Maureen Meister, Ph.D., research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, recently joined the Vaping Research Panel at the event “Clean the Air & Unplug: A Boilermaker Wellness Workshop.”  

This panel was brought together by the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University. It included four experts from across Purdue’s health sciences, nursing, and public health programs alongside Chemical Insights.  

The panel’s goal was to create a multidisciplinary conversation that covered vaping’s health effects, its policy landscape, and what the science says. Panelists held expertise across preclinical pathogenesis research, tobacco policy analysis across subpopulation groups, pediatric nursing and youth prevention practice, and cardiovascular and oral health science. 

Vaping is prominent among youth, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting approximately 1.63 million teens as active users. As those teens move on to college, the health consequences follow them. Understanding the scope of the issue is the first step toward addressing it effectively.  

While overall student vaping numbers have declined in recent years, use intensity has increased. This means those who vape are doing so more frequently and heavily. That shift can make the health risks greater. 

The most common misconception is that adults get into vaping if they’ve smoked previously. But CDC data indicates that 61.4% of adults who vape have not smoked have not smoked conventional tobacco products previously. This suggests that vaping might be an independent health risk with its own user base and trajectory. 

Before the panel began, Chemical Insights and Purdue set up a tabling session on campus and distributed resources. These resources included graphic novels and infographics for teens and young adults. The team used that time to collect student questions in real time.  

The panel was intentionally structured around dispelling myths. Rather than delivering a lecture, moderator Jonathan Shannahan, Ph.D., professor of Health Sciences and assistant dean of research in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, designed the conversation around the questions and misconceptions students held.  

This involved using the questions from the tabling session and taking questions from the students in the audience. 

The result was a conversation that met the students where they were. It was grounded in evidence but responsive to what students wanted to understand. 

One of the most important things college students took away from the conversation was this: Vape emissions are complex chemical mixtures. 

Research has identified approximately 350 to 2,000 chemicals in vaping aerosols and e-cigarettes. For many of these substances, the long-term health effects are still being studied.  

Vaping may be linked to asthma, lung disease, and increased risk of lung cancer. Preclinical research presented at the panel examined how vaping products — including THC vaping — trigger lung disease pathogenesis, with findings connecting vaping exposure to asthma, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The aerosols inhaled reach deep into lung tissue, triggering inflammation and cellular damage. 

Regular vaping can increase the odds of a heart attack and has been linked to elevated heart rate and hypertension. These risks are particularly concerning for young people whose cardiovascular systems are still developing.  

Vaping has also been linked to gum inflammation and alterations that can result in gums shrinking and teeth loosening. Other conditions can include “vape tongue,” which is a condition that can dull taste perception.  

The panel also discussed the regulatory environment surrounding vaping. It’s an area that’s constantly evolving and varies across local, state, and federal levels. The 2020s have brought federal, state, and local restrictions on flavored vapes, but enforcement and reach remain uneven, and the landscape continues to change. 

This conversation allowed college students to understand where the policy currently stands and how it differs across subpopulation groups. This allows them to have the right conversations with fellow students, parents, and administrators in the future.  

The most effective public health interventions happen before a crisis becomes entrenched. Vaping among young people is still an evolving challenge, which means there is still meaningful opportunity to shape outcomes through education, evidence-based policy, and the kind of community-level engagement that events like this panel represent.  

Shannahan framed the Purdue panel as the first iteration of a model that can be brought to campuses across the country. This replicable framework translates vaping research into direct student engagement at scale. Each university event builds on the last, with the ambition of reaching students at a critical moment before vaping-related health consequences become entrenched. 

We extend gratitude to the panelists for providing their expertise to help clear the air on vaping: 

• Azza Ahmed, Ph.D., professor, Purdue University School of Nursing 
• Bukola Peters, Ph.D., assistant professor, Purdue University Department of Public Health
• Jonathan Shannahan, Ph.D., professor of Health Sciences and assistant dean of Research Development and Innovation for the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University  
• Maureen Meister, Ph.D., research scientist, UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights  
• Thivanka Muthumalage, Ph.D., assistant professor, Purdue University School of Health Sciences 

Chemical Insights is committed to being a resource in that effort. Whether through peer-reviewed research, community partnerships, or direct engagement with students and professionals, our goal is to ensure that the science reaches the people who need it most.  

For the most current data, infographics, and research on vaping and its health effects, visit our E-Cigarettes and Vaping landing page.