How Dangerous is Vaping Really?
- 2,290 cases of e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury ("EVALI") have been reported and 47 deaths
- Researchers have identified vitamin E acetate mixed with THC as one root cause
- City, state, and federal governments are beginning to crack down
- It’s unclear whether e-cigarettes cause cancer in humans
As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ramps up its search for the answers and the Trump Administration waffles on the decision to ban flavored vaping products nationwide the CDC notes that over a quarter of the country's high school students are continuing to inhale nicotine, THC and a host of chemicals whether via e-cigarettes or vapes (the terms are used interchangeably).
Read MoreThousands Are Getting Sick and Some 50 Have Died
The CDC has confirmed 2,290 cases of e-cigarette- or vaping-associated lung injury (called "EVALI"), and 47 related deaths. The risk of getting cancer is still unclear (see below).A Likely Culprit: Vitamin E Acetate
Many different chemicals — some natural, some not — are used in these devices, and what’s being inhaled depends on factors such as the brands themselves (some, for instance, come with their own cartridges) or the third-party vendor that sell the cartridges to use in the vapes.The majority of people who have developed EVALI reported having used vaping products that contain a mix of ingredients including vitamin E acetate — a synthetic form of the vitamin — and THC (the psychoactive compound in marijuana). Researchers have analyzed samples of these products and found they contain a dangerous chemical, vitamin E acetate. While the synthetic vitamin is found in some skincare products, research shows that inhaling it can "interfere with normal lung functioning,” according to the CDC.
Other Chemicals Could Also Be at Fault
According to the CDC, there may be other chemicals contributing to the illnesses beyond the vitamin E acetate — it’s just too early to say.
"Evidence is not yet sufficient to rule out contribution of other chemicals of concern to EVALI," a statement on the CDC's website reads. "Many different substances and product sources are still under investigation, and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak."
CDC Has Issued a Warning: Stop Using Vaping Products with THC
Because it’s unclear which products contain the mix of Vitamin E acetate and THC, the CDC says people should immediately stop using all products that contain THC. The agency is also urging people not to buy any vaping products from "informal sources" — regardless of whether they contain THC — like friends or family, and to avoid modifying vaping products in ways "that are not intended by the manufacturer."
The Risk of Cancer Is Unknown
"Vaping is still in its infancy," Dr. Raja Flores, chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet. "In order to prove something causes cancer, you need a large number of people and a longer period of time."
Nicotine and E-Cigarettes
While vaping has helped an estimated 2.5 million people quit traditional cigarettes, the National Youth Tobacco Survey warns that the number middle school and high school students who have taken up vaping roughly 3.6 million is even higher.
Companies that manufacture some of the most popular vaping products, such as JUUL Labs, have rolled back some of their marketing campaigns that appeal directly to young people, but for a lot of teens, the damage is already done: Nicotine is one of the most addictive products there is, and a lot of people report getting hooked in just a few days to a week of using the products (especially JUUL, which packs as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes into one pod of liquid).
A recent study has found that e-cigarettes were linked to lung cancer and pre-cancerous lesions in the bladders of mice. It found that 22.5 percent of mice exposed to vapor with nicotine developed lung cancer.
"With nicotine in e-cigarettes, the general belief is that it is not carcinogenic it's addictive, but it does not cause cancer. But we showed that nicotine from e-cigarettes can damage DNA material and cause lung cancer and precancerous lesions on the bladder," Dr. Moon-shong Tang, professor of Environmental Medicine, Pathology and Medicine at NYU Langone Health who authored the study, told SurvivorNet.
RELATED: The Issue With Vaping Doctors Don't Know How Dangerous It Is Yet
City, State and Federal Governments Have All Taken Action
So far, 10 states and many cities have taken action on e-cigarettes and vapes, some more extreme than others. Massachusetts' Governor Charles Baker, for instance, declared a state of emergency and called for a total ban on all flavored and non-flavored vaping products.
In September, the federal government announced plans to ban the flavored versions of e-cigarettes, which appeal mostly to young people. But recently, the White House announced it was reconsidering the ban.
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