There have been a few articles and e-cig studies recently causing some vapers to question whether e-cigarettes are just as unsafe as tobacco cigarettes. Some published results raised potential concerns that e-cigarettes compromise lung immune systems and function, and that they generate the same potentially dangerous chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes.
Evidence-Based Vaping Research
Though they don’t get quite the same coverage in the press, there have been numerous studies that equally show that e-cigarettes do not cause a substantial change in lung function. This study from 2013 demonstrates exactly that, and all of the test subjects were using vaporizers in the way people actually use them, rather than unrealistic, or accelerated laboratory conditions.
The purpose of this particular study was:
To conduct the first comprehensive and standardized assessment of the acute impact of active and passive e-cigarette smoking on serum cotinine and lung function, as compared to active and passive tobacco cigarette smoking.
The e-cig study used 30 people – 15 smokers and 15 never smokers – and completed a repeated-measures, controlled study. They concluded that:
Regarding short-term usage, the studied e-cigarettes generate smaller changes in lung function but similar nicotinergic impact to tobacco cigarettes. Future research should target the health effects of long-term e-cigarette usage, including the effects of nicotine dosage.
In plain terms, the study showed that e-cigarettes were giving smokers the level of nicotine they desired, while not causing the massive changes in lung function resulting from tobacco cigarettes.
As an e-cigarette company, we love and embrace evidence-based research. We never stop researching – it’s what we have to do to be at the cutting edge of the industry, to produce top-of-the-line products and to keep our customers well informed. We even have an entire blog category that is devoted to vaping news, science and regulations.
Do A Little E-cig Research of Your Own
The vaping industry is an area that is in urgent need of evidence-based regulation that could help smokers in their search for potentially safer alternative to tobacco products. Before you get too worried about the next apocalyptic headline about the dangers of e-cigs, do a little research of your own. We bring information to you as often and as quickly as we can, but these days – with e-cig opposition being a new media darling – read between the click-bait to see if the story passes the sniff test.
The FDA just finished their second e-cigarette workshop, and they are clearly following a step-wise regulation process, which is encouraging. They appear to be considering science and evidence, but as we recently noted, their final outcome is still very unclear. The best thing for all of us to do is to pay attention to science-based data so we can all be informed consumers and advocates for the vaping industry.