US study: Vaping less damaging to lungs than smoking
Excerpt from an article on vaping and lungs
Levels of risky compounds found in e-liquids are no cause for alarm
Prof. Peter Hajek, who is the director at the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit, at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), said, “All three findings are likely to be presented as generating concerns about vaping, but none provides a cause for alarm.”
He thinks that the highlighted respiratory symptoms are higher in double users, as these tend to be heavy smokers who are struggling to quit, hence tend to use both products. “The most likely explanation is that heavier smokers are more likely to suffer from respiratory symptoms, and are also more likely to try to quit but fail to stop smoking completely. This could lead to heavy smokers with respiratory symptoms ending up in the dual users group,” he said.
In line with what studies measuring dangerous substances in e-liquids have indicated, Hajek thinks that it is the amounts people are exposed to that matter. “It is the dose that makes the poison. No information is provided on whether these chemicals are inhaled at levels that can cause harm, or how these levels compare with levels inhaled by smokers. Smokers who switch to vaping report significant improvements, e.g. in asthma, which suggests that such a switch reduces respiratory irritation and is beneficial for lung health.”
Improved lung function observed in smokers who switch to vaping
On the topic of arterial stiffness caused by nicotine, Hayek pointed out that there are other things that have the same effect on the body, and are considered irrelevant in terms of health risks. “This is a well-known stimulant effect of nicotine that has little relevance for health. Drinking coffee has the same effect, only greater and longer lasting (as does watching a dramatic football match).”
A study conducted last year by Prof. Hayek himself and published in the Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, which focused on a number of smokers who had switched to vaping, found that the greater number of the study participants had experienced a decrease in respiratory infections.