are either not contained in e-cigarette vapour at all, or are usually found at much lower levels.
While particles from conventional cigarette smoke linger in the air for upwards of 45 minutes, researchers found that those stemming from e-vapor products evaporate within seconds, even indoors.
The active ingredient in "smoke juice" and electronic cigarettes is nicotine - very concentrated nicotine. Even a small taste of this liquid can cause nicotine poisoning in a child. Nicotine is the poisonous chemical found in the tobacco plant.
Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death. Some chemicals in vaping products can also cause cardiovascular disease and biological changes that are associated with cancer development.
E-cigarettes have been shown to be a potential source of thirdhand exposure to nicotine [4], and therefore need to be evaluated in the same context as thirdhand cigarette smoking.
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
Just like exposure to secondhand smoke, exposure to secondhand aerosols from e-cigarettes is associated with an increased risk of asthma exacerbations in children, according to a review of the 11,830 kids with asthma in the 2016 Florida Youth Tobacco survey.
“Just like with cigarettes, babies and infants exposed to vaping can inhale or ingest second hand and third hand vaping of harmful toxins and carcinogens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, organic compounds that may be volatile, and fine particles,” says Dr. Rome.
sleep problems. exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. chronic bronchitis. lung damage that can be life-threatening.
Exposure to e-cigarette aerosol can lead to more bacteria in the mouth, which is associated with tooth decay, cavities, and gum diseases. It can also cause dry mouth, inflamed gums, and other issues. The flavoring capsules in e-cigarettes can lead to cavities and increase the risk of developing chronic lung diseases.
What should I do? Vaping products contain nicotine, which is a highly toxic substance. If your child has swallowed, sucked on, or had any contact with a vape pen, cartridge or vaping product, call IPC immediately at 1-800-222-1222 for advice specific to your situation.
Nicotine is rapidly absorbed after ingestion and inhalation. In young children, ingestion of 1 to 2 mg of nicotine has been associated with signs of toxicity (poisoning).
Small ingestions could be deadly. With an estimated median lethal dose between 1 and 13 mg per kilogram of body weight, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of a 1.8% nicotine solution could be lethal to a 90-kg person.
For e-cigarettes, the study found that even in a room with no ventilation, the liquid aerosol droplets evaporated so quickly that the particle concentration in the air returned to background levels within seconds.
Even in a poorly ventilated area with windows shut, any smells from vaping should be gone in only ten minutes or so, instead of lasting around for hours like smoking. When one is vaping outdoors in comparison, the smell from your vape will hardly be noticeable at all and will disappear extremely quickly.
Vaping residue can create a thin layer that allows dust to stick and accumulate over most of the interior space. Over time, this can result in ductwork that is extremely dirty, aggravating allergies and making the entire home harder to clean.
For toddlers, the common symptoms of vaping exposures are coughing, severe coughing fits and vomiting. In serious cases, it can also cause loss of consciousness and seizures.