Sristi Raj Rai, Amity University Kolkata
Cigarettes are getting replaced by E-cigarettes or vaping devices where most of them are flavored. The flavorings are added to the E-liquid which also consists of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and nicotine usually. This liquid produces aerosol (vapor) when heated with the help of a battery. Vapors, when inhaled, enters the consumer’s lungs. Almost 90% of these products are manufactured in China and sold globally. Out of which, the maximum of the liquids is flavored. In order to do so, various chemicals are being added to enhance the taste, which is toxic to our lungs. The varying concentration and composition of the chemicals usually not listed on the bottle (found by mass spectrometry analysis) decides the degree of toxicity. Therefore, Dr. Miranda Ween and her team conducted a study to figure out the toxic levels for 10 different flavors used in these E-cigarettes. Apart from that they also studied how were the macrophages (immune cell) affected and how long they took to clear away bacteria.
The results from the study revealed that chocolate flavor killed almost all the cells and also blocked the macrophages unable to clear out the bacteria as compared to moderately toxic banana flavors. Though, these effects varied from brand to brand. The affected immune response makes the inhalers susceptible to lung infections. Observation suggests that high toxicity and immune cell dysfunctioning are caused by the ones containing high levels of benzene-rich chemicals used for flavoring. Moreover, abnormal immune response in the saliva was found in the vaping controls as opposed to non-vaping controls. Therefore, instead of banning the flavors, it’s better to test chemical concentration on lung cells for side-effects before incorporating them. Further funded research is required to test a variety of flavors that are available and what effects they impose on human health to calculate the risk involved.
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SOURCE – https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-vape-flavors-obscure-toxic-ingredients.html
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