Vape use has become increasingly popular in recent years with nearly one in 10 11 to 15-year-olds vaping frequently.
It’s been widely believed for a long time that vaping would have similar health consequences for users to that of smoking.
Research is still in the early stages of how vaping affects lungs – but worrying conditions, like ‘popcorn lung’, are on the rise.
Dr Stephen Broderick, of John Hopkins Medicine, has now said: ‘In the last 24 to 36 months, I’ve seen an explosive uptick of patients who vape.
‘With tobacco, we have six decades of rigorous studies to show which of the 7,000 chemicals inhaled during smoking impact the lungs.
‘But with vaping, we simply don’t know the short – or long-term effects yet and which e-cigarette components are to blame.’
What happens to your lungs when you vape?
It’s still too early in research to find out exactly what happens when you vape. But previous case studies can show us a glimpse.
Vaping heats a substance and allows you to inhale the fumes – with vapes, the most common ingredient is a mix of nicotine and flavours.
Dr Broderick wrote: ‘We think that some of the vaporized elements of the oil are getting deep down into the lungs and causing an inflammatory response.’
One of these inflammatory responses is popcorn lung, a rare form of lung disease – also known as bronchiolitis obliterans.
A build-up of scar tissue in the lungs ultimately results in scarring and inflammation in the smallest parts of the airways.
This leads to symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath and finding it hard to breathe.
There’s currently no cure for popcorn lung, but there are treatments to help alleviate symptoms.
Collapsed lungs are also common among those who vape heavily. They are caused by air blisters at the top of the lungs which can burst.
What chemicals are in vapes?
The list of chemicals in vapes varies, but most include:
- Diacetyl: a food additive which can help make the flavours of vapes more powerful. It’s known to damage the lungs.
- Acrolein: a weed killer, which is also known to damage the lungs.
- Formaldehyde: a chemical which can be toxic and cause heart disease.
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