Electronic cigarettes used by smokers trying to quit the lethal habit of
smoking can actually cause lung damage, a new study has claimed.
Scientists warn that the devices can trigger changes to the lungs,
despite the fact that they are being marketed as a potentially safer
alternative to normal cigarettes.
The study also added new evidence to the debate over the safety of alternative nicotine-delivery products.
Electronic cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through a
vapour, rather than smoke. There is no combustion
involved but the
nicotine in the device is still derived from tobacco.
Debate
There has been much debate over the safety and efficiency of the
products, but little scientific evidence to support either claim.
Researchers from the University of Athens in Greece aimed to investigate
the short-term effects of using e-cigarettes on different people,
including people without any known health problems and smokers with and
without existing lung conditions.
The study included 8 people who had never smoked and 24 smokers, 11 with
normal lung function and 13 people with either chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.
Each person used an electronic cigarette for 10 minutes.
The researchers then measured their airway resistance using a number of tests, including a spirometry test.
The results
The results showed that for all people, the e-cigarette caused an
immediate increase in airway resistance, lasting for 10 minutes. In
healthy subjects (never smokers) there was a statistically significant
increase in airway resistance from a mean average of 182 to 206 per
cent.
In smokers with normal spirometry (measuring of breath) there was a
statistically significant increase from a mean average of 176 to 220 per
cent.
In COPD and asthma patients the use of one e-cigarette seemed to have no immediate effect to airway resistance.
“We do not yet know whether unapproved nicotine delivery products, such
as e-cigarettes, are safer than normal cigarettes, despite marketing
claims that they are less harmful.
This research helps us to understand how these products could be
potentially harmful,” Professor Christina Gratziou, one of the authors
and Chair of the ERS Tobacco Control Committee, said.
“We found an immediate rise in airway resistance in our group of
participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after
smoking the device.
More research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term,” Gratziou said.
The result was presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Vienna.
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