With More Kids Vaping, Should Parents Test Them?

By Robin Young

Published February 19, 2019 at 12:50 PM CST

New data finds teens are vaping in record numbers. (Steven Senne/AP)

We know that e-cigarettes can help some people quite smoking. But the fruity flavors and social media marketing are also the entryway to nicotine usage among many teens. Now, physicians say they’re treating a number of vape-related conditions ranging from head and stomach aches, to anxiety and depression. That rise in popularity recently prompted Surgeon General Jerome Adams to issue a rare advisory declaring e-cigarettes a youth epidemic.

So it’s not surprising that some pediatricians are recommending having kids tested — using home kits, or one of the labs that is now offering the service. Lauren Middlebrooks, an assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta ( @childrensatl), joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss the dangers of vaping and whether parents should test their kids.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.