Electronic cigarettes are being marketed as a potentially safer alternative to
normal cigarettes, but new research has shown that they are still causing harm
to the lungs. The study has also added new evidence to the debate over the safety of
alternative nicotine-delivery products. Electronic cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through a vapour, rather
than smoke. There is no combustion involved but the nicotine in the device is
still derived from tobacco. There has been much debate over the safety and
efficiency of the products, but little scientific evidence to support either
claim. Electronic cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through a vapour, rather
than smoke. There is no combustion involved but the nicotine in the device is
still derived from tobacco. There has been much debate over the safety and
efficiency of the products, but little scientific evidence to support either
claim.
The study included 8 people who had never smoked and 24 smokers, 11 with normal
lung function and 13 people with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) or asthma. Each person used an electronic cigarette for 10 minutes. The researchers then
measured their airway resistance using a number of tests, including a spirometry
test. The results showed that for all people included in the study, the e-cigarette
caused an immediate increase in airway resistance, lasting for 10 minutes. In
healthy subjects (never smokers) there was a statistically significant increase
in airway resistance from a mean average of 182 percent to 206 percent.
