You've heard many times by now the reasons not to smoke regular tobacco cigarettes around babies and kids. But given the popularity of e-cigarettes, does the same apply to vaping?
If you vape, you may wonder if you can safely do so around your kids at home — and even if you don't, you may have found yourself near someone who was smoking an e-cigarette and wondered if it affects your kids' health.
The short answer: While more research needs to be done, secondhand vaping from e-cigarettes definitely isn't harmless. Here's what you need to know to protect your kids.
What is vaping?
Vaping is the act of using an e-cigarette — specifically, the inhaling of vapor from e-cigarettes such as Juuls, mods and vape pens. The point of vaping is to deliver nicotine, a particularly addictive drug, to the body. Vaping devices can resemble traditional tobacco cigarettes, but many look more like pens or, in the case of Juuls, USB drives.
Here's how it works: When you vape, you inhale on a cartridge or press a button that heats up e-liquid, which contains varying levels of nicotine. The e-cigarette then releases a vapor — i.e. aerosol, often containing toxic chemicals — which is why using one is known as vaping instead of smoking.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken some steps to regulate the bustling e-cigarette industry. Manufacturers have to apply for permission from the FDA to sell their product. The agency has banned many flavored e-cig products that may appeal to kids, and limited sales to only those 21 and older.
Most recently, the FDA took steps to stop the sale and distribution of Juuls, but it paused the order after it met challenges in court.[1]
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What are the effects of vaping on your health?
There are dangers to vaping. For starters, vaping devices don't emit harmless water vapor. Instead, they release aerosols that contain toxic chemicals, some of which have been linked to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. For example, some aerosols from vaping can contain diacetyl, a chemical linked to lung disease, and heavy metals such as tin and lead.
Plus, research has shown that when the liquid in e-cigarettes is heated at a high voltage (some vaping products allow the user to set the voltage to produce more or less vapor), other chemicals are formed. And some of them, like formaldehyde, are cancer-causing. A review published by an FDA scientist reported that potentially harmful chemicals were found in the cartridges, refill solutions and aerosols of e-cigarettes.[2]
Almost all vaping devices contain nicotine — even ones that are marketed as "nicotine-free," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[3] To complicate matters even more, the level of nicotine listed on the labels of e-cigarette cartridges and refill solutions can differ significantly from what's actually in the product.
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug that is harmful for kids' still-developing brains, and can alter their memory, concentration, mood, learning ability, self-control and attention span. What's more, using nicotine during childhood can increase a kid's risk for addiction to other drugs as well.
Smoking e-cigarettes is often considered safer than smoking tobacco cigarettes. But even though e-cigarettes expose people to fewer amounts of harmful chemicals, vaping is still bad for you, in part because it exposes you to other toxic substances.
The risks of using e-cigarettes with kids at home
If you or your partner vapes at home with young kids, know that e-cigarettes pose some of the same risks as regular tobacco cigarettes, including:
Secondhand exposure
There's not much research yet looking specifically at how secondhand nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes affects kids — no researcher would willingly put a child in harm's way in the name of science. That said, there is plenty of data showing that secondhand exposure to nicotine and regular cigarettes can harm a child's health.
Babies exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and kids exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to get sick more often with ear infections, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma and breathing problems.
Accidental ingestion
Another danger that parents may overlook is accidental exposure from improper e-cigarette storage. A 2018 analysis showed that between 2012 and 2017, there were 8,269 liquid nicotine exposures among children under 6 years old reported to U.S. poison control centers.[4]
In addition, children exposed to e-cigarettes were more than 5 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital and more than twice as likely to have a severe health outcome than kids exposed to regular cigarettes.
Vaping regulations to keep kids safe
In December 2019, the minimum age to buy tobacco products, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes, was raised to 21 — a good thing, since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns that any exposure to nicotine, including secondhand exposure from e-cigarettes, may be dangerous for children. Congress also requires child-resistant packaging for e-cigarettes and liquids in order to help prevent accidental poisonings.
Public health officials still have more to do, especially to protect children. The AAP advocates for taxing e-cigarettes and bans on advertising to children, online sales of e-cigarettes and all flavors of e-liquid.
The group is also working to limit secondhand exposure, recommending regulations to restrict smoking and tobacco products in all workplaces, including bars, restaurants and health care facilities as well as in places where children live, learn and play.
How to protect babies from secondhand vapor smoke
While it may be impossible to protect your kids from all exposure to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, there are a number of steps you can take right now to protect your kids' health:
Get the help you need to quit
If you smoke or vape, one of the best steps that you (and your partner, if he or she also smokes) can take is to quit for good. Hoping that e-cigarettes could help? No studies have proven that they can help smokers stop using nicotine. In fact, some research has shown that vaping makes smokers significantly less likely to quit.
There's no doubt that for many people, kicking a nicotine habit can be incredibly hard — but it is possible. Remember: Smoking and vaping not only expose your child to secondhand smoke, but they also increase the odds your child will smoke himself later in life.
The good news is you're not alone. In addition to getting help from your practitioner, family and friends, a number of other resources can support your efforts:
- A quit plan: Create one that includes your reasons for quitting, smoking triggers to avoid and strategies to deal with cravings. Check out the National Cancer Institute's SmokeFree.gov for more info.
- 1-800-QUIT-NOW hotline: Get free counseling, advice to create a quit plan and information on local cessation resources.
- The Smokefree Women website: Get judgment-free information and resources designed to help mothers quit all nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.
- Support groups: Nicotine Anonymous, online support groups and local smoking cessation programs can help.
- One-on-one or group counseling: Moms who get counseling tend to be more likely to quit and less likely to start smoking again later.
You can also talk to your doctor about other aids to help you quit, including:
- Nicotine replacement therapy: Over-the-counter gums, patches and lozenges, as well as prescription nasal sprays and inhalers, are available.
- Prescription medications: For heavy smokers, prescription medications like Chantix or Zyban that directly impact brain chemistry may help control withdrawal symptoms. But these drugs have been controversial in the medical community, so discuss the pros and cons with your doctor. Also keep in mind that they aren't safe to use if you're looking to stop smoking during pregnancy.
Adopt a smoke-free home and car policy
Make smoking off-limits in your home and vehicle — that means no smoking in the house or car by anyone, even when kids aren't present.
Keep smoking gear stored safely
If you or someone else in your home vapes, always keep the e-cigarettes and liquids locked up and out of reach of children, and be sure to follow the label's disposal instructions.
Look for "no smoking" signs
Skip facilities that allow smoking. Even if you and your children steer clear of the areas where people are smoking, secondhand smoke is still in the air.
Stick with smoke-free child care
Choose a babysitter or nanny who doesn't smoke — and if that's not possible, make sure your child care provider doesn't smoke in the house, car or around your child.
Tell your kids to stay away from smoke
If your child is old enough, tell her to avoid being around someone who is smoking whenever possible.
The bottom line: No amount of vaping around your babies and children is considered safe. So it's important to take the proper precautions to avoid exposure to secondhand vaping and get the help or your partner needs to quit.
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