Vaping FAQs

are there peer reviewed studies of vaping products

by Hassan Conroy V Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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A new, peer-reviewed clinical study, published in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, has shown that there are no negative health issues associated with long term vaping. The study, which followed vapers over a two year period, found that none of the participants exhibited ANY negative health issues from regularly using vape devices.

Full Answer

Is there any clinical research on vaping toxins?

Many of the clinical research studies available focus on aspects of vaping such as the amount of nicotine or marijuana delivered but there’s not a great deal of evidence on the analysis of other toxins released both from vaporizing tobacco leaf products and marijuana.

What influences adolescents to vape?

“We found that broader social influences such as advertising, celebrity endorsements and the media normalized vaping for students initially,” said Lippert. “With the introduction of new devices and flavors, however, adolescents appear to have relied on local resources within their schools to begin vaping.”

What do we need to know about the future of vaping?

Vaping technology has become more sophisticated and varied, and the people who vape have become more heterogeneous. So, new and flexible ways of conducting observational studies and RCTs are needed to allow for user experimentation (for example trial and error of different types of vaping products, allowing for changes in preferences over time).

What is the Public Health England report on vaping about?

This is the seventh report in a series of independent reports commissioned by Public Health England ( PHE) to summarise evidence on vaping products to inform policies and regulations.

Who invented vaping?

What is the basic design of vaping?

What solvents are used to dissipate nicotine?

Is vaping harmful?

Is vaping safer than smoking?

Is vaping bad for you?

Is vaping marijuana safe?

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What are the proven effects of vaping?

2: Research suggests vaping is bad for your heart and lungs. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving. Nicotine is a toxic substance. It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.

Is vape more harmful than cigarettes?

Also known as vapes or e-cigs, they're far less harmful than cigarettes, and can help you quit smoking for good.

What are 5 risks of vaping?

Vaping has been linked to lung injury.Rapid onset of coughing.Breathing difficulties.Weight loss.Nausea and vomiting.Diarrhea.

How safe is vaping?

Some potentially dangerous chemicals have been found in e-cigarettes. But levels are usually low and generally far lower than in tobacco cigarettes. Exposure may be the same as people who use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as patches or gum. There is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer.

What is the healthiest vape?

The PAX 3 is consistently ranked one of the healthiest vapes, and it's an incredibly customizable conduction vaporizer suitable for dry herb and wax.

How do lungs heal from vaping?

However, there are certain lifestyle behaviors you can practice to try and accelerate the rate at which your lungs heal.Drink Lots Of Water. ... Eat Healthy Foods. ... Exercise Regularly. ... Cough. ... Clean Your Living Space. ... Practice Deep Breathing. ... Try Steam Therapy.

What are the benefits of vape?

Benefits of vaping Vaping can help some people quit smoking. Vaping is usually cheaper than smoking. Vaping is not harmless, but it is much less harmful than smoking. Vaping is less harmful to those around you than smoking, as there's no current evidence that second-hand vapour is dangerous to others.

How much vaping is too much?

Even today, many high-profile sources list the toxic dose of nicotine (the LD50 – or the dose that will kill about half of people exposed) as between 30 and 60 mg. To put this in context of vaping, this would be about 4 ml of 12 mg/ml e-liquid. d.

Are disposable Vapes safe?

Disposables are as safe as any other vape product on the market. While they do still come with some potential hazards, they are a far safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. Public Health England has even concluded that vape products are at least 95% safer than combustible tobacco products.

Is vape without nicotine safe?

Some vape product manufacturers claim that vaping is a completely safe alternative to smoking. However, early research into the safety of the practice suggests this is not the case. In fact, it appears that vaping, even without nicotine, can have harmful effects on the body.

What is the safest vape liquid?

PG (Propylene Glycerin) – A liquid derived from propylene glycol. Though also considered safe by the FDA, it tends to have other applications, such as solvents and preservatives. Though both of these ingredients are deemed safe by the FDA, vegetable glycerin believed to be safer than propylene glycerin.

Is vaping safe for lungs?

E-cigarettes produce a number of dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde. These aldehydes can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease.

Should I smoke or vape?

Vaping is less harmful and cheaper than smoking, and can have a similar feel. Smoking is bad for your health as the toxins produced by burning tobacco cause smoking-related illnesses. The majority of health benefits are seen when you stop smoking completely.

How many puffs of vape is equal to a cigarette?

Typically, manufacturers advise that 10 puffs on your vape are about the same as 10 puffs on your cigarette. They further speculate that 10 puffs are all you take on one cigarette. Of course, this varies based on how big your puffs are, how strong your vape device is, and how much nicotine you are using.

Is vaping a good way to quit smoking?

Research on e-cigs is slightly promising, but there's a catch. A 2019 study found that 19 percent of participants who used e-cigs to quit smoking were no longer smoking a year later, while those who used nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches and gum, quit smoking at a rate of 9 percent.

How many cigarettes are in a vape?

The basics of vaping and nicotine amount in Disposable Vapes A disposable vape with a 2ml tank (the legal max size in the UK) with a 20mg nicotine or Nic Salt, contains 40mg of nicotine in the entire disposable (2ml x 20mg). This is why most disposables are suggested to be the equivalent of a pack of 20 cigarettes.

Why is it important to understand the nature and attitude of e-cigarettes use among young adults?

Understanding the nature and attitude of e-cigarettes use among young adults is very important as this is the period when they transition into social contexts (e.g., college, peer pressure, and workplace) often resulting in an increased prevalence in substance use and the development of addictive patterns [18] .  This raises a public health concern as it suggests that the younger generations of users, which have the highest rates of electronic cigarettes use, might become addicted to these devices despite unknown long-term physiologic and pathologic consequences [19].

What is an e-cigarette?

This raises significant health concerns [1]. Simply put, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are electronic devices designed to vaporize chemical compounds. These devices have different components, including a mouthpiece, a liquid tank, a heating element, and a battery [2]. They come in various shapes, sizes, and device types, and are known by different names to different users. The most common terminologies include e-cigs, vapes, e-hookahs, vape pens, mods, tanks, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). The process of using the devices is sometimes referred to as vaping or juuling, the latter so named for the particular device brand [3].

What are the health risks of smoking e-cigarettes?

The device is made up of a mouthpiece, liquid tank, a heating element, and a battery. E-cigarette use may pose health risks in the form of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. These health risks have implications to not only the primary user, but the aerosols can also cause secondhand and thirdhand injuries to others in the vicinity. Acute lung injury may also be associated with the use of e-cigarettes, but the underlying cause remains unknown. Clinicians, including hospitalists, pulmonologists, intensivists, medical examiners, pathologists, and the like, should report possible cases as the medical community continues to assess the health risks of e-cigarette use.

What are the symptoms of e-cigarette use?

Most of the patients in their study presented with shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain [12]. The severity of the illness varied from mild shortness of breath requiring oxygen supplementation via nasal cannula to severe debilitating respiratory failure requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation [12,13]. Five patients identified in July and August 2019 had acute lung injury associated with e-cigarette use. These patients were identified in two different hospitals in North Carolina, all were admitted for hypoxemic respiratory failure. All the patients reported a history of recent e-cigarette use. They were initially admitted for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but their symptoms worsened with conventional treatment for CAP. They were eventually diagnosed with acute exogenous lipoid pneumonia [13]. Another patient had presented with shortness of breath; investigations yielded a diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax. An 18-year-old patient had no history of cigarette smoking but endorsed daily use of e-cigarettes. The patient then had a recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax. He had no significant medical or surgical history to increase his propensity for spontaneous pneumothorax [14].

Does vaping cause ground glass opacities?

Chest computed tomography scans obtained from patients with vaping-associated lung disease showed significant findings. Ground-glass opacities seem to be a common finding in the imaging studies of most patients with e-cigarette-associated lung disease [16,17].

Is vaping associated with pulmonary disease?

So far, most of the literature on vaping-associated pulmonary disease we have are case reports and case series. A high index of suspicion is paramount as there are reports of patients that rapidly progressed to acute respiratory failure requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation [3]. The use of ENDS continues to grow in the United States. For example, while the use of combustible tobacco cigarettes has declined significantly, the United States ENDS market now exceeds 8 billion dollars [4]. At the moment, there are regular advertisements for e-cigarettes, promoting them as viable and safe alternatives to cigarettes smoking despite an absence of any studies to prove superior efficacy to conventional smoking cessation strategies already studied, such as nicotine replacement, bupropion hydrochloride, varenicline, and counseling [5]. E-cigarettes use may pose health risks in the form of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Tobacco cigarette smoking is the primary cause of preventable cardiovascular death in the United States, and smoking cessation has long been the focus of significant public health efforts. The rates of tobacco smoking in the United States have continued to decline and reached historic lows according to a Surgeon General report in 2014. However, with this decline, the use of electronic cigarettes, introduced in 2007, has markedly increased, especially among young people [6]. Healthcare providers should be on the alert for symptoms suggestive of acute lung injury secondary to vaping and remind patients that even though some e-cigarettes contain nicotine, they are currently not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a cessation aid for smokers. Clinicians, including hospitalists, pulmonologists, medical examiners, primary care physicians, pathologists, and the like, are reminded to report possible cases [3,7].  People should consider not using e-cigarettes. This is especially the case for high-risk groups, including those without prior experiences, teenagers, pregnant women/nursing mothers, or adults who do not currently use oral tobacco products. These health risks have implications to not only the primary user, but the aerosols can also cause secondhand and thirdhand injuries to others in the vicinity. However, the regulations for public e-cigarette use vary across states and are inconsistent across cities within certain states. These variations in restrictions exist in both locations and types of product use, public versus private use, and types of products allowed in certain places [7]. Consumers in most states must be 18 years or older to purchase the device, although underage sales have been reported in retailers and online. The Food and Drug Administration has expressed concerns that certain flavored e-cigarettes are appealing to youth who may be unaware of the products’ addictiveness and some others who may have never tried a nicotine product [8]. There are many compounds in the aerosols and liquids and the selling point mostly used is that it can serve as a “Healthier” alternative to tobacco smoking even though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved this. The American Cancer Society discourages the dual use of electronic cigarettes and cigarettes because such use has not resulted in reduced exposures to the harmful effects of smoking [9,10]. Flavoring was considered by most users as the most important reason for vaping [10].  Over the past year, the Center for Disease Control has drawn attention to severe pulmonary disease associated with the use of electronic cigarette products. There have been reports of more than 200 cases associated with the use of these devices, using both known and unknown products [11]. The exact cause of these findings is still uncertain. Available data have been either case reports or case series. Some of the reported cases of e-cigarette-associated pulmonary illnesses include spontaneous pneumothorax, acute eosinophilic pneumonia, respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, organizing pneumonia, and acute exogenous lipoid pneumonia [12-14].

What is a vaping study?

Teen vaping study reveals how schools influence e-cigarette use, outlines prevention strategies. When e-cigarettes hit the U.S. market in 2007, they were promoted as a safer, healthier alternative to traditional, combustible cigarettes. The unintended consequence of vaping devices and e-cigarettes, however, is a new generation ...

What is the unintended consequence of vaping devices and e-cigarettes?

The unintended consequence of vaping devices and e-cigarettes, however, is a new generation of vapers — teenagers — becoming addicted to nicotine.

Why did schools come back to the Juul?

When students were exposed to new, faddish vaping options, such as the Juul device, schools came back into the picture as contributors to e-cigarette use. Youth needed access to the vaping device itself, school norms that allowed teen vaping, and peers to model vaping practices after.

Why are students more likely to use nicotine?

On a broad scale, schools regulate access to the devices themselves, so when the social environment within a school is subpar at discouraging unwanted behavior, students are far more likely to use nicotine.

How long does nicotine affect the brain?

Recent research notes that nicotine exposure can harm brain development, which continues until age 25.

How did the tobacco industry undermine epidemiological evidence?

For instance, the tobacco industry sought to undermine epidemiological evidence that cigarette smoking caused cancer by supporting research to advance the hypothesis that genetic factors were associated with smoking addiction. Through the Tobacco Institute (1958-1998) and the Center for Indoor Air Research (1988-1998), Philip Morris and other companies funded research internally and among consultants to cast doubt on evidence demonstrating the hazards of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke. Another strategy involved funding research among investigators from the private sector who would publish research that supported the tobacco industry’s position. The industry co-opted scientists and lawmakers through industry-sponsored conferences and committees to disseminate the industry’s research agenda and to provide the scientific legitimacy to sponsored research.

Is Juul a high school vaping product?

August 16, 2019 –Use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products including Juul is soaring, especially among youths. Between 2017 and 2018, the prevalence of current e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students increased from 12% to 21%. Andy Tan, assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences, recently co-authored a Lancet article examining how Juul is funding scientific research—and why this is problematic.

Is Juul sponsored by tobacco companies?

Juul’s sponsored research efforts are strikingly similar to past efforts funded by tobacco companies. Altria, Philip Morris’ parent company, invested $12.8 billion to acquire a minority stake of Juul in 2018. Soon after, Juul launched JLI Science, which appears to employ similar strategies used by Philip Morris and other tobacco companies. JLI Science supports internal research and contracts with private research organizations based in the US, UK, and New Zealand. Often the studies report findings that appear favorable to the company. For instance, Kevin Burns, CEO of Juul Labs, was quoted in a press release of a recent peer-reviewed article that reported a decline in cigarette consumption among adult smokers who purchased Juul devices. Juul’s sponsored research is particularly concerning because the tobacco industry’s sponsored research had a long-lasting negative impact on public health.

What is an e-cigarette?

E-cigarettes are electronic devices, essentially consist ing of a cartridge, filled with an e-liquid, a heating element/atomiser necessary to heat the e-liquid to create a vapour that can be inhaled through a mouthpiece, and a rechargeable battery (Fig. 1) [ 1, 2 ].

What is the e-cigarette outbreak?

More recently, in August 2019, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared an outbreak of the e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) which caused several deaths in young population (reviewed in [ 20 ]).

What is the nicotine content of e-liquid?

The concentrations range from 0 (0%, nicotine-free option) to 20 mg/mL (2.0%)—the maximum nicotine threshold according to directive 2014/40/EU of the European Parliament and the European Union Council [ 33, 34 ]. Despite this normative, however, some commercial e-liquids have nicotine concentrations close to 54 mg/mL [ 35 ], much higher than the limits established by the European Union.

How much nicotine is in a cigarette?

Assuming that a conventional cigarette contains 0.172–1.702 mg of nicotine [ 51 ], the daily nicotine dose administered to these animals corresponds to 40–400 cigarettes for a 70 kg-adult, which is a dose of an extremely heavy smoker.

What are the components of e-liquid?

The most common and major components of e-liquids are PG or 1,2-propanediol, and glycerol or glycerine (propane-1 ,2,3-triol). Both types of compounds are used as humectants to prevent the e-liquid from drying out [ 2, 53] and are classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “Generally Recognised as Safe” [ 54 ]. In fact, they are widely used as alimentary and pharmaceutical products [ 2 ]. In an analysis of 54 commercially available e-liquids, PG and glycerol were detected in almost all samples at concentrations ranging from 0.4% to 98% (average 57%) and from 0.3% to 95% (average 37%), respectively [ 35 ].

Is vaping safer than smoking?

Because e-cigarettes are combustion-free, and because most of the damaging and well-known effects of tobacco are derived from this reaction, there is a common and widely spread assumption that e-cigarette consumption or “vaping” is safer than conventional cigarette smoking.

Is e-liquid a nicotine?

The e-liquid typically contains humectants and flavourings, with or without nicotine; once vapourised by the atomiser, the aerosol (vapour) provides a sensation similar to tobacco smoking, but purportedly without harmful effects [ 3 ].

How many studies have reported that pregnant women vaped?

Twelve studies reported patterns of use, but findings were inconsistent. Twelve of fourteen studies asking why pregnant women vaped reported that most vaped to reduce or quit smoking. Mixed findings were reported from six studies on smoking cessation.

Is vaping bad for pregnant women?

Smoking causes many negative health outcomes for pregnant women and to babies born to people who smoke. There remains a paucity of research on the effects of vaping in pregnancy. There is, however, the potential for vaping products to reduce the negative health outcomes associated with smoking. More …

Does vaping affect birth weight?

The limited literature suggests that vaping in pregnancy has little or no effect on birthweight.

When was the last vaping evidence report published?

This report covers the latest evidence on prevalence and characteristics of vaping in young people and adults in England, with a particular focus on data emerging since the last vaping evidence report published in early 2020.

What is vaping product?

The term ‘vaping products’ describes e-cigarettes and refill containers and e-liquids.

How much nicotine do 16 year olds use?

The most common nicotine strength used by 16 to 19 year olds who had vaped in the past 30 days was under 20 milligrams per millilitre (mg/mL) (54.0%). One-fifth (19.6%) of participants did not know the strength of their vaping liquid, 18.0% used a strength of 20mg/mL or over, and 6.6% used 40mg/mL or over.

How many people use vaping in 2020?

Using a vaping product is the most popular aid used by people trying to quit smoking. In 2020, 27.2% of people used a vaping product in a quit attempt in the previous 12 months. This compares with 15.5% who used NRT over the counter or on prescription (2.7%), and 4.4% who used varenicline.

How much vaping is there in 2020?

little change in levels of vaping over the last few years with current vaping (at least once per month) prevalence being 4.8% in March 2020, the same as in March 2019

What is the purpose of the 7th report?

This is the seventh report in a series of independent reports commissioned by Public Health England ( PHE) to summarise evidence on vaping products to inform policies and regulations. Smoking remains the largest single risk factor for death and years of life lived in ill-health and is a leading cause of health inequalities in ...

When will England go smoke free?

A government consultation in 2019 outlined a new ambition to go smokefree in England by 2030. It also included an ultimatum to industry to make smoked tobacco obsolete by 2030, with smokers quitting or moving to reduced risk nicotine delivery systems, such as vaping products.

Who invented vaping?

The invention of vaping is attributed to Herbert Gilbert, a cigarette smoker and scrap metal dealer from Pennsylvania. Gilbert’s device was battery-powered to vaporize a liquid for inhalation, very similar to modern electronic cigarettes. He admitted to the Smithsonianmagazine that he believed it to be a breakthrough alternative to cigarette smoking to save people from tobacco’s harmful effects as it did not contain nicotine. After multiple permutations, the device was never mass-produced but its patent has been cited by many companies since then. He actually proposed an alternative use for the device for people that were dieting and believed that they could vaporize the tastes of their favorite foods to quench food cravings. He initially proposed a handful of flavorings including cinnamon, rum, orange, and mint.1–2A year after the patent was submitted in 1963, the Surgeon General Luther Terry released his report “Smoking and Health” on the potential health consequences of cigarette smoking. This was the first report implicating cigarettes in a causal relationship with lung cancer and heart disease as well as laryngeal cancer and chronic bronchitis.3

What is the basic design of vaping?

The basic design of the device, in the case of vaping both tobacco and marijuana, is largely unchanged from the original patent by Gilbert. There is a reservoir that holds an oil or liquid, a mouthpiece, and a heating element. Theoretically, vaporizing the liquid does not combust it and saves the person va ping from exposure to byproducts generated by high heat . However, there is no regulation of these devices and no agreed upon standard temperature. There appears to be a wide variance in the quality of the components of these devices depending on the price of purchase.2,10,11,16,28

What solvents are used to dissipate nicotine?

The conventional solvents for the dissolution of nicotine or THC have been propylene glycol and glycerol, and these are the best studied. Initially thought to be benign, there is now some research demonstrating that propylene glycol when vaporized causes significant respiratory irritation and even increases the incidence of asthma. The breakdown products from heating propylene glycol and glycerol to target temperatures include formaldehyde and hemiacetals such as acetaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a Group 1 carcinogen that contributes a 5–15 times higher lifetime risk of cancer. It is present in traditional smoked tobacco in much lower quantities. Hemiacetals such as acrolein and acetone have been implicated in nasal irritation, cardiovascular effects, and lung mucosal damage and these byproducts are produced in higher quantities with higher voltage devices. Basically, as the temperature of the coil increases, the carcinogenic risk of vaping approaches that of traditionally smoked cigarettes.9,10,16–18

Is vaping harmful?

Good clinical evidence is lacking regarding the potential harm of vaping or the potential benefits. There are some problems with studying something like vaping. For one thing, any research has to make a distinction between vaporizing marijuana and vaporizing tobacco and this is not always possible. Additionally, the methods by which people vaporize tobacco and marijuana differ. As far as tobacco devices go, there are many brands with many different compositions and construction designs. Regarding the vaporization of marijuana, there are no standardized devices and there are no standard formulations.

Is vaping safer than smoking?

With the current body of evidence and the outbreak of EVALI in 2019, it is incumbent upon all healthcare practitioners to advise patients that vaping should not be considered safer than smoking and that there are very real and new dangers associated with vaping that still require further study. Providers must learn more about the dangers of vaping and identify adverse health effects from this practice in patients. An evidence-based approach to smoking cessation based on established data and practice patterns is needed.

Is vaping bad for you?

All of the medical dangers of vaping are unknown. Only a small number of people who admit to vaping marijuana are doing so for medical reasons, and there are almost no studies. A large number of people believe that vaping tobacco is a healthy way to quit, and this belief has been fostered by the tobacco industry.6,14There is no strong clinical signal in the direction of using electronic cigarettes as an effective method of quitting smoking. It is difficult to hold an informed discussion with patients about the potential risks and benefits of vaping. Potential risks come from multiple places: device specific concerns, the makeup of the liquid products being vaporized, and the potential for toxicity of both nicotine and marijuana when inhaled in concentrated forms.

Is vaping marijuana safe?

The studies on the safety or dangers of vaporizing marijuana are limited in number because the marijuana itself is difficult to acquire. There were a small number of the plants released in the early 90s for clinical research.12Most of those studies utilized the same device, manufactured under the name “Volcano”. This device is expensive and is drastically different from any of the modern handheld devices for vaporizing marijuana and tobacco. It does not serve as a good facsimile for comparison to modern day vaporization technology. Many of the clinical research studies available focus on aspects of vaping such as the amount of nicotine or marijuana delivered but there’s not a great deal of evidence on the analysis of other toxins released both from vaporizing tobacco leaf products and marijuana. With all of these limitations, most of the available studies are non-clinical or have very small numbers of study subjects. A strong and thorough assessment of the potential dangers of vaporizing tobacco and marijuana products has not been forthcoming.12,13

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