Commentary: Unseen clouds in your ranks. A service member and leader's guide to vaping risks

This guide provides service members, leaders, and military families with an evidence-based overview of the risks vaping poses to health and fitness. In the modern military, readiness is everything. It depends on peak physical conditioning, mental sharpness and unwavering focus. However, a common item found in the pockets of many service members directly threatens all three: the electronic cigarette. A dangerous misconception may be spreading through the junior ranks: that vaping is a harmless alternative to smoking, involving little more than inhaling "water vapor." This is scientifically false. Vaping devices create a toxic aerosol, a fine mist of chemicals, that is inhaled deep into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream.

This guide provides service members, leaders, and military families with an evidence-based overview of the risks vaping poses to health, fitness, and a successful military career. The cloud produced by an e-cigarette is not water vapor. It is a chemical aerosol containing a cocktail of dangerous substances that can cause irreversible damage, including: For a service member, peak physical fitness is non-negotiable. Vaping directly degrades athletic performance and compromises readiness in several critical ways: Vaping companies use sweet flavors like cotton candy, cool mint, or cherry to hide the harsh chemical taste of nicotine. These flavors make it easy to start vaping, but they contain incredibly dangerous components and