Category Archives: Vaping

A new study suggests that people whove used electronic cigarettes at some point in their lives have a higher chance of developing heart failure compared to those whove never vaped.

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-operated devices that work by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine into an aerosol thats inhaled. The devices entered the scene in the early 2000s as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes. Yet, a growing body of research suggests they also pose health risks.

More and more studies are linking e-cigarettes to harmful effects and finding that it might not be as safe as previously thought, said lead author Yakubu Bene-Alhasan, MD, MPH, a resident physician at MedStar Health in Baltimore, in a statement. The difference we saw was substantial. Its worth considering the consequences to your health, especially with regard to heart health.

Heart failure doesnt mean the heart stops working, as its name suggests. Instead, it's a serious but sometimes manageable condition that occurs when a persons heart cant pump enough blood and oxygen to other organs in the body. About 6.2 million people in the United States have heart failure.

While scientists know that smoking tobacco is one of the most significant lifestyle contributors to heart failure, theyre still exploring how e-cigarettes might influence the condition.

The new study, presented the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, did not show that using e-cigarettes triggers heart failure, Bene-Alhasan told Health. But he said there are reasons for researchers to believe it does.

Heres what you need to know about the connection between e-cigarettes and heart failure, including what could account for the devices impact on the heart.

Ivan Pantic / Getty Images

The study included nearly 176,000 participants with an average age of 52. About 70% were White, 20% were Black, and 10% were Asian or Hispanic.

Researchers used data from electronic health records as well as participant surveys to determine whether people vaped, used tobacco in any form, or drank alcohol. The reports also showed whether participants had ever vaped in the past.

The team followed up with participants for about four years. During that time, a total of 3,242 people had developed heart failure.

After crunching the numbers, researchers found that people whod used e-cigarettes were 19% more likely than non-vapers to have a type of heart failure in which the heart muscle becomes stiff and doesnt fill with blood as it should. Vaping didnt appear to be linked to another kind of heart failure caused by a weakened heart.

As part of their analysis, the team adjusted for other key heart failure risk factors, including diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and a high body mass index.

Because the study was observational, it suggests only an association between vaping and heart failure and not that e-cigarettes cause the condition.

This adds to the list of potential conditions that are linked with vaping, Bene-Alhasan said.

However, Holly Middlekauff, MD, a professor of medicine and physiology at UCLAs David Geffen School of Medicine, told Health that the study was limited by researchers not knowing whether a person had ever smoked tobacco in the past. Because many people, especially older adults, use e-cigarettes to replace smoking, the supposed link between heart failure and e-cigarette use may, in reality, be an association between tobacco use and heart failure, she explained.

However, its unlikely that electronic cigarettes are harmless, she added. If you dont smoke tobacco cigarettes, you shouldnt start smoking electronic cigarettes.

For people who already smoke tobacco cigarettes, though, Middlekauff said that current evidence suggests that e-cigarettes offer a safer alternative. Indeed, the study also found that people who both smoked tobacco and used e-cigarettes raised their risk of heart failure by 60%.

I cant think of anything else thats legal to do that is more harmful to ones heart than smoking tobacco cigarettes, Middlekauff said.

Nicotine inhalation can increase heart rate, blood pressure and flow, and the narrowing of arteries. It also may lead to the hardening of arterial walls, which can cause a heart attack.

Research on mice indicates that vaping may cause the heart to stiffen, which can lead to heart failure over time. Other mouse studies suggest e-cigarette use may lead to inflammation, which plays a well-documented role in heart disease.

Bene-Alhasan said researchers need to explore whether vaping increases inflammation in people, too, as well as how inflammation might influence the development of heart failure.

Heart failure is now more and more being seen as an inflammatory disease, he noted.

Bene-Alhasan said his team plans to drill into the data to assess how heart failure risk differs among age groups. They also want to better understand how having a history of tobacco use influences heart failure risk.

According to Middlekauff, it will likely be decades before scientists fully know the effect vaping might have on heart failure, especially because the condition typically develops over many years.

Bene-Alhasan stressed that whats clear, however, is that vaping should be discouraged while other research is being done to examine the other effects of vaping.

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Study: Vaping Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Failure - Health.com

Young man (left) and young woman using e-vaporiser or vape (Photos: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE First-time offenders in schools and institutes of higher learning (IHLs) caught buying, using or possessing e-vaporisers or vapes can now be fined up to S$2,000.

From 1 January to 31 March this year, schools and IHLs have referred around 250 such cases to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), said HSA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a joint press release on Tuesday (9 April).

The two authorities added that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be notified when students are caught by HSA or other enforcement agencies outside school settings for vaping offences.

According to the authorities, IHLs have been reviewing their vaping sanctions, which include corrective work orders or mandatory community service. Students from autonomous universities caught possessing or peddling vapes may also have their hostel privileges revoked.

Schools and IHLs will continue their regular detection and enforcement efforts through internal reporting channels and campus patrols, said HSA and MOH.

"For students who are caught vaping, in addition to the penalty imposed by HSA, schools and IHLs will continue to mete out consequences through existing disciplinary frameworks, such as suspension or caning (for boys in schools)," said the authorities.

"Students caught vaping will also be placed on cessation support programmes where counsellors will guide them through their cessation journey."

Where appropriate, MOE will continue to support enforcement efforts at IHLs, which include joint enforcement operations by HSA and autonomous universities.

In addition to enforcement efforts, schools and IHLs are working with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to step up on anti-vaping messages in educational materials and preventive programmes.

These programmes include QuitLine, a tele-counselling service, as well as on-site counselling by Student Health Advisors. Through these sessions, youths learn about the harmful effects of smoking and vaping, and pick up ways to quit and manage withdrawal symptoms.

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In 2023, about 2,350 youths participated in these programmes, of which 38 per cent have either reduced or quit smoking and/or vaping after one month after counselling.

"MOE, together with HPB, has communicated to staff and students on Singapores firmer stance against vaping and step-up in enforcement. Parents have also been informed," said the authorities.

From 1 January to 31 March, more than 2,200 people have been caught for possession or use of e-vaporisers. Of them, 1,950 people were caught in public areas, such as the central business district, entertainment outlets and around shopping centres, said the authorities.

HSA also disrupted several illegal vape distribution networks, and seized more than S$7 million worth of vapes and components in total in the first quarter of 2024.

Joint operations were also conducted by HSA and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints and Changi Airport. To date, 40 e-vaporiser-related cases were detected at the borders: 10 people were caught smuggling e-vaporisers into Singapore, while 30 were found to be in possession of e-vaporisers.

In 2023, 7,838 people were caught for possession or use of e-vaporisers, a 60 per cent increase from 4,916 in 2022. HSA and MOH said the rise in cases were part of an intensified multi-agency effort by the ministry and partner government agencies to enforce against the use of e-vaporisers.

More than 3,000 e-vaporiser-related online listings were also removed last year, a "significant increase" from 2,600 online listings removed in 2022. HSA and MOH have notified 16 social media services and e-commerce platforms on 11 March to remind them that hosting vaping-related content is against the law.

"The onus is on social media services and e-commerce platforms to exercise due diligence and proactively remove vaping-related content. Enforcement actions may be taken against the platforms that are found with inadequate processes to detect and remove vaping-related contents," the authorities said.

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Students caught for first-time vaping offences could face up to S$2,000 fine, according to MOH and HSA - Yahoo Singapore News

OSF HealthCare and the American Heart Association (AHA) are collaborating to enhance the educational materials available in the AHAs STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) toolkit. Its fitting that as the American College of Cardiology recently published a new study showing vaping nicotine could lead to an increase in heart failure, one of the new OSF STEAM activities focuses on showing how vaping and smoking cigarettes can restrict breathing.

The American Heart Associations STEAM Toolkit is available to schools that participate in the Associations in-school initiatives, Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge, and now include three new activities created by the AHA and OSF STEAM:

The effects of vaping/smoking on the lungs

The concept of a heart attack and influences

The importance of hydration and avoiding sugary beverages

These engaging, interactive activities and resources are designed to support middle and high school educators who want to integrate STEAM lessons into classrooms across the country, said Nol Adams, vice president, Academic Collaborations and Operations for OSF HealthCare. This groundbreaking collaboration will also nurture and inspire a pipeline of aspiring innovative, future health care professionals.

Through the OSF STEAM lessons, students, families and staff will learn valuable life skills, including how to make smart food choices, the importance of avoiding vaping/tobacco products and the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR. This toolkit is available to schools that participate in the Kids Heart Challenge/American Heart Challenge programs. Currently, more than 15,000 schools across the country participate in the challenges, engaging 14 million students.

The OSF STEAM lessons were chosen because studies have linked smoking/vaping with a high risk for respiratory diseases. E-cigarette or vaping product use is associated with injuries resulting in the hospitalization of 2,800 e-cig users in 2020 alone.Federal government studies also show that nearly half (46%) of all added sugars consumed by individuals aged 2 and older in the U.S. come from sugary drinks, including soft drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, and energy drinks.Added sugars raise the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and toothdecay.

To learn more about the American Heart Associations in-school initiatives, or to take the first step in getting these resources in your school, visit heart.org/getstarted.

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OSF adds more STEAM to American Heart Association's anti-vaping/smoking and nutrition efforts - Newsroom OSF HealthCare

Nationwide, store shelves are filled with vape products, almost all from China, that havent been inspected or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. When frustrated parents see teens with disposable vape pens, the vast majority of these pens fall into this category.

Why are they in the stores in the first place? Critics say its because the FDA hasnt done its job authorizing legit vaping products, leaving the unregulated market to meet consumer demand.

Now some states are trying to fill the void, creating registries of authorized vaping products that can be sold within their jurisdictions. However, advocates for local mom-and-pop retailers and national harm reduction policy say these states actions are making matters worse.

Vape registries exist in three states: Alabama, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Florida legislature passed a vape registry bill this year, which awaits the governors signature, and South Carolinas Senate recently passed a similar bill.

Twenty-three companies are listed on Louisianas registry of approved products, and most are big-name, international companies such as Juul Labs and R.J. Reynolds.

Meanwhile, according to a letter to the FDA from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, fewer than 50 of the more than 26 million premarket tobacco product applications submitted since 2009 have been authorized.

Many unreviewed applications are from local retailers making custom vape products and flavors for their customers. Theyre stuck in the back of the line. And then theres the public health aspect of the FDAs foot-dragging.

Remarkably, it has also authorized a total of only 16 Modified Risk Tobacco Products for only four unique products and their accessories, the senators added.

Their point, one shared by many public health professionals, is that e-cigarettes and vaping provide a lower-risk alternative to traditional cigarette use. Getting smokers to become vapers may not be ideal. Still, it would be a far better outcome for Americas health care system than if they were to continue smoking traditional cigarettes.

Originally posted here:

Vape registries hurt local retailers, are bad health policy | Commentary - The Post and Courier

The Public Health Agency (PHA)isurging parents and guardians to talk to young people about the dangers of vaping unknown substances as it could make them seriously ill or even be fatal.

The PHA is focussing in particular on the dangers of vaping Spice, a synthetic drugwhich mimics the effects of cannabis.Spice is a nickname for a substance containing one or more of a group of drugs called synthetic cannabinoids.

Kevin Bailey, Regional Lead for Drugs and Alcohol at the PHA, said: Synthetic cannabinoids are relatively new drugs and evidence is still coming out about harms associated with their use. However, we do know that people can have severe reactions after using them, and using with vapes could make them even more unsafe.

Sometimes the contents or strength of products within vapes cannot be fully verified, so the effects and duration of those effects can be unpredictable and change depending on the product and type of synthetic cannabinoid.

There are hundreds of different synthetic cannabinoid structures, and some are stronger and more toxic than others, so there is no way of knowing what you are taking. The dangers of taking these substances also increase if you add other drugs to the mix including alcohol, prescription medication and other illicit substances.

You can become dependent on synthetic cannabinoids with regular use. For some people who use them frequently, dependence can develop quickly.

Inhaling synthetic cannabinoids, including spice, through a vape is extremely dangerous for young people.

ThePHA continues towork with community and voluntary organisations, local Councils, the PSNI, the education sector and Health and Social Care partners to raise awareness of these issues and share information.

For young people, using substances is particularly dangerous during a time when they are still developing physically and mentally, with drugs having the potential to damage their cognitive and emotional development.

Kevin continued: Parents and guardians can play an important role in helping young people understand the risks, so they dont choose to take drugs without realising the harm they could be exposing themselves to. Dont wait until theres a problem before you decide to talk.

It is important to advise young people that regardless of what they have been told, even by a close friend, that it is impossible to know what is contained in these substances. All drugs, whether alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medication, carry risks.

Helpful tips for Parents/Guardians:

Do

Dont

The PHA would also emphasise to young people that if theyre with someone who has taken drugs and has become unwell, they need to get them medical help immediately.

It might be frightening and they will be scared of getting into trouble, but they need to look out for their friends, stay with them and get them help it could save their lives.

If you think you or someone you know might have a problem with alcohol and/or drugs and would like to get help, please visitwww.DrugsAndAlcoholNI.infofor information on support services near you.

A range of services is also available to you if you are affected by someone elses drinking and/or drug use, regardless of whether or not your loved one is receiving help for his or her alcohol and/or drug problem.

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Parents urged to talk to young people about vaping Spice dangers | HSC Public Health Agency - Public Health Agency

If youve been thinking of quitting smoking or vaping, theres no time like the present. Smoking remains the single, largest preventable source of death and illness in the world. Regardless of age, smokers can greatly reduce their risk of disease, including lung cancer, by quitting.

The RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery offers FREE tobacco and nicotine treatment services, which include working with a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and free nicotine replacement therapies including patches, gum and lozenges (no insurance required).

Our Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists continue to provide services while practicing safe social distancing. Treatment sessions are currently being conducted via phone and web, with virtual group/individual counseling and delivery of nicotine replacement therapies via mail.

The Nicotine and Tobacco Recovery meetings are designed to help people stay quit and offer a resource for those who are starting or thinking about beginning their quit journey. Led by a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, each group will focus on topics and strategies for dealing with triggers and relapse prevention. Join us for free, regardless of where you are with your journey towards nicotine and tobacco recovery!

New Schedule: Mondays 7pm 7:45pm ET Zoom Link Meeting ID: 985 9718 6060 Password: smokefree (all lower case) One tap mobile: +13126266799,,98597186060#

Grupos de Apoyo de Habla Hispana para La Recuperacin de la Nicotina y El Tabaco Contctenos hoy para aprender ms: English and Spanish PHONE: (833) 795-QUIT EMAIL: quitcenter@rwjbh.org WEBSITE: rwjbh.org/nicotinerecovery VIST At: 442 State Highway 35, Eatontown, New Jersey

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Events - Free Program to Quit Smoking or Vaping - Brookdale Community College Newsroom

The anti-vaping campaign uses bright colours like the vape packages (Image: Powys Teaching Health Board)

A campaign has been launched in Wales to warn young people of the dangers of vaping.

The initiative introduces a fresh visual aesthetic on its messaging, leveraging the bright colours and fruit flavours commonly utilized in vape device marketing.

The campaign's intention is to alter perceptions about vaping, which is often deemed cool and safe, particularly among the youth.

Recent findings from the School Health Research Network (SHRN) highlight that whilst youth smoking rates continue to decrease, the prevalence of vaping is increasing.

Across Wales, weekly vape users make up 5 per cent of the younger population.

Meanwhile, one in five adolescents in Powys admits to having experimented with vaping.

According to Mererid Bowley, Executive Director of Public Health, Powys Teaching Health Board which launched the campaign alongside Powys County Council: "It is illegal for those under 18 years to buy nicotine vapes or to have them bought for them.

"Vaping is not without harm."

She supplemented her statement with a plea to parents, urging them to widely share the campaign and discuss the potential dangers of vaping with their children.

She said: "We simply dont have enough evidence to know the long-term impacts that vaping has on our health and wellbeing.

"Developing brains shouldnt be exposed to nicotine, which poses a risk of addiction.

"The simple message is, if you dont smoke, then you shouldnt start vaping.

"I would urge parents to share the campaign far and wide, and to discuss the risks of vaping with their children, to raise awareness of its potential harms, and support preventing a future public health crisis".

Contributing to the narrative, Matt Perry, Powys County Councils chief officer place, explained the crucial need for a shift in the publics interpretation of vaping.

He said: "Just because the device is brightly coloured and fruit flavoured, does not mean it comes without risks.

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"It comes with a list of its very own side effects and health implications.

"This campaign is reflective of our strong partnership approach to protecting the health of our residents".

For those seeking more details about the campaign or assistance in quitting vaping, resources can be found online via the Powys Teaching Health Board website.

The campaign, co-utilising graphics from Crickhowell High School students and members of the Brecon and Llandrindod Wells Youth Club, will be publicised across various platforms including social media, operational premises, secondary schools, and bus stops throughout Powys.

Link:

Vaping trend among Welsh youth focus of anti-vaping campaign - Yahoo News UK

Georgia may adopt a directory of vaping products that can be sold in the state, a move that supporters say will help businesses know what they can sell and help authorities enforce the law.

Vape shop owners, however, have said the bill would significantly hurt their businesses and remove vapes that help people quit smoking.

Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, said House Bill 1260, known as the Georgia Nicotine Vapor Products Directory Act, is aimed at getting the vape marketplace in Georgia under control. The House passed the bill Thursday, and its now headed to the Senate.

Lawmakers referred to the vape industry in Georgia as the wild, Wild West during committee discussions.

Right now, we have no enforcement of vapes that are on the shelves in Georgia, and I believe it is imperative we get a handle on whats happening in our state, Gaines said, adding that many of the most popular products are produced in China and specifically appeal to youths.

There are countless examples of young people in Georgia who have vaped just one time, and its changed their lives, Gaines said. Sometimes, its a flavored vape that gets them hooked. Other times, its a fentanyl-laced vape that puts them in the hospital or worse.

School and health officials have spoken similarly about youth vaping, and many Georgia districts have created specific discipline policies about vaping.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Youth Tobacco Survey estimated 2.1 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2023, a decline from the prior year. Georgia schools, however, saw an increase in vaping discipline over the past two school years from 18,724 incidents to 22,204.

Along with creating a registry, the bill would set fines for violations and expectations for inspections.

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Dillon Gilbert, who owns nine vape stores in Columbus and Savannah, said the bill would be a death blow to our industry. He and other vape shop owners and industry representatives who testified in House committee meetings said the bill would take their most effective and popular products off of shelves.

Gaines said the bill doesnt make any legal products illegal. Items on the registry would include the 23 vaping products that have received approval from the FDA and products that can be marketed because theyre awaiting approval. The FDA has specifically cracked down on fruit- and candy-flavored products because of their popularity among youths.

Gilbert said the FDAs system is broken with a massive backlog of products awaiting judgment. He pointed out that the products approved are connected to major tobacco producers and have higher concentrations of nicotine than hed recommend to most customers.

Limiting selection wouldnt just lead to shuttered stores, vape shop owners said. It would lead people back to tobacco.

Excerpt from:

Proposed bill strives to clarify legal vaping products in Georgia - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

COPAN, Okla. If you walk into Copan High Schools basketball gym, you will see a poster of 17-year-old Addie Hunter.

Theres also a good chance, she may be there shooting some hoops.

By the looks of her now, it's hard to believe that about four months ago she was in the hospital fighting for her life.

Addie said she used to vape, and according to her, doctors said the habit caused blisters to form on her lungs causing the left one to collapse, nearly killing her.

It was Oct. 14, 2023.

I remember sitting on the couch, and I text my mom and said, Mom, I can't breathe," Addie recounted.

Addie has severe asthma, so they've had trips to the hospital before, but Scott and Andrea Hunter sensed this time was different.

In fact, they were headed to Tulsa but knew they couldn't make it and stopped at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso.

"About 30 seconds before we got there, she couldn't breathe any more at all, Andrea said. She said, Mom, I can't feel my legs, and I cant see."

"Everything went into slow motion, Addie said. Pitch went way down, and it justlike everything went black, and I passed out. I remember passing out in my dad's arms cause I was leaned up against the door, and he opened it.

It frightens you because you have no idea what is going on, and she has never been this way before," Scott said.

Andrea explained what the doctors told them.

"Her oxygen in her blood was 50 percent, and she was about a minute and a half from death at that point, Andrea said.

Oxygen and steroids helped her to get past that episode, but as she was being transferred to St. Francis Childrens Hospital, she had another.

She was stabilized from that, and then she had a third episode.

That's when doctors put Addie in a paralytic coma.

Three hours later, Andrea was allowed to see her.

"And so umwalking in that moment was the hardest moment of my life because she couldn't communicate, she couldn't talk, she was intubated, she was paralyzed. She was there, but not there and that broke me. It broke my heart," Andrea said tearing up.

You just kind of lay there, Addie said about being in the coma. You don't care about anything; you don't think about anything and you're just kind of there."

On day three, the family got some bad news.

Andrea said the doctors felt Addie wouldnt make it as the treatments werent working, but the Hunters said they knew God was bigger, and that Addie had a testimony to share.

We stood firm on holy ground the entire time, had thousands of people praying for us and her," Andrea remembered.

That was also the day Andrea found a vape in Addie's bag.

I gave it to them [doctors] immediately and they kind of changed course at that point, Andrea said, then explaining what doctors later told her about Addies condition due to vaping.

When it went down into her lungs, it turned back into vegetable oil and Vitamin E oil, and it set on her lungs. Then it heated up with thermal energy and created blisters on her lungs, Andrea told FOX23.

Doctors said the blisters caused one of Addies lungs to collapse.

According to The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, one in ten high schoolers across the country reported using vapes in 2023.

In Oklahoma, that number was double at close to 22 percent.

Like Addie, many of them are addicted.

I would try to quit like a lot, Addie told FOX23. I remember being at work and setting a 15-minute timer and being like, Okay, now I need it, how long can I go without it? Then I would just set 15-minute timers over and over again, and I genuinely think the longest I went without it was like two hours."

The trend is growing among middle schoolers too, especially with the marketing of flavored vape.

The Centers for Disease Control said in the United States in 2023, one out of every 22 middle schoolers, so close to five percent, used vapes.

Addie said she's not surprised because that's when she started.

"You are like a sponge when you are a middle schooler, Addie said. You literally suck up everything that you are told to do, that you think would look cool."

Furthermore, with some vapes being the size of a flash drive, she said they are easy to hide.

Addie and her parents hope her story will reach others.

Twelve days after going into the coma, doctors were able to bring Addie out of it.

For her to open those eyes and look around, that was the best moment of our lives, Andrea said smiling.

Twenty days later, Addie was released from the hospital, already starting vigorous physical therapy.

You have to learn how to talk again, Addie said. I had to relearn how to move my hands and motor skills. I couldn't move my fingers."

By January, as if one miracle wasn't enough, Addie Hunter stepped back on to the court to finish out her high school basketball career.

What's it like stepping foot on the court knowing everything you've gone through," FOX23 Evening Anchor Sara Whaley asked her.

I felt normal because for so long I didn't feel normal, Addie answered. In all honesty, I came back better than I was before.

The Hunters have a message for other parents.

Talk to your kids about it. We even talked to our kids about it, but keep talking to them," Scott said.

And check on anxiety, Andrea added. Being in high school is hard, especially today, so check on their anxiety levels and depression. I think she was dealing with a lot of anxiety and we had no idea, and she was turning towards the vape thinking it was helping her."

Addie has advice for other teens as well.

It's not worth it. Really. It's just.don't skip out on your life," Addie said.

Addie is figuring out where she'd like to go to college.

She said she would like to walk on a basketball team somewhere.

FOX23 has compiled a list of resources to help you educate yourself and your children about vaping and the effects it can have:

Continue reading here:

Local teen shares story after nearly dying due to vaping - KOKI FOX 23 TULSA

Vapers are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that spreads COVID-19 and continues to infect people around the world, a University of California, Riverside, study has found.

The liquid used in electronic cigarettes, called e-liquid, typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and flavor chemicals. The researchers found propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin alone or along with nicotine enhanced COVID-19 infection through different mechanisms.

Study results appear in the American Journal of Physiology.

The researchers also found that the addition of benzoic acid to e-liquids prevents the infection caused by propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and nicotine.

Users who vape aerosols produced from propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin alone or e-liquids with a neutral to basic pH are more likely to be infected by the virus, while users who vape aerosols made from e-liquids with benzoic acid an acidic pH will have the same viral susceptibility as individuals who do not vape, said Rattapol Phandthong, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and the research papers first author.

The researchers obtained airway stem cells from human donors to produce a 3D tissue model of human bronchial epithelium. They then exposed the tissues to JUUL and BLU electronic cigarette aerosols to study the effect on SARS-CoV-2 infection. They found all tissues showed an increase in the amount of ACE2, a host cell receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Further, TMPRSS2, an enzyme essential for the virus to infect cells, was found to show increased activity in tissues exposed to aerosols with nicotine.

Prue Talbot, a professor of the graduate division and Phandthongs advisor, said e-cigarette users should be cautious about vaping as some products will increase their susceptibility to SARs-CoV-2 infection.

It would probably be best for vapers to quit vaping for the protection of their health and to stop nicotine dependency, she said. If they cannot stop vaping, it is better to vape aerosols produced from an e-liquid with acidic pH or with benzoic acid to prevent the enhanced SARS-CoV-2 infection caused by nicotine, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin. However, inhalation of benzoic acid has its own risk, and data is still limited on this topic.

The researchers acknowledge that the relationship between e-cigarettes and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility is complex.

The complexity is attributed to a wide range of available e-liquids, the chemical composition of each e-liquid, and different models of e-cigarettes, Phandthong said. Our study only used Classic Tobacco Flavor JUUL e-cigarette and BLU Classic Tobacco e-cigarette. Even with just these two e-cigarettes, we found the aerosols and individual ingredients produced different effects on SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Phandthong and Talbot hope the Food and Drug Administration will use their findings to implement regulatory laws on e-cigarette products.

Our findings could also help improve the design of clinical trials involving the use of tobacco products and SARS-CoV-2 infection, Phandthong said. In the meantime, it is worth bearing in mind that the scientific literature has shown that a vaper who contracted SARS-CoV-2 has more complications during the recovery period and is more likely to develop long COVID-19, which can be serious and last many months post-infection. We hope our findings encourage vapers to stop vaping and discourage non-users from starting to vape.

Phandthong acknowledged the team only investigated the initial stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

There are many later stages involved in infection, such as viral replication, he said. It is likely that these additional stages can also be affected by inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols.

Phandthong and Talbot were joined in the study by Man Wong, Ann Song, and Teresa Martinez.

The research was funded by grants from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Tobacco Products of the Food and Drug Administration, and California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

The research paper is titled Does vaping increase the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection? Paradoxically yes and no.

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Vaping can increase susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV-2 - UC Riverside