The immediate and future medical concerns about vaping were discussed in a special meeting organized by Healthier Lyon County on Thursday night.
Dr. Michael Kim, a research assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Christina Cowart, the grassroots manager of the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, outlined their concerns that have developed even before other health officials began scrambling to study a spike in lung disease and deaths they say are both related to vaping. Cowart says youths especially are using more tobacco products recently, and doing so while they vape.
Cowart says the American Cancer Society supports raising the legal age for tobacco and vape products from 18 to 21 because of the health concerns revolving around both uses.
Much has been made recently of vape users having medical problems after using pods containing THC, but Kim says products with little to no nicotine can still cause serious health issues — in some cases similar cystic fibrosis, where lungs struggle to or sometimes fail to clear mucus.
Kim discussed the evolution of vaping over the past 15 years as well as the new diagnosis of evali (pronounced e-VALL-e), for e-cigarette- or vaping-associated lung injury. Evali symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and vomiting.
Kim also mentioned his concerns about chronic use leading to long-term and significant health issues, which is something he says hasn’t been widely studied yet.
Nationally, health officials tie vaping to rapid development of severe lung disease, with around 2,200 cases and over 40 deaths since mid-spring. In Kansas, the Department of Health and Environment says nearly 20 cases of lung disease and two deaths are linked to vaping.
