In secondhand vape, scientists feel the risk

Available in an enticing array of flavors, e-cigarettes have exploded in popularity since they hit the market about 15 years ago, especially among high and high school students. But research shows that e-cigarettes - even when in use - may not be as “safe” as some people believe.

While the dangers of inhaling passive cigarette smoke are well understood, science is still evolving on how inhaling vapors or aerosols affects the body. And people may underestimate health risk, said Dr. Talat Islam, an assistant professor of population research and public health science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Islam and fellow researchers have found that exposure to used e-cigarette aerosols is associated with an increased risk of bronchitis symptoms and difficulty breathing among young adults, especially those who do not smoke or cry on their own, the team said in a journal last year. Thorax.

“Vaping aerosols contain heavy metals and ultrafine particles,” Islam said. “If someone else cries in the same area, you breathe it - those particles enter your lungs, where they can cause damage.

In addition to nicotine, aerosols include heavy metals such as lead, nickel and zinc, cancer-causing substances such as benzene and diacetyl, which have been linked to a condition nicknamed “popcorn lungs” in people who cry.

A 2021 study in New York, published in the journal Tobacco control, found that the use of e-cigarettes increases the number of fine particles in the surrounding room. Exposure to fine particles, or microscopic particles that can reach deep into the lungs, can worsen heart and lung disease and even lead to premature death.

E-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. high school students in 2021, government research shows. And while about 1 in 4 students was exposed to used e-cigarette aerosols between 2015 and 2017, that number rose to 1 in 3 students in 2018, according to a 2019 study at the JAMA Network Open.

“Overall, there is a perception that vaping is not as harmful as smoking,” Islam said. “I think that’s why we see such a high level of exposure to second-hand items.

While the effects on health are fully understood, it may be too late, said Dr. Ellen Boakje, a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Cicaron Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Baltimore.

“When people started smoking, the health effects weren’t known until years later, and that’s the same thing we see with e-cigarettes,” said Boakie, who is also a fellow at the American Heart Association’s Center for Tobacco Regulatory Science. .

“There is evidence to suggest that e-cigarette use is linked to respiratory conditions and cardiovascular disease,” she added. “As more and more evidence becomes available, we may see that this connection is causal, both for the use of e-cigarettes and for the exposure of second-hand money.

Boakie said that people should minimize their exposure to vaping, ideally by leaving the area. She also called on people who use vaping to stop smoking, noting that more funds are needed for cigarette cessation programs.

“Some of the work we are currently doing shows that many (young people) are trying to give up, and there is not much support for them,” she said, noting that most nicotine replacement products are for adults. “I think this is an area that needs a lot of focus. To help you quit smoking, call 800-QUITNOV (784-8669), send “QUIT” to 47848, or visit smokefree.gov.

Whether you inhale exhaust fumes from traffic, cigarette smoke or aerosol e-cigarettes, experts say the message is the same. “We want to breathe that clean air,” Islam said. “Whenever you add things there, we know it has an effect.”

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