Are e-cigarettes more harmful than you think?
A recent study in the UK shows that vaping is more harmful than we think.
Researchers have found that e-cigarette vapor can disable important immune cells in the lungs and increase irritation. The new warning from British researchers goes against the long-held view that e-cigarettes are safe.
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| A recent study in the UK shows that vaping is more harmful than we think. Photo: Getty |
The new research, led by Professor David Thickett of the University of Birmingham, is published online in the journal Thorax.
However, Public Health England advises that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking real cigarettes and people should not hesitate to use e-cigarettes as a way to quit traditional cigarettes.
Previous studies have focused on the chemical components of e-cigarette liquid before it is vaporized. In this study, the researchers simulated the vaporization process of e-cigarettes in the lab and studied the effects on lung tissue samples from eight non-smokers. They found that e-cigarette vapor caused irritation and reduced activity of alveolar lymphocytes; cells that destroy dust particles, bacteria, and allergens.
E-cigarette vapor also had similar effects on conventional cigarette smokers and people with chronic lung disease. However, these results were only in the laboratory and further studies are needed to understand the long-term health effects.
This latest study concludes that e-cigarettes are safer than real cigarettes and pose “negligible risk to bystanders” and acknowledges the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in helping many people quit smoking real cigarettes.
Professor Thickett said that while e-cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes, they still have long-term effects. “E-cigarettes are safer in terms of cancer risk, but if you smoke e-cigarettes for 20 or 30 years, it can cause COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. That’s what you need to know.”
“E-cigarettes are not risk-free, but they are clearly less harmful than smoking,” said Martin Dockrell, Public Health England’s lead tobacco control officer. “Smokers who are considering e-cigarettes should switch immediately.”