E-cigarettes are no safer than smoking tobacco
Vaping is no safer than smoking,
scientists have warned after finding that e-cigarette vapour damages DNA
in ways that could lead to cancer.
Researchers at the University of California created an extract from the ‘smoke’ of e-cigarettes and used it to treat human cells in a lab.
Researchers at the University of California created an extract from the ‘smoke’ of e-cigarettes and used it to treat human cells in a lab.
The exposed cells developed DNA
damage and died far sooner than those left untreated. Nicotine free
e-cigarettes caused 50 per cent more DNA strand breaks, while for those
containing nicotine the damage rose three fold over eight weeks.
"There haven't been many good lab studies on the effects of these
products on actual human cells," said Dr Jessica Wang-Rodriquez,
professor of pathology at the University of California, San Diego, and
one of the lead researchers on the new study.
"Our study strongly suggests that electronic cigarettes are not as safe as their marketing makes them appear to the public.
"We were able to identify that e-cigarettes on the whole have something to do with increased cell death. We hope to identify the individual components that are contributing to the effect.
"Based on the evidence to date I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes."
Scientists and health officials are divided over whether they are safe. Earlier this year Public Health England urged smokers to switch to vaping, saying e-cigarettes were far safer than traditional tobacco.
But the World Health Organisation and scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool remain concerned about their safety.
In the new experiment the team used normal epithelial cells, which line organs, glands, and cavities throughout the body, including the mouth and lungs.
The cells exposed to the e-cigarette vapour showed several forms of damage, including DNA strand breaks. The double helix that makes up DNA has two long strands of molecules that intertwine. When one or both of these strands break apart and the cellular repair process doesn't work right, it raises the risk of cancer.
The affected cells were also more likely to launch into apoptosis and necrosis, which lead to cell death.
The scientists tested two types of each e-cigarette: a nicotine and nicotine-free version. Nicotine is what makes smoking addictive. There is also some evidence it can damage cells. The San Diego team found that the nicotine versions caused worse damage, but even the nicotine-free vapor was enough to alter cells. Nicotine free e-cigarettes caused 50 per cent more DNA breaks, while for those containing nicotine the damage rose three fold.Evidence differs on whether e-cigarettes are safe, health experts say Credit: ALAMY
"Our study strongly suggests that electronic cigarettes are not as safe as their marketing makes them appear to the public.
"We were able to identify that e-cigarettes on the whole have something to do with increased cell death. We hope to identify the individual components that are contributing to the effect.
"Based on the evidence to date I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes."
Scientists and health officials are divided over whether they are safe. Earlier this year Public Health England urged smokers to switch to vaping, saying e-cigarettes were far safer than traditional tobacco.
But the World Health Organisation and scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool remain concerned about their safety.
In the new experiment the team used normal epithelial cells, which line organs, glands, and cavities throughout the body, including the mouth and lungs.
The cells exposed to the e-cigarette vapour showed several forms of damage, including DNA strand breaks. The double helix that makes up DNA has two long strands of molecules that intertwine. When one or both of these strands break apart and the cellular repair process doesn't work right, it raises the risk of cancer.
The affected cells were also more likely to launch into apoptosis and necrosis, which lead to cell death.
The scientists tested two types of each e-cigarette: a nicotine and nicotine-free version. Nicotine is what makes smoking addictive. There is also some evidence it can damage cells. The San Diego team found that the nicotine versions caused worse damage, but even the nicotine-free vapor was enough to alter cells. Nicotine free e-cigarettes caused 50 per cent more DNA breaks, while for those containing nicotine the damage rose three fold.Evidence differs on whether e-cigarettes are safe, health experts say Credit: ALAMY
"There have been many studies showing that nicotine can damage
cells," added Prof Wang-Rodriguez, a specialist in head and neck
cancers.
"But we found that other variables can do damage as well. It's not that the nicotine is completely innocent in the mix, but it looks like the amount of nicotine that the cells are exposed to by e-cigarettes is not sufficient by itself to cause these changes.
“There must be other components in the e-cigarettes that are doing this damage. So we may be identifying other carcinogenic components that are previously undescribed."
Scientists already know of some troubling chemicals in the products. One is formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Another possible culprit is diacetyl, a flavoring agent that has been linked to lung disease, notably a deadly condition called ‘popcorn lung’ which affects factory workers.
There are nearly 500 brands of e-cigarettes on the market, in more than 7,000 flavours.
"But we found that other variables can do damage as well. It's not that the nicotine is completely innocent in the mix, but it looks like the amount of nicotine that the cells are exposed to by e-cigarettes is not sufficient by itself to cause these changes.
“There must be other components in the e-cigarettes that are doing this damage. So we may be identifying other carcinogenic components that are previously undescribed."
Scientists already know of some troubling chemicals in the products. One is formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Another possible culprit is diacetyl, a flavoring agent that has been linked to lung disease, notably a deadly condition called ‘popcorn lung’ which affects factory workers.
There are nearly 500 brands of e-cigarettes on the market, in more than 7,000 flavours.
Prof Wang-Rodriguez said it was
uncertain if the results would hold up outside of the lab, but said the
effects mimicked the amount inhaled by a ‘chain-vaper.’
"In this particular study, it was similar to someone smoking continuously for hours on end, so it's a higher amount than would normally be delivered," she says. She plans to do further studies to see if the effects remain at lower doses.
Charities have also voiced their concerns about e-cigarettes.
“Concerns do remain as to the long-term health impact of e-cigarettes and while there is no evidence to suggest that they pose anywhere near the same dangers as smoking, we must continue to monitor this area carefully,” said Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation.
“In the meantime, we do advise that anyone using e-cigarettes to quit smoking should do so with a view to eventually quitting them too."
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity ASH said it was clear the e-cigarettes were not 'risk free.'
“What this research doesn’t do is compare the impact of electronic cigarette vapour with that of tobacco smoke, which we know is far more toxic to cells than vapour." she said.
"Electronic cigarettes are a much safer alternative source of nicotine for smokers than cigarettes, but that doesn’t mean they are risk free and we would discourage anyone who’s not a smoker from using them.”
Public Health England said it would be studying the new research.
Prof Kevin Fenton, National Director Health & Wellbeing at PHE said: “Public Health England has always been clear that e-cigarettes are not 100 per cent safe and we will carefully consider this new study and continue to be vigilant. But our major world leading review, published recently, found that e-cigarettes carry a fraction of the risk of smoking.
"This is because the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke, including carcinogens, are either absent in e-cigarette vapour or, if present, are mostly at levels 100th to 1000th found in tobacco smoke.
“The best thing a smoker can do is quit completely now and forever. The best way to succeed is to get help from your local stop smoking service. Smokers who have struggled to quit in the past could try vaping, and vapers should stop smoking. Last year, two out of three smokers who combined e-cigarettes with expert support from a local service quit successfully."
The research was published in the Journal of Oncology.
Electronic cigarettes are often marketed as a safer alternative
to conventional cigarettes. When it comes to oral health, however, new
research suggests vaping may be just as harmful as smoking.
![[A woman using an e-cigarette]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vLZ9WvlhWLJleqsR-E4q5_2JALPSmEgcICaDiHe36to2oNZ7tDGzxYuQCGbdkWLw4Y9-lGX-RTIfaoQ6fPAWihzXDcyz3Hll_NRh0mNKUxnol7YlZdBUhMiprlw8Dz4UY0wZlj1WOozrqV7JcBQ9Xpv2oZjchatW0iqyHLvoqIRGG5SZ24Xw=s0-d)
Researchers suggest vaping may be equally - if not more - harmful for oral health than smoking.
In a study published in the journal Oncotarget, researchers found that the chemicals present in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vapor were equally as damaging - in some cases, more damaging - to mouth cells as tobacco smoke.
Such damage can lead to an array of oral health problems, including gum disease, tooth loss, and mouth cancer.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices containing a heating device and a cartridge that holds a liquid solution. The heating device vaporizes the liquid - usually when the user "puffs" on the device - and the resulting vapor is inhaled.
While e-cigarette liquids do not contain tobacco - a highly harmful component of conventional cigarettes - they do contain nicotine and other chemicals, including flavoring agents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the use of e-cigarettes has increased in recent years, particularly among young people. In 2015, 16 percent of high-school students reported using the devices, compared with just 1.5 percent in 2011.
E-cigarettes are considered by many to be safer than conventional smoking, but because the devices are relatively new to the market, little is known about the long-term effects of vaping on health.
In particular, study leader Irfan Rahman, Ph.D., professor of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, and colleagues note that there has been limited data on how e-cigarette vapor affects oral health.
The tobacco-flavored vapor contained 16 milligrams of nicotine, while the menthol flavor contained 13-16 milligrams of nicotine or no nicotine.
The researchers found that all e-cigarette vapor caused damage to gum tissue cells comparable to that caused by exposure to tobacco smoke.
While further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of e-cigarette use, Rahman and team believe their findings indicate that the devices may have negative implications for oral health.
"Overall, our data suggest the pathogenic role of [e-cigarette] aerosol to cells and tissues of the oral cavity, leading to compromised periodontal health," they conclude.
To reach their findings, Dr. Mahmoud Rouabhia, of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at Université Laval in Canada, and colleagues placed epithelial cells from the mouth in a chamber that contained a liquid similar to saliva.
To simulate vaping, the researchers pumped e-cigarette vapor into the chamber at a rate of two 5-second puffs every 60 seconds for 15 minutes a day. This was performed over 1, 2, or 3 days.
On analyzing the vapor-exposed epithelial cells under a microscope, the researchers identified a significant increase in the rate of cell damage and death.
The rate of damage or death in unexposed cells is around 2 percent, the researchers note. However, they found that with exposure to e-cigarette vapor, the number of dead or dying cells rose to 18 percent, 40 percent, and 53 percent over 1, 2, and 3 days, respectively.
While the cumulative effects of the cell damage caused by e-cigarette are unclear, the researchers believe their findings are a cause for concern.
"In this particular study, it was similar to someone smoking continuously for hours on end, so it's a higher amount than would normally be delivered," she says. She plans to do further studies to see if the effects remain at lower doses.
Charities have also voiced their concerns about e-cigarettes.
“Concerns do remain as to the long-term health impact of e-cigarettes and while there is no evidence to suggest that they pose anywhere near the same dangers as smoking, we must continue to monitor this area carefully,” said Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation.
“In the meantime, we do advise that anyone using e-cigarettes to quit smoking should do so with a view to eventually quitting them too."
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity ASH said it was clear the e-cigarettes were not 'risk free.'
“What this research doesn’t do is compare the impact of electronic cigarette vapour with that of tobacco smoke, which we know is far more toxic to cells than vapour." she said.
"Electronic cigarettes are a much safer alternative source of nicotine for smokers than cigarettes, but that doesn’t mean they are risk free and we would discourage anyone who’s not a smoker from using them.”
Public Health England said it would be studying the new research.
Prof Kevin Fenton, National Director Health & Wellbeing at PHE said: “Public Health England has always been clear that e-cigarettes are not 100 per cent safe and we will carefully consider this new study and continue to be vigilant. But our major world leading review, published recently, found that e-cigarettes carry a fraction of the risk of smoking.
"This is because the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke, including carcinogens, are either absent in e-cigarette vapour or, if present, are mostly at levels 100th to 1000th found in tobacco smoke.
“The best thing a smoker can do is quit completely now and forever. The best way to succeed is to get help from your local stop smoking service. Smokers who have struggled to quit in the past could try vaping, and vapers should stop smoking. Last year, two out of three smokers who combined e-cigarettes with expert support from a local service quit successfully."
The research was published in the Journal of Oncology.
![[A woman using an e-cigarette]](http://cdn1.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/314/314190/a-woman-using-an-ecigarette.jpg)
Researchers suggest vaping may be equally - if not more - harmful for oral health than smoking.
Such damage can lead to an array of oral health problems, including gum disease, tooth loss, and mouth cancer.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices containing a heating device and a cartridge that holds a liquid solution. The heating device vaporizes the liquid - usually when the user "puffs" on the device - and the resulting vapor is inhaled.
While e-cigarette liquids do not contain tobacco - a highly harmful component of conventional cigarettes - they do contain nicotine and other chemicals, including flavoring agents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the use of e-cigarettes has increased in recent years, particularly among young people. In 2015, 16 percent of high-school students reported using the devices, compared with just 1.5 percent in 2011.
E-cigarettes are considered by many to be safer than conventional smoking, but because the devices are relatively new to the market, little is known about the long-term effects of vaping on health.
In particular, study leader Irfan Rahman, Ph.D., professor of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, and colleagues note that there has been limited data on how e-cigarette vapor affects oral health.
Flavored vapor worsens damage to gum tissue cells
To address this gap in research, the team exposed the gum tissue of nonsmokers to either tobacco- or menthol-flavored e-cigarette vapor.The tobacco-flavored vapor contained 16 milligrams of nicotine, while the menthol flavor contained 13-16 milligrams of nicotine or no nicotine.
The researchers found that all e-cigarette vapor caused damage to gum tissue cells comparable to that caused by exposure to tobacco smoke.
"We showed that when the vapors from an e-cigarette are burned, it causes cells to release inflammatory proteins, which in turn aggravate stress within cells, resulting in damage that could lead to various oral diseases."The researchers note that nicotine is a known contributor to gum disease, but e-cigarette flavoring appeared to exacerbate the cell damage caused by e-cigarette vapor, with menthol-flavored vapor posing the most harm.
Irfan Rahman, Ph.D.
While further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of e-cigarette use, Rahman and team believe their findings indicate that the devices may have negative implications for oral health.
"Overall, our data suggest the pathogenic role of [e-cigarette] aerosol to cells and tissues of the oral cavity, leading to compromised periodontal health," they conclude.
E-cigarette vapor damaged, killed 53 percent of mouth cells in 3 days
Another study recently published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology builds on the findings from Rahman and colleagues, after finding a high rate of mouth cell death with exposure to e-cigarette vapor over just a few days.To reach their findings, Dr. Mahmoud Rouabhia, of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at Université Laval in Canada, and colleagues placed epithelial cells from the mouth in a chamber that contained a liquid similar to saliva.
To simulate vaping, the researchers pumped e-cigarette vapor into the chamber at a rate of two 5-second puffs every 60 seconds for 15 minutes a day. This was performed over 1, 2, or 3 days.
On analyzing the vapor-exposed epithelial cells under a microscope, the researchers identified a significant increase in the rate of cell damage and death.
The rate of damage or death in unexposed cells is around 2 percent, the researchers note. However, they found that with exposure to e-cigarette vapor, the number of dead or dying cells rose to 18 percent, 40 percent, and 53 percent over 1, 2, and 3 days, respectively.
While the cumulative effects of the cell damage caused by e-cigarette are unclear, the researchers believe their findings are a cause for concern.
"Damage to the defensive barrier in the mouth can increase the risk of infection, inflammation, and gum disease. Over the longer term, it may also increase the risk of cancer. This is what we will be investigating in the future."Read how e-cigarettes may impair immune responses more than tobacco.
Dr. Mahmoud Rouabhia
No comments:
Post a Comment