A small study has found the first evidence that vaping can damage how effectively the lungs process oxygen, suggesting e-cigarette users face a greater risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition where the lungs lose the ability to properly move oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide.
The research, published online in the journal Tobacco Control, involved 22 vapers aged 21 to 35 who were tested for lung function and then retested after an average of 12 months. Participants performed worse for lung function after vaping, and as they vaped more, their lung function worsened. Scientists say this is the first evidence of "dose dependent" harm linked to e-cigarettes, which are promoted as a quitting tool for smokers by the NHS.
What the Study Found
Participants were tested for forced expiratory volume (Fev1), which measures how much air can be blown out of the lungs in one breath in one second, and forced vital capacity, the total volume of air expelled during forced exhalation. Tests were conducted between 9am and 11am, some 12 hours after using any tobacco product.
The researchers from Florida International University in Miami said the findings "provide the first indicator of the potential of prolonged e-cigarette use to have persistent and clinically important cumulative effects" on lung health.
Expert Reactions and Limitations
Study author Dr Wasim Maziak said: "As the e-cigarette epidemic gains more years, it is important to assess its long-term health effects on defining health outcomes such as COPD." He added that in the absence of a large study of long-term users, it is necessary to extrapolate the effects of chronic vapor exposure from short to medium-term exposure.
Researchers noted that their findings need larger-scale studies to confirm harm and that they did not have a tobacco-free comparison group. Prof Lion Shahab, director of the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at University College London, said participants could have smoked up to five cigarettes in the previous month, and past or recent smoking could have contributed to any changes in lung function. He also noted the small group of volunteers makes it hard to know whether the findings apply more broadly.
Dr Clare McVicker, head of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said: "You should only vape if it helps you quit smoking. While vaping is less harmful than smoking, it isn't harmless and vaping shouldn't be your final destination. Vaping is especially harmful to children and young people, whose lungs are still developing. More research is needed to understand the long-term risks of vaping."
Smoking has traditionally been the main risk factor for COPD, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, though most people can manage the condition and live with it for many years. NHS chiefs insist the available evidence shows vaping is much less harmful than tobacco but that people who have never smoked should not take it up.
