• Vaping is the inhaling of a vapour created by an electronic cigarette, mostly used by people who want to quit smoking.
• Report indicates that those who have used e-cigs are less likely to stop smoking altogether.
Image: COURTESY
Experts have linked vaping to increased lung diseases.
Vaping is the inhaling of a vapour created by an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) or any other vaping device.
Research conducted by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast has shown that bacteria often found in the lungs became more harmful and caused increased inflammation when they were exposed to e-cigarette vape.
Though banned in 25 countries, Kenya has no clear policy to regulate or guide the sale and use of e-cigarettes.
Tobacco kills more than seven million people each year, with more than six million of those deaths directly linked to tobacco use.
This has led to a shift in smoking trends, with alternatives such as e-cigarettes coming into the market.
The results of the three-year study published on Wednesday in Respiratory Research show that the increase in lung inflammation is because bacteria are made more virulent by the exposure to e-cigarette vapour.
Vaping is often viewed as a way to help smokers quit as well as a less harmful option.
E-cigarettes use a battery-powered device that heats a liquid to form vapour, more accurately, aerosol that the user can inhale.
These devices heat up various flavourings, nicotine, marijuana or other potentially harmful substances.
As the user sucks on the mouthpiece, a sensor activates a heating element that vaporises a flavoured, liquid solution held in the mouthpiece.
The person then inhales the aerosol hence the term 'vaping'.
The study compared the effect of exposure to cigarette smoke extract and e-cigarette vapour on levels of inflammation and the virulence of bacteria commonly associated with lung disease.
The research team found that exposure to both cigarette smoke extract and e-cigarette vapour caused an increase in the potential of bacteria to cause harm in the lungs, in a way which could lead to diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma.
COPD is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and refractory (non-reversible) asthma.
This disease is characterised by increasing breathlessness.
“There is currently a knowledge gap about whether vaping is harmful, or less harmful than smoking tobacco,” Dr Deirdre Gilpin said on Wednesday. Gilpin is a researcher and lecturer from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University and lead author of the research.
“Bacteria have long been associated with the development of lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia where smoking plays a role. Our study is the first of its kind which is aimed at comparing the effect of cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour on key lung bacteria.”
Vaping has been suggested as a safer alternative to smoking but there is limited evidence to support this and there are major concerns around its safety.
According to the researchers, as rates of tobacco smoking decrease, the number of people vaping has increased.
Vapers are not always ex-smokers and there has been an increase of vaping among young people who have never smoked before.
According to the World Health Organization, there has been a small but steady decrease in the estimated number of smokers globally to just over one billion.
The number of vapers has been increasing rapidly–from about seven million in 2011 to 41 million last year.
The researchers also found that changes in bacteria exposed to e-cigarette vapour were similar and in some cases exceeded those observed following bacterial exposure to cigarette smoke, suggesting that there is little difference between cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour.
Dr Gilpin added, “This study shows us that vaping may carry the same risk as cigarette smoke in increasing the susceptibility to bacterial infection.”
The first patent for a non-tobacco cigarette appeared in 2003 and now there are over 460 brands in the market.
One of the most popular brands in the market is JUUL.
The cigarettes come in different colours and models to cater for individual tastes. Some of the flavours include bubble gum, butterscotch tobacco and vanilla ice cream.
A single e-cigarette is equivalent in quantity to five packets of tobacco cigarettes. One flavour costs between Sh900 and Sh1,000. The e-cigs last longer and emit no smoky smell or fire.
“This is a study with phenomenal public health implications. Worryingly, e-cigarette vapour, as well as cigarette smoke, increase the harmful potential of already dangerous infections in addition to the well-known detrimental effect on lung function," Director of the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine and co-author of the study Professor Jose Bengoechea said.
"At the very least this work should open a frank debate on vaping safety.”
Vape Kenya, Jaspers and Vape Duka are major online retailers of e-cigs in Kenya. Sellers say the products do not move fast due to little knowledge about them. The vape juice ranges from Sh2,300-2,800.
A report by WHO showed that regular vaping may expose the lungs to different substances. One of those is diacetyl, which can cause 'popcorn lung', a severe and irreversible lung disease.
DNA may be modified in the oral cells of the users hence increasing cancer risks.
The report also indicated that those who have used e-cigs are less likely to stop smoking altogether. Teens who use such products are more likely to start using regular tobacco as well.
Edited by R.Wamochie