For young people

Unveil what you inhale

What do you know about vaping? Vaping and e-cigarettes have become popular in recent years, and they may seem harmless and fun. But do you know what’s in vapes and vape juice?
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The facts

1

We don’t know what’s in them

Vaping products aren’t regulated so it’s difficult to know exactly what they contain. In fact, a study on more than 50 vape juices available in Australia found none of them had accurate ingredient lists. Research revealed vapes contain many toxic chemicals, including nicotine, formaldehyde, propylene glycol.
2

Health impacts

Vaping is relatively new and there isn’t a lot of information about what it will do long-term. Over many decades, we’ve learned that cigarettes are very bad for your health and experts worry this could be the same for vapes. Vapes have made a lot of people sick with symptoms like: vomiting, mouth and airway irritation, chest pains, and a racing heartbeat.
3

Gateway to further addiction

Without even knowing it, vapes can expose you to the highly addictive chemical nicotine. This can lead you to become addicted to vaping or traditional cigarette smoking which we know significantly increases your risk of developing severe health complication including cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Chemicals found in vape juice

Nicotine

highly addictive and can harm your brain’s development, especially in the areas that control your attention, mood, ability to learn, and behaviour.

Propylene glycol

found in paint and is toxic to human cells.

Formaldehyde

used in glue and can cause irreversible lung damage.

Vaping related symptoms

Vomiting

Mouth and airway irritation

Chest pains

Racing heartbeat

Feeling pressured?

It’s normal to want to try the new and popular thing that your friends or someone you look up to online is doing, but understanding the risks is important. It can be hard to say no to your friends and school mates, but you should put yourself and your health first and only do things that you feel comfortable with. It’s your body, your lungs, your life, and you’re in charge.

Unveil what you inhale

These resources were developed with young Australians for young Australians to show you the facts, raise the issues, and provide advice on vaping and e-cigarettes and how to take action when it comes to the risks. Arm yourself with accurate information so you can make informed decisions about your health.

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Reference

A Larcombe, S Allard, P Pringle, R Mead-Hunter, N Anderson, B Mullins. Chemical analysis of fresh and aged Australian e-cigarette. doi:10.5694/mja2.51280.