“We are witnessing the beginning of a new phase of the nicotine epidemic and a new route to nicotine addiction for kids”, stated Stanton Glantz, PhD, the director of Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at UCSF. (Fernandez, "E-Cigarettes Should be Regulated", par. 3) E-cigarettes are being advertised as being less harmful than regular cigarettes and are becoming very popular with teenagers in the U.S and worldwide. However, these “battery-powered devices” are mostly unregulated and contain nicotine and other toxic chemicals. At the same time, there are “no controls” on advertising to kids. (Fernandez, "E-Cigarettes Should be Regulated", par. 4) Although e-cigarettes are advertised as not being harmful, they should be banned for…show more content… However, e-cigarettes do contain nicotine which can damage a person’s heart, blood vessels, and lungs and can cause them to start smoking real cigarettes.
Flavorings in e-cigarettes are appealing to teenagers because they come in flavors such as “Cherry Crush, Chocolate Treat, Snappin Apple and Vanilla Dreams.” (Barrington-Trimis, Samet, and McConnell, par. 2) However, these flavorings have potentially harmful effects and should be regulated. First, e-cigarettes are not candy…they contain chemicals and also nicotine - which is poison. There are several flavored e-cigarettes available, but there are toxic chemicals in these flavorings which can cause health problems. Dr. Glantz and other researchers at UCSF indicated that e-cigarettes are not just “harmless water vapor.”(Fernandez, "E-Cigarettes Should be Regulated", par. 3) In fact, e-cigarettes used by teenagers could be a…show more content… However, damage to the heart, lungs, and blood vessels is possible even though there is very little research about e-cigarettes right now. ("E-Cigarettes," par. 2)First, scientists are having a hard time conducting research about the harmful effects of e-liquids because the e-cigarette technology keeps changing. Also, there is no regulatory program that is looking into the hazards of flavorings in e-cigarettes. Moreover, “there is no proposed regulation on flavorings as there is a lack of research on the toxic and health effects.” Even though there is not enough scientific evidence to regulate e-cigarettes at this time, there are potential side effects from chemicals in the flavorings. In addition, nicotine can lead to heart, lung and blood disease. Moreover, if plaque builds up in a person’s arteries, this can cause irreversible damage to the heart. “Because e-cigarettes are a tobacco-free nicotine delivery system, you still receive a dose of nicotine directly into your lungs and blood stream every time you vape”, according to the American Heart Association. ("E-Cigarettes," par. 10) Although e-cigarettes are less risky than regular tobacco cigarettes, teenagers and young adults can be at risk for heart and lung disease and even cancer later in life. Furthermore, the safety of inhaling vaporized flavorings is different than the safety of flavorings in food. A substance in e-cigarettes