Vaping was introduced in the early 2000s as a supposedly safer and less odorous alternative to smoking. Unlike traditional cigarettes, which burn tobacco leaves, e-cigarettes heat a nicotine-containing liquid to produce a vapor that is then inhaled.
Millions of Americans adopted vaping as a method to quit traditional cigarette smoking. Yet according to recent studies, this switch may instead be elevating their health risks. Vaping is proving to be less harmless than originally believed.
Most previous research on vaping and cancer has focused on its role in leading people to smoke tobacco. However, whether vaping can cause cancer on its own has remained unclear. New research reveals that e-cigarette vapor causes DNA damage and promotes tumor growth. Evidence is also growing that vaping alone carries significant independent cancer risks.
Researchers evaluated human data, animal studies, and lab experiments. The results revealed that vaping can damage DNA, spark inflammation and oxidative stress, and deliver cancer-promoting chemicals. In some cases, rodents exposed to vape vapor developed lung tumors.
The team specifically analyzed studies on e-cigarettes and comparisons between vapers and non-vapers. They also considered case reports of heavy vapers who developed aggressive oral cancers even when common risk factors like smoking or viral infections were not present.
There is still no long-term population-level data to precisely quantify the risk, but the early findings are troubling enough that scientists are warning people not to make the same mistakes that were made with cigarettes. It remains to be seen whether the study’s findings will alarm consumers enough to spark meaningful cancer concerns and ultimately alter their spending habits on vaping products.
To view the original scientific study click below:
The carcinogenicity of e-cigarettes: a qualitative risk assessment
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