Is Vaping Safe? Cancer-Causing Substance 'Formaldehyde' Hidden In E-Cigarettes
How Vaping Could Pose A Higher Cancer Risk Than Smoking
Rachel Moss— The Huffington Post UK
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An estimated 2.1 million people use e-cigarettes in the UK, but if you thought vaping was a healthier alternative to smoking you may want to think again.
Formaldehyde, a substance known to cause cancer in human tissue, is found in cigarette smoke.
And new research shows formaldehyde also dwells in the vaporised liquid of the popular e-cigarettes.
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According to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the exposure to formaldehyde from e-cigarettes could be five to 15 times higher than from smoking cigarettes.
"It's way too early now from an epidemiological point of view to say how bad they are," co-author James F. Pankow, professor of chemistry and engineering at Portland State University in Oregon told NBC News.
"But the bottom line is, there are toxins and some are more than in regular cigarettes. And if you are vaping, you probably shouldn't be using it at a high-voltage setting."
The researchers have pointed out that there are more than 8,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, so it is hard to say whether formaldehyde is the main cause of cigarette-related cancers.
5 Important Lessons From The Biggest E-Cigarette Study
Some youth have their first taste of nicotine via e-cigarettes.(01 of05)
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Twenty percent of middle schoolers and 7.2 percent of high schooler e-cigarette users in the U.S. report never smoking cigarettes. (credit:Gettystock)
Nicotine absorption varies too much between brands.(02 of05)
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Early 2010 studies found that users got much lower levels of nicotine from e-cigarettes than from conventional cigarettes, but more recent studies show that experienced e-cigarette users can draw levels of nicotine from an e-cigarette that are similar to conventional cigarettes. Yet another study noted that the chosen e-cigarettes for the research malfunctioned for a third of participants. UCSF researchers say this indicates the need for stronger product standards and regulations. (credit:Gettystock)
Just because particulate matter from e-cigarettes isn't well studied, doesn't mean it's safe.(03 of05)
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To deliver nicotine, e-cigarettes create a spray of very fine particles that have yet to be studied in depth. "It is not clear whether the ultra-fine particles delivered by e-cigarettes have health effects and toxicity similar to the ambient fine particles generated by conventional cigarette smoke or secondhand smoke," wrote the researchers. But we do know that fine particulate matter from cigarettes and from air pollution are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. And some research has found that the size and spray of fine particulate matter from e-cigarettes is just as great or greater than conventional cigarettes. (credit:Gettystock)
Major tobacco companies have acquired or produced their own e-cigarette products.(04 of05)
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They're promoting the products as "harm reduction" for smokers, which allows them to protect their cigarette market while promoting a new product. Companies also using "grassroots" tactics to form seemingly independent smokers' rights groups, just like they did for cigarettes in the 1980s. (credit:Gettystock )
So far, e-cigarette use is not associated with the successful quitting of conventional cigarettes.(05 of05)
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One clinical trial found that e-cigarettes was no more effective than the nicotine patch at helping people quit, and both cessation methods "produced very modest quit rates without counseling." (credit:Gettystock )
This isn't the first study to raise questions around e-cigarettes.
A previous study by the Health Equalities Group and the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University suggested that e-cigarettes are not just being used by those trying to quit smoking.
Vaping is becoming more common among young people who have never smoked traditional tobacco cigarettes.
“This is particularly concerning given that the safety of e-cigarettes has not yet been thoroughly scientifically evaluated. It is clear that urgent action is needed to educate and protect young people," Robin Ireland, Chief Executive of Health Equalities Group said at the time.
Commenting on the latest study, Pankow echoed Ireland's comments that more research into vaping needs to be done.
"A lot of people make the assumption that e-cigarettes are safe and they are perfectly fine after using for a year," he said.
"The hazards of e-cigarettes, if there are any, will be seen 10 to 15 years from now when they start to appear in chronic users."