Vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, have become extremely popular in recent years. The popularity has increased especially amongst the younger generation (those under 25 years of age).

Although vapes are considered to be much healthier than regular tobacco cigarettes, do we really know the effects vaping has on us and are all vapes of the same quality?

Since e-cigarettes arrived on the market back in 2003 and the spike in production in 2010, they are still relatively new and we have no real knowledge or proof of the long-term effects - especially in younger people.

Lately, a YouGov survey has revealed that about 1 in 5 high school pupils vape, exposing themselves to nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in tobacco.

In early April 2023, vapes were confiscated from pupils and sent to the Inter Scientific Lab to analyze the chemicals inside them. It was quickly discovered that these e-cigarettes (apparently bought online or from corner shops near secondary schools) contained high levels of dangerous metals such as lead, nickel and chromium.

Co-founder of Inter Scientific Lab, David Lawson said, “Lead is a bio-accumulator and impacts the brain, and is particularly nasty for children and adolescents whose brains haven’t fully developed. In the simplest terms, using these lower your IQ and has major side-effects.”

Youngsters using these vapes are most likely inhaling twice the daily safe amount of lead and nine times that of nickel which could also lead to side effects such as abdominal pains, nausea, high blood pressure, infertility, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

These e-cigarettes are dangerous. It seems youths often start out with vaping (purely to impress or be popular amongst peers) and then progress to cigarettes later. Vaping is likely to keep young people hooked for years. Many schools around the UK, have been trying to prevent pupils from vaping during school hours.

It is illegal to sell vapes to those under 18 years of age but a YouGov survey in March 2023 indicated that experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds has increased from 7.7% in 2022 to 18.4% in 2023 and appears to be steadily rising. This is a cause for concern especially due to the lack of understanding of the long-term effects they may cause.