E-Cigarettes are not safe for lungs or immune systems, according to new research.
Laboratory mice were exposed to vapors similar to those found in e-cigarettes, and their health was monitored. Researchers found damage in lungs of the animals, as well as respiratory disease, and free radical toxins. Both anti-bacterial and anti-viral defenses of animals were compromised by the consumption of tobacco vapors, the study found.
"E-cigarette vapor alone produced mild effects on the lungs, including inflammation and protein damage. However, when this exposure was followed by a bacterial or viral infection, the harmful effects of e-cigarette exposure became even more pronounced," Thomas Sussan from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said.
Former smokers, as well as those who have never previously smoked tobacco, have started to use e-cigarettes, in the belief they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. However, vaping delivers as much nicotine as traditional forms of smoking, which can lead to addiction for many users. Teenagers are among the groups taking up vaping, as well as some people diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Mice in the study were divided into two groups. One was subjected to e-cigarette vapors, while the others inhaled pure air. Researchers divided each group into three separate sub-groups. One of the sub-groups within each group was exposed to influenza, and another to Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can lead to pneumonia, as well as severe sinus infections. The third sub-group in each major group was not exposed to any microbial agents. Mice who inhaled tobacco vapor suffered greater compromises in their immune systems, compared to those in the control group.
E-cigarettes heat tobacco to the point where nicotine is vaporized, and this vapor is inhaled into the lungs of users. Previous research on the components of this vapor revealed it contains the same formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and dangerous particulates found in cigarette smoke.
This is the first major study of the effect of e-cigarettes on laboratory animals, according to researchers. They hope their work will serve as a basis for future research on the health effects of e-cigarettes on human health.
"This warrants further study in susceptible individuals, such as COPD patients who have switched from cigarettes to e-cigarettes or to new users of e-cigarettes who may have never used cigarettes," Shyam Biswal of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School, said.
In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will soon begin regulating e-cigarettes for the first time.
Investigation of the effect of e-cigarettes on the health of rodents was published in the journal Plos One.
