Although heavily promoted as a safer cigarette and an aid to quit smoking, electronic cigarettes and the nicotine they deliver pose particular risks to the developing brains and organs of children. Use of electronic cigarettes by school-age children has surpassed traditional cigarette smoking, and it is critical to recognize and understand the risks related to nicotine exposure, addiction, and the poor regulation of these products, as described in the comprehensive Review article "Electronic Cigarettes: Vulnerability of Youth," published in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology website until May 21, 2015.
Dean E. Schraufnagel, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, provides a detailed look at the composition and varieties of electronic cigarettes and what makes them so appealing to youths. He reviews the available data revealing who are the main users and why, identifying young people in the U.S. as a high-growth market, with use among children doubling in recent years. Dr. Schraufnagel describes electronic cigarettes as a potential "gateway to addiction," as they are often the first tobacco product a youngster tries, with nicotine dependence a common lead-in to abuse of other addictive substances.
"Pediatricians play a critical role in the education of children and families. They are considered an important and reliable source of healthcare information. This review provides practitioners with comprehensive information about the dangers of electronic cigarettes and highlights the vulnerability of children to both the intense marketing surrounding e-cigarettes and their pharmacologic effects," says Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology Editor-in-Chief Mary Cataletto, MD, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook, NY).