A Cedars-Sinai lung specialist is speaking out to encourage parents and teens to snuff out vaping.

“Anytime you inhale something harmful into your lungs, it travels to the small airways and air sacks causing inflammation and damage to the lungs. The chemicals also get absorbed into your bloodstream and travel to your organs, potentially causing lasting damage,” said Dr. Aaron S. Weinberg, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at Cedars-Sinai. “People are putting significant amounts of highly addictive nicotine into their systems, higher levels than even cigarettes.”

Throughout the U.S., the number of vaping-related lung illnesses and deaths continues to climb, with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting nearly 1,500 lung injury cases and more than 30 deaths so far in 2019.

While adults still account for most vaping-related illnesses and deaths, teenagers report using electronic cigarettes more than ever. According to a survey recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 25% of high school seniors say they use e-cigarettes containing nicotine. Among 10th-graders, 20% admit to vaping.

Some grim facts from the CDC bear out those numbers: The youngest lung injury patient was 13 and the youngest to die was a 17-year-old boy from New York.

A special CDC report on the risks of e-cigarettes for kids, teens and young adults identifies nicotine as a harmful drug affecting the developing brain until about age 25. It can also damage the part of the brain that controls learning, mood, attention and impulse control. Teenagers, like adult vapers, face the same risk for serious illness and even death.

“We don’t know all the risk factors that can lead from someone going from just some minor symptoms to ending up on a ventilator in the intensive care unit fighting for their life,” Weinberg said. “And as with tobacco smoking, it may take decades to identify the long-term effects.”

While THC – the psychoactive chemical in marijuana – has been associated with most of the vaping-related lung illnesses, public health officials say they are still investigating the exact cause of the sudden rise in sickness and death.

“We don’t know enough about what is causing these illnesses to know if it is the flavored derivatives they are putting in, marijuana or whether it is other chemicals,” Weinberg said. “But we do know that vaping is not a safe alternative to smoking. This is a dangerous device. And we need to help patients stop using it.”

Cedars-Sinai is located at 8700 Beverly Blvd. For information, visit cedars-sinai.org.