The Issue With Vaping — Doctors Don’t ...
Lung Cancer
The Issue With Vaping — Doctors Don’t Know How Dangerous It Is Yet
The general consensus with vaping is that it’s a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes … but can we know that for sure? The biggest issue with vaping and Juul is that doctors aren’t really sure what the long-term effects will be. Dr. Brendon Stiles, a thoracic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that studies on these effects need to be done now — especially since so many young people are taking up vaping.
“If we wait 10 to 15 years until we see the clinical effects on all these kids who have taken up vaping, it’s going to be too late,” Dr. Stiles said. “What effect do these compounds have on lung health? On lung inflammation on young people? On old people? On previous smokers?”
Dr. Stiles pointed out that there was just a landmark study that showed the death rate from cancer has fallen to the lowest point in 25 years — and there are people who are worried that vaping may cause those number to go back up. “There’s plenty of history of other inflammatory lung conditions causing or triggering lung cancer, so for me it’s not a great leap to think that inhalation from vaping can trigger lung cancer down the road or other inflammatory lung diseases,” Dr. Stiles said.
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The general consensus with vaping is that it’s a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes … but can we know that for sure? The biggest issue with vaping and Juul is that doctors aren’t really sure what the long-term effects will be. Dr. Brendon Stiles, a thoracic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that studies on these effects need to be done now — especially since so many young people are taking up vaping.
“If we wait 10 to 15 years until we see the clinical effects on all these kids who have taken up vaping, it’s going to be too late,” Dr. Stiles said. “What effect do these compounds have on lung health? On lung inflammation on young people? On old people? On previous smokers?”
Dr. Stiles pointed out that there was just a landmark study that showed the death rate from cancer has fallen to the lowest point in 25 years — and there are people who are worried that vaping may cause those number to go back up. “There’s plenty of history of other inflammatory lung conditions causing or triggering lung cancer, so for me it’s not a great leap to think that inhalation from vaping can trigger lung cancer down the road or other inflammatory lung diseases,” Dr. Stiles said.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.