What you need to know about vaping

"Vaping has the same health risks and consequences for older adults as it has for younger adults,” says Jamie Garfield, an interventional pulmonologist at the Temple Lung Center at

Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. “We've had two people over age 50 in our practice with vaping-associated pulmonary injury [VAPI] just recently." National numbers tell

the story: Among cases of VAPI, 1 in 5 are in adults age 35 and older, according to the CDC. And among 26 confirmed VAPI deaths, the median age was 49, according to the CDC's latest

tally. If you have a lung problem like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (more common in older adults), you may have fewer reserves to help you fight off VAPI, too, Smith notes.

ARE LEGAL VAPE SUPPLIES FROM A STORE OR MARIJUANA DISPENSARY SAFE? "I would not say any vaping product is safe,” says Smith. “There is no great oversight over the production processes

in place for developing these products. You don't know what you're putting into your lungs.” While many vapers with VAPI say they got prefilled vape cartridges on the street or

from a friend or relative, not all cases involve black-market products. Others say theirs came from state-sanctioned marijuana dispensaries, vape shops and even convenience stores. The FDA,

CDC, American Medical Association and American Lung Association recommend avoiding all vape products — whether they contain THC (from marijuana), CBD (from hemp) or nicotine — because the

source of the problem is unknown. I'M USING E-CIGARETTES TO QUIT SMOKING. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW? "Try FDA-approved smoking cessation products like nicotine replacement or

medications,” Garfield suggests. The FDA says these options could double your odds for success. Nicotine replacement options include inhalers, sprays, patches and gum. The FDA-approved

medications Chantix (varenicline tartrate) and Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) can help by making smoking less pleasurable. Don't go back to regular cigarettes, Garfield says. Smoking

tobacco causes cancer, heart disease, diabetes and crippling lung diseases like COPD — along with over 480,000 preventable deaths each year in the U.S., according to the CDC. “Well-designed

studies show that vaping nicotine doesn't help people quit; it just leads to switching to e-cigarettes or to smoking both types,” Garfield says. That may be especially true for older

adults. In a recent study of 15,456 smokers who started e-cigarettes as a way to quit tobacco, 71 percent of those age 65-plus were still smoking regular cigarettes along with e-cigarettes

three months later. _Editor's note: This article was originally published on Oct. 11, 2019. It has been updated to address any role of “dry vaping” in overall CDC-confirmed cases of

vaping-related lung problems._