A study conducted on Thursday added a rising chorus of concern about e-cigarette injuries and deaths, that vaporizers and the chemicals they contain – which are increasingly populated by teenagers – can harm the cardio-vascular system.
The most recent findings, published in Cardiovascular Research, preceded last month by a statement of "outbreak of lung damage" linked to vaping by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.
"E-cigarettes contain nicotine, particulate matter, metal and flavourings, not just harmless water vapour," senior author Loren Wold of Ohio State University stated in Thursday’s study.
"Air pollution studies show that fine particles enter the circulation and have direct effects on the heart — data for e-cigarettes are pointing in that direction."
Nicotine is known to increase blood pressure and cardiac rates, including in tobacco.
But in the event of inflammation, oxidative stress, or balanced blood flow, other components inhaled through the vapors, Wold said.
For example, ultrafine particulate matter has, among other factors, been linked to thrombosis, cardiac disease and hypertension.
E-cigarettes have also been identified as a carcinogenic agent and are linked to heart damage in rat studies.
Moreover the potential health risks of taste-related flavourings, such as lemon, chocolate and fruit such as mango or cherry, are understood to almost nothing. The study noted.
"While most are deemed safe when ingested orally, little is known of their systemic effects following inhalation," the researchers added.
Wold and colleagues performed a systematic medical literature review to quantify the potential impacts on the heart and vascular system due to the newness of the use of electric smoking.
Wold noted that to date many studies have focused on the acute impacts rather than the risk of chronic use of e-cigarette.
There is also no evidence of the second hand impact of the mist and of penetration to walls, sheets and clothes of particles.
According to the CDC, 37 deaths in 24 states have been linked with e-cigarette and vaping devices since 29 October. Nearly 1,900 cases of lung injury are reported nationwide.
The majority of infected people also use the devices to ingest THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis products, thus increasing the chance of unidentified impurities.
The CDC discourages non-smokers from using electronic cigarettes and recommends people trying to get rid of smoking problems using FDA-approved substitutes, including patches and gums.
But since the products were launched in the USA and in Europe a little over a decade ago, the prevalence of vaping has increased.
According to the World Health Organization, vape consumers rose from seven million globally in 2011 to 41 million in 2018.
The goods are especially attractive to young people— both by design and criticism.
According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey 2019, one in four high school students in America use e-cigarettes, up more than 15% compared to two years ago.
Preteens ' use tripled, and 10% of middle school students were identified as vaporized between 2018 and 2019.
"Adults are beginning to get the message that the full health effects of vaping are unknown, and the risk is potentially very high," Wold added.
"My fear is that has not been crystallised in adolescents."
Source: jordantimes.com
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