Who knew?!
The folks who make e-cigarettes have always touted how their product is healthier than the real thing — you know, no burning tobacco smoke and all that junk.
But according to a study published Tuesday by the Harvard University School of Public Health, e-cigarettes aren’t as healthy as you might like to think!
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The study, published in the academic journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that the tasty flavors used in vaping can actually severely damage the lungs because of chemicals like diacetyl.
That word might sound familiar if you have a family member or friend who has ever worked in packaging microwaveable popcorn: diacetyl is the chemical that causes the form of bronchitis commonly known as “popcorn lung.”
Joseph Allen, one of the researchers who published the study, said of the troubling flavor chemicals found in e-cigs:
“We selected 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes sold by leading e-cigarette brands and flavors we deemed were appealing to youth. At least one flavoring chemical was detected in 47 of 51 unique flavors tested. Diacetyl was detected above the laboratory limit of detection 39 of the 51 flavors tested.”
Whoa!!!
Popcorn lung is no joke, either; the disease causes shortness of breath and continuous coughing, and gets steadily worse until the point where it can be debilitating for those exposed.
Obviously, the fact that e-cigs may be pumping that chemical straight into your lungs is… not good.
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Dr. Gina Lundberg, a heart specialist at Emory University — who was not involved in the study — also commented on the findings and the cultural perception that vaping is safe:
“[Popcorn lung] is a horrible disease and nobody wants it. I really think it’s important to find out whether [vaping] is safe. I am surprised how many people in the 45 to 55 category are vaping. I have friends who are nurses and doctors that are doing it, and there is really this perception that it’s fine.”
The study also found other chemicals present in e-cigarettes — 2,3-pentanedione, also known as acetylpropionyl, and acetoin — that have been shown to cause lung and brain damage in lab studies.
Scary!!!
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It’s almost as if filling your lungs with weird, foreign chemical smoke — whether through a “real” cigarette or its electronic counterpart — is damaging to your body.
Huh.
Who knew?!
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