More than 530,000 New York City adults have used e-cigarettes, according to the city Health Department’s first-ever survey on the fast-rising trend.
Vaping has skyrocketed among young people, while the smoking of traditional cigs has plummeted.
Roughly 14 percent of city residents 18 to 24 reported having used electronic cigarettes, which dispense nicotine-infused vapor, over the past 12 months, the annual Community Health Survey reveals. So did 11 percent of those ages 25 to 44.
Overall, 8 percent of adults had vaped during the prior 12 months.
Of the five boroughs, Staten Island is vape central, with nearly 12 percent of all adults having puffed on an e-cig.
By area, Staten Island’s North Shore and Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst led the pack, with more than 14 percent of adults vaping.
There is a debate about the health risks of vaping, with e-cigs seen as less harmful than traditional cigs but still deemed unsafe.
Although they do not involve the inhalation of tar or other chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes, e-cigs are typically used to vaporize liquids infused with nicotine and are considered more harmful to children and teens than to adults, potentially interfering with brain development.
City health officials said the rise in the use of e-cigs among young people is cause for concern.
A recent national survey found that 13.4 percent of high-school teens had puffed an e-cig within the past 30 days, more than had done so with a traditional cig.
Vaping liquids come in a variety of candy and fruit flavors aimed at young people’s tastes, health advocates charge.
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