Top Yorkshire doctor talks to Ripon Grammar School students on the dangers of vaping

Dr Elizabeth Garthwaite, a kidney specialist and clinical director for medical specialities with Leeds Teaching Hospitals, told hundreds of young teenagers that she is among many medical professionals increasingly concerned about the impact of vaping on health.

A growing number of children are taking up vaping in the UK, with products easily available over the counter in supermarkets.

Whilst America has declared a vaping epidemic in their youth culture the UK remains in a grey area about the health issues that have been arising.

“We are seeing increasing numbers of young people presenting to hospital with problems associated with addiction, but also medical problems which are associated with vaping,” said Dr Garthwaite.

Although originally designed as a form of nicotine replacement to help smokers break their addiction to cigarettes, vaping is far from harmless, warns Dr Garthwaite.

“It was never designed as a safe alternative. The multiple chemicals used to create the vapes, and in particular the flavours and smells, are often dangerous and have unpredictable consequences.

“Nicotine, which is addictive, has multiple adverse effects - particularly on the heart, lungs and vascular system.

“Some of the chemicals within the fluid can have very damaging effects too.”

Dr Garthwaite, chair of governors and a parent at the school, highlighted some real patient stories to help persuade those who vape or are considering vaping to make different choices.

She reflected on the case of a 17-year-old A-level student who has been receiving treatment since last summer.

She shared the story of the keen sportsman, who enjoyed football, cricket and rugby and was planning to apply to university, who arrived in hospital suffering from acute nicotine poisoning and severe lung damage after vaping.

She said: “He suffered an allergic reaction and couldn’t breathe at all.

“He had to be paralysed and was put into a coma.

"He suffered multiple organ failure, with his heart, lungs, kidney and blood vessels not working properly.”

“After being put on a ventilator, he ended up in intensive care until the end of November and it was feared he wouldn’t pull through.

“Having come off the ventilator three weeks ago, he is now in a wheelchair and being fed through a tube.”

Students were also shown pictures of the lungs of another patient, a 24-year-old woman who has difficulty breathing due to the build-up of scar tissue caused by aerosol inhalation after around six years of vaping, a condition known as ‘popcorn lung’.

“Although there is no tar or smoke, the nicotine and other sticky carbonated chemicals are cancerous and will stick in the lungs and move into your circulation, causing significant damage to the whole body.”

To add perspective Dr Garthwaite added: “You are 3.3 times more likely to go on to smoke if you are vaping than if you had never vaped at all.

“There are much safer things to choose to do.

“Changing those decisions now can stop some of those things happening that you are putting yourself at risk of.”

Dr Garthwaite hopes the talks urge young people to think twice about the dangers of vaping and hopes to change the perception that vaping is a harmless habit.