E-cigarettes not a healthy alternative

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by Plazma Inferno!, Dec 9, 2015.

  1. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    Tackling nicotine made us overlook other hazards attached to e-cigarettes.
    Researchers found that diacetyl, a flavoring chemical linked to some severe respiratory disease, was found in more than 75 percent of tested flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids.
    In addition, two other, potentially harmful compounds were also found in many of the tested flavors, such as cotton candy, cupcake, fruit squirts, etc.
    The study has been published yesterday: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/15-10185./

    Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/12/popcorn-lung-seen-in-e-cigarette-smokers/?
     
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  3. PhysBang Valued Senior Member

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    There are a couple of problems with this study that the authors do not address. (Yes, I read the original study.)

    One problem is that they do not produce their results in terms of parts-per-million in the vapor produced. The ppm analysis is something that they point out was a factor in determining harmful exposure to their chemicals of interest. (One can extrapolate that the maximal exposure is 0.4 ppm, but this is a rough extrapolation from a single reported maximum.) Determining the ppm of chemicals is important because harmful dose depends on concentration.

    The second problem for the paper is that there is no discussion of exposure times. No effort is made to compare the length (and method) of exposure of these chemicals in proven harmful cases to the length (and method) of exposure to people using these e-cigarettes. Exposure times often matter, as does the length of time between exposures.

    Right now, there is a huge industry that wants people to keep smoking. There is another huge industry that wants people to try their pharmaceutical product to try to quit smoking. Both of these industries has an interest in promoting anything that makes e-cigarettes look bad. This paper is, if anything, a potential positive step for e-cigarettes. If the chemicals investigated in this paper are a problem, then they can be removed from the flavorings; investigation and regulation can work.
     
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  5. Spellbound Banned Valued Senior Member

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    The vast majority of smokers are not privy to the fact that nicotine does immediate damage to their brains and bodies because of its poisonous negative effects.
     
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  7. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    The vast majority of smokers don't actually give a damn. They appreciate nicotine's unusual psychoactive effect, which is as a mood leveler. If you're too down, a smoke will lift you up a bit. If you're too up, it will pull you down a bit. But on top of that, it has the remarkable property that you don't even have be in touch with yourself well enough to know which way you need to go, in order to reach equilibrium!

    No wonder it's the world's most popular psychoactive drug!
     
  8. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    There are a few people at work who vape. It really is becoming the thing among smokers.
     
  9. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    E-cigarette vapors could kill cells in mouth and increase risk for oral disease

    A new UCLA study suggests that e-cigarettes may not be significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes.
    The research, which was conducted on cultured cells, found that e-cigarettes contain toxic substances and nanoparticles that could kill the top layer of skin cells in the oral cavity.
    Based on their findings, the researchers believe that e-cigarettes could increase users' risk for oral disease.

    http://www.thebiph.org/blog/e-cigar...s-in-mouth-and-increase-risk-for-oral-disease

    Study: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154447
     
  10. PhysBang Valued Senior Member

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    "The UCLA research team, led by Dr. Shen Hu, an associate professor of oral biology and medicine at the UCLA School of Dentistry, took cell cultures from the outermost layer of the oral cavity and exposed the cells to two different brands of e-cigarette vapor for 24 hours."

    How long do these cells live?
     
  11. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    According to new study, electronic cigarette aerosols and copper nanoparticles induce mitochondrial stress and promote DNA fragmentation in lung fibroblasts.

    Highlights:
    • Mitochondria are sensitive to both E-cig aerosols and metal nanoparticles.
    • Increased mtROS by E-cig aerosol is associated with disrupted mitochondrial energy.
    • E-cig causes nuclear DNA fragmentation.
    • E-cig aerosols induce pro-inflammatory response in human fibroblasts.
    Oxidants or nanoparticles have recently been identified as constituents of aerosols released from various styles of electronic cigarettes (E-cigs). Cells in the lung may be directly exposed to these constituents and harbor reactive properties capable of incurring acute cell injury. Results of the study show mitochondria are sensitive to both E-cig aerosols and aerosol containing copper nanoparticles when exposed to human lung fibroblasts (HFL-1) using an Air-Liquid Interface culture system, evident by elevated levels of mitochondrial ROS (mtROS). Increased mtROS after aerosol exposure is associated with reduced stability of OxPhos electron transport chain (ETC) complex IV subunit and nuclear DNA fragmentation. Increased levels of IL-8 and IL-6 in HFL-1 conditioned media were also observed. These findings reveal both mitochondrial, genotoxic, and inflammatory stresses are features of direct cell exposure to E-cig aerosols which are ensued by inflammatory duress, raising a concern on deleterious effect of vaping.

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X16310270
     
  12. PhysBang Valued Senior Member

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    Bad sign in the actual scholarly article #1: "We used a rigorous/robust and unbiased approach throughout the experimental plans and during analyzing the results so as to ensure that our data are reproducible along with full, detailed reporting of both methods and raw/analyzed data."

    Who says this? Show, don't tell.

    Better: "
    All E-cig exposures were carried out with Lorillard Blu Classic Tobacco E-cig with 16 mg nicotine(Greensboro, NC). E-cig puffs were regulated with 4 s puffs every 30 s for various sessions (5 min, 10 min, 15 min, or 20 min) using a timer system programed through BASIC that controls a peripheralpower supply operating the lab pump (FMI, Syosset, NY) as previously described [4]. The lab pump was operated at 60% flow rate which is minimally sufficient to activate the E-cig and deliveraerosols through laboratory tubing into the ALI chamber."

    The effects for most everything look minimal, but I think I might have to spend more time on this one.
     
  13. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    E-cigarettes emit harmful chemicals, research suggests: Researchers found as e-cigarettes get hotter the more toxic emissions they give off

    E-cigarettes emit harmful chemicals with some models releasing more than others, according to a recent study.
    Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California found the disintegration of two solvents present in almost every e-liquid – the substance vaporised in e-cigarettes – leads to the emission of toxic chemicals, including acrolein - a severe eye and respiratory irritant – and formaldehyde – a cause of coughing, wheezing and nausea.
    The study found emissions of toxic chemicals escalate as e-cigarettes get hotter with use.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...ful-chemicals-research-suggests-a7159171.html

    Study: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b01741
     

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