Danielle Moser ’94, MEd, senior public health educator with the Orange County Department of Health, presented “Current Trends in Vaping” at Mount Saint Mary College’s recent nursing symposium, “Current Issues in Public Health: Immunizations, Vaping, and Marijuana.”
Nurses, healthcare specialists, and many successful alumni headed to Mount Saint Mary College recently to attend “Current Issues in Public Health: Immunizations, Vaping, and Marijuana,” a professional development symposium and networking brunch.
The fifth annual event was presented by the Mount Saint Mary College School of Nursing and the Office of Alumni Affairs.
It featured three professional speakers:
- Lissette McNulty, MSN, RN, Immunization Action Plan Coordinator with the Orange County Department of Health, who presented “Childhood and Adult Immunizations Update”
- Frank Kolarik, MPA, a criminal justice instructor at Dutchess BOCES, who presented “Issues Surrounding the Legalization of Marijuana”
- Danielle Moser, MEd, senior public health educator with the Orange County Department of Health and 1994 Mount grad, who discussed “Current Trends in Vaping”
Moser noted that although cigarette use has declined over the last few decades, “We’re seeing 160 percent increase in electronic cigarette usage.”
Also known as vape pens, these devices work by heating a liquid, oil, or lipid to be inhaled by the user.
According to Moser, vaping by teenagers is on the rise. Furthermore, electronic cigarettes are being used to deliver substances beyond nicotine, including alcohol and marijuana concentrates.
Electronic cigarettes are “not being used as intended, and they were never intended to be used by people under the age of 18,” she said.
Although they have gotten a reputation as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes can cause health issues as well, Moser said.
“Vaping is bad for your health, and we also know that nicotine is toxic,” she explained.
More than 2,000 cases of lung injury linked to electronic cigarette usage have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 49 states, and more than 40 deaths have been confirmed, Moser said.
Recent research has pointed to Vitamin E acetate as a key culprit in vaping illnesses, she said.