The recent rise in acute lung diseases related to vaping has deepened concerns about device safety. E-cigarettes were intended to help smokers quit traditional cigarettes by providing a way to satisfy a nicotine addiction without the deadly toxins that come from burning tobacco.
But recently, vaping among teens exploded and large numbers of young people who had never smoked started using e-cigarettes. Now a wave of lung diseases has been unleashed, some "chemicals" are believed to be involved as the cause, but they have not identified a single "device, product or substance" responsible.
Medical experts warned the public about the dangers of 'vaping' and discouraged the use of the devicesas the number of people with severe vaping-related lung disease more than doubled, to 450 possible cases in 33 entities in the United States and the number of deaths increased to five.
On September 10 it was published in the British Medical Journal Article "Outbreak of pulmonary diseases linked to vaping", Where they warn that the use of these electronic cigarettes is not a harmless activity.
The main clinical features include respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Some cases also include gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea), as well as nonspecific constitutional symptoms (fatigue, fever, or weight loss). All cases reported using e-cigarettes before the onset of symptoms.
Till the date, much of the literature on the health effects of vaping has focused on the relative risk compared to smoking. There is a strong consensus that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, and smokers who switch exclusively to vaping have the potential to decrease some health risks, however, there is less consensus on the absolute risks of vaping among non-smokers.
The most e-cigarettes emit numerous potentially toxic substances, although the extent to which long-term exposure to these substances is a health hazard is unknown.
As was the case with cigarette smoking, 10 to 20 years are likely to pass before sufficient epidemiological data emerge, given the time lapse between the start of regular use and the onset of chronic disease.
There are circumstances of the outbreak where it is suggested that recent cases of lung disease are likely to be the result of faulty devices or contaminants in the vaporizing substances., rather than the general effects of the vaporizer. This is because in the first place, although vaping has been prevalent for most of the last decade, this is the first time that it has been associated with an outbreak of lung disease. Second, the outbreak appears to be limited to the US, with no evidence of similar cases in other countries where vaporizer use is comparable, such as Canada and the UK. If acute lung disease were a common adverse effect of vaping, we would expect cases to be more widely distributed, over time and in other jurisdictions.
One of the challenges in assessing the outbreak is the lack of clarity regarding the types of vaping products used by affected patients.
This lack of clarity underscores the extraordinary range of vaping devices on the market.From the conventional electronic cigarette, products manufactured by large multinational companies, to products manufactured by small companies, many of which are modified by users to alter performance.
Additionally, many of the patients reported lung symptoms after vaping tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabis oils, rather than nicotine fluids. THC oils are widely available on the legal and illegal cannabis markets in the form of 'vapor pens', as well as cartridges and liquids that can be used in e-cigarette devices, and a recent report suggests the presence of Vitamin Acetate E, which is commonly used in food supplements and topical creams, but could be dangerous if inhaled.
These preliminary findings highlight potential differences in the toxicity of substances when inhaled into the lungs compared to other routes of administration, such as oral ingestion.
Overall, the outbreak highlights the importance of product standards in minimizing the excessive risk of vaping due to poor manufacturing processes or contaminants - standards that have yet to be fully implemented in many countries.
Although vaping is less harmful than smoking and can play an important role in reducing the harms of tobacco use, this outbreak also serves as a reminder that vaping is not a benign activity.
Fountain: The New York Times
Article: "Outbreak of pulmonary diseases linked to vaping". British Medical Journal.
Via UNAM Global
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