VAPES could cause “significant” lung damage, another study suggests.
Canadian researchers found exposure to vapour from Juul e-cigarettes alter the cells in lungs.
ReutersFILE PHOTO: Juul e-cigarettes are seen on the counter of a vape store in Santa Monica, California, U.S., June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo[/caption]
While the worst effects were found in prolonged exposure, even low levels had significant impacts, the team said.
Dr Carolyn Baglole, of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, said the study suggests vaping could lead to lung damage in the long-term.
She said: “The health consequences of vaping are not known.
“Our results show that inhalation of the vapour generated by a popular brand of e-cigarette causes widespread changes inside the lungs.
“[These] data further highlight that these products are not inert and may lead to lung damage if used long term.”
Around 3.2million people in the UK use e-cigarettes, with officials concerned about rising use in teenagers.
Juul is the most popular brand of reusable vapes that use cartridges, making up about 19 per cent of sales in Britain from 2021 to 2022.
But their use by young people has quickly become displaced by disposable e-cigarettes in recent years.
Around half of adults aged 18 to 24 that vape used brands like Elf Bars last year, up from only 2.8 per cent in 2021, according to Action on Smoking and Health.
Research suggests e-cigarettes are significantly less dangerous to people’s health than regular cigarettes, reducing the risks of deadly illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
However, data on how long-term use impacts the body is sparse.
And experts fear people who have never smoked before could be endangering themselves by picking up a vaping habit.
The latest study, published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, experimented on mice.
Researchers exposed a third of the rodents to the equivalent of 60 puffs a day for four weeks.
The mice were given the dose in three 20 minute sessions with a three-hour gap between each to mimic how e-cigarette users vape.
The rest of the mice were exposed to e-cigarette liquid used in refillable vape pens or to regular air.
They found exposure to the Juul vapour altered gene and protein levels in the mice’s lungs, in a similar way to how cancer develops in cigarette smokers.
The Sun approached Juul for comment.