Studies Reveal Health Risks Of E-Cigarettes

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http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/730554-Studies-Reveal-Health-Risks-Of-E-Cigarettes *


poledriver View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact
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Join Date Jul 2005
Posts 8,387 Yesterday 05:56 Studies Reveal Health Risks Of E-Cigarettes



“There’s no such thing as a safe cigarette.” This is a line that has been used to describe menthols, filtered cigarettes, and slims, but it also applies to the latest product for smokers: electronic cigarettes. They have been widely heralded by users and manufacturers as a completely harmless smoking alternative, but there isn’t much research to back up that statement. Recent studies have shown that they still contain tiny particles that can irritate lung tissue and could cause disease.

Modern electronic cigarettes have been available for a decade and have been booming in popularity. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigs don’t burn dried tobacco leaves doused in nearly 600 additives; 69 of which are carcinogenic. Instead, a battery-powered device heats a liquid solution (called e-liquid) of nicotine and flavors, creating an aerosol that is inhaled to simulate the physical sensation of smoking in a process known as “vaping”.

Higher end models of e-cigs allow the user to adjust the voltage from the battery, which regulates the intensity of the heating element. As the solution gets hotter, it intensifies the effect of the nicotine hit. Unfortunately, these higher temperatures also affect the glycerin and propylene glycol used as solvents within the e-liquid, converting them to carbonyls found in cigarettes such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.

Earlier this year, a study found that increasing an e-cig’s voltage from 3.2V to 4.8V while using an e-liquid with both solvents produced almost as much formaldehyde as a traditional cigarette. While the human body produces formaldehyde as a byproduct of normal metabolic activity in the cells, it is suspected of being carcinogenic when inhaled. The same study also found that at lower voltages, e-cigs produced up to 800 times less formaldehyde than a cigarette. While this might sound a lot safer, the size of the vapor particles and the delivery method into the lungs heavily impact the risk of disease.

Particles found in inhaled cigarette smoke have a median size of 0.3-0.5 microns. Testing has found that the e-cigarette particles have a median of 0.18-0.27 microns. About 40% of these particles can travel deep into the lungs and become embedded in the alveoli, where gas exchange occurs. Even if the particle itself isn’t toxic, the size alone places a burden on the lungs and can cause disease.

As vaping is still fairly new, there just has not been enough time to do the necessary long-term studies regarding health risks. Though these early studies do hint that e-cigs are a better option than traditional smoking, that isn’t really saying a lot, because cigarettes are pretty terrible. Even if vaping is better than smoking, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. As its popularity continues to grow, it is important to understand the full risk associated with vaping for both the user and those exposed to the vapor secondhand.


Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/health-and...2PrW2rj0rEL.99

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#2 Laika View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries Visit Homepage View Articles Add as Contact Send Email
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Posts 12,600 Yesterday 06:14 And then of course, alternatively - http://guardianlv.com/2014/01/lung-c...ing-increases/ ∞

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#3 poledriver View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact
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Join Date Jul 2005
Posts 8,387 Yesterday 06:50 Yeah, always many sides to every discussion or article.

I could imagine that certain tobacco companies would not wont any positive info on e cigs to get around and I would even go as far as to say I wouldnt doubt some of them would pay for articles with a slant like this to be published.

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#4 Laika View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries Visit Homepage View Articles Add as Contact Send Email
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Posts 12,600 Yesterday 06:51 I would agree. Definitely a lesser of two evils.
I started vaping nicotine a year and a half ago after 13 years of a smoking habit that ended with 2 sometimes 3 packs per day(3 on the weekends, lol).. Since making the switch I have abandoned mostly all of my asthma medications that I used to need on a daily basis. ∞

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#5 ro4eva View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Send Email
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Join Date Nov 2004
Location Um, at the potato range? Serving up my weapon of mash destruction?
Posts 2,809
Blog Entries8 Yesterday 23:48 Forget the health risks of tobacco, I wanna know what the risks are of trying to get to know that woman a little better!

Alright alright - so nicotine (regardless of how it's taken into the body) is not the safest drug.

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#6 Libertin View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Send Email
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Join Date Jun 2014
Posts 161 Yesterday 23:59 Another relevant study:
Estimating the Harms of Nicotine-Containing Products Using the MCDA Approach *

With introduction and commentary here:
DrugScience: Nicotine MCDA Briefing *