In recent years, using vape pens and smoking electronic cigarettes has become a huge market trend. Despite the fact that these accessories do not contain tobacco, and are sometimes even nicotine free, researches have proven that they can still cause a large amount of damage to the body.
Scientists have discovered that inhaling smoke of any kind causes irritation to the airways. The result of this is disabling the cells which protect the lung tissue and allow us to breathe easily. This makes our respiratory system more susceptible to dust and pollen from the outside environment. These types of allergens and bacteria may lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
According to some researchers, vapes and e-cigs are even associated with lung cancer, acid reflux and heart failure, as the inflamed airways become narrower on use.
“The changes we’re seeing with vaping, both in laboratory experiments and studies of people who vape, are consistent with early signs of lung damage, which is very worrisome” noted Dr Deborah Ossip, a study author of the subject.
“There is an agenda to portray e-cigarettes as safe. But since e-cigarettes have been around for only a decade, the effects of long-term vaping aren’t known” said Dr. David Thickett, lead researcher in respiratory medicine at the University of Birmingham, UK.
In a recent experiment, Thickett and his research team investigated lung tissue from eight non-smoking people, when exposed to various types of e-cig fluid. None of the subjects had ever suffered from breathing difficulties in the past.
The results discovered that vapour over e-cig fluid is much more likely to cause harm to cells. Thus, vapers are more likely to suffer from wheezing than cigarette smokers. Dual-users are at risk too.
Currently, in the UK, 19.4% of adults have used an e-cig and 5.5 per cent are vapers, as found by the Office for National Statistics.
There is no evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes directly contribute to breathing difficulties, with scientists only just finding a link between the two. Other non-inclusive factors within the study were exercise regimes, which can also influence the risk of wheezing.
Small, discreet and compact vaping devices such as Juuls, used alongside flavoured nicotine pods, may also lead to allergies and poor immunity in vapers and dual users. E-cigarette emissions and flavourings have formerly been associated to lung cell damage as well.
Manisha Bhanot
