A new study led by researchers at the UNC School of Medicine challenges the concept that vaping electronic cigarettes is less harmful than vaping traditional cigarettes.
In the study, which was published in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers examined the possibility of electronic cigarettes causing lung damage. In examining 14 current smokers of cigarettes and 15 users of electronic cigarettes, they found that while e-cigs have their own signature of harm in the lung that is similar to that of traditional cigarettes, they’re also unique in some ways.
In order to reach these findings, the researchers examined possible biomarkers of harm in human lungs.
The study’s senior author, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UNC School of Medicine Mehmet Kesimer, PhD, explained that while comparing e-cigs to cigarettes is reminiscent of “comparing apples to oranges,” the data derived from their research “shows that e-cigarettes have a signature of harm in the lung that is both similar to what we see in cigarette smokers and unique in other ways.”
“Comparing the harm of e-cigarettes with cigarettes is a little like comparing apples to oranges (…) Our data shows that e-cigarettes have a signature of harm in the lung that is both similar to what we see in cigarette smokers and unique in other ways. This research challenges the concept that switching to e-cigarettes is a healthier alternative.”
By his account, the study’s findings “suggest that in some ways using e-cigarettes could be just as bad as smoking cigarettes.”
Notably, the study’s limitations include the fact that some of the e-cigarette users examined, 5 of the 15 to be exact, indicated that they sometimes smoked cigarettes in addition to vaping. And 12 of them indicated that they smoked cigarettes in the past. Subsequently, there appears to be good reason to question the validity of the study’s findings.
What do you think, are electronic cigarettes less harmful than traditional cigarettes? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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