According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the first study to examine the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes found that they are associated with an increased risk of chronic pulmonary diseases.
In 2013, the study involved 32,000 adults from the U.S., none of whom had lung disease.
In 2016, researchers found that people who use e-cigarettes are 30 percent more likely than nonusers to develop a chronic lung condition, such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.
The use of e-cigarettes predicted lung disease in a very short time. Stanton Glantz of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California San Francisco, the study’s lead author, said that it only took three.
Study: E-cigarette smokers suffer the same lung diseases as tobacco users
Glantz stated that while the study focused on nicotine vapers, some of them may also have vaped THC-containing products.
Smokers of regular combustible cigarettes were at a greater risk for developing chronic lung disease than those who only used e-cigarettes. The study found that many adults who used e-cigarettes also continued to smoke regular cigarettes.
Glantz, NBC News’ Glantz, said that most adults who use e-cigarettes still smoke. “And if that’s what they do, then they have the risks from both the smoking and the ecigarette.”
The study found that combining regular cigarettes with e-cigarettes increased the risk of chronic lung disease by more than three times.
The study adds to the growing evidence that vaping is harmful, whether it be chemical burns on lung tissue, metals that are toxic and leave scarring, vitamin oil that clogs the lungs, or even batteries that overheat and explode.
The new research describes illnesses that are distinct from recent increases in vaping-related conditions, also known as EVALI or e-cigarette- or vaping-associated lung injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,409 cases last week, spanning all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
After months of investigation, there has not been a single cause that can explain all these cases. Carrier oils such as vitamin E, heavy metals, flavors, and other toxins were all implicated. In the vast majority of these cases, marijuana’s psychoactive component, THC, was vaped. In many cases, vapes that were counterfeit were used.
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The fact that so many patients have reported using different products complicates the EVALI investigation. According to the CDC, EVALI users have written 152 other THC vape brands.
Another study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine on Monday, found that teens who vape are also using different products.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center analyzed data from a survey conducted in 2017, which included 14,560 teens. Twelve percent of teens said that they vaped in the month prior. Three-quarters of the kids said they had vaped nicotine ma, marijuana, or both. The remainder said that they had only vaped flavors.
The same study was repeated in 2018 and found that the number of teenagers vaping has doubled since 2017.
In a press release, Mohammad Siahpush said, “Continuous monitoring of youth behavior and strategies and interventions are needed to reduce youth use of e-cigarettes.”