E-cigarettes (also known as vapes) put nicotine into your lungs and bloodstream. But they also heat other chemicals that can harm you. Lung doctors are still learning about the long-term health effects of vaping. So far, research suggests that it can cause irritants like vitamin E acetate and even some toxic chemicals like diacetyl or formaldehyde to build up in your lungs.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug that, when inhaled from cigarettes, causes the heart to beat faster and increases blood pressure. It also causes the brain to release the adrenaline hormone, activating the body’s “fight or flight” response. Does vaping cause cancer? Several studies indicate that nicotine stimulates cancer cells to grow, invade surrounding tissue, and cause genetic mutations. It has been discovered that nicotine can promote the formation of new blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to tumors, as well as remove waste products from the cell. This could be why some malignant tumors, even years after initial treatment, reoccur after chemotherapy. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the U.S. Surgeon General’s office have both found that smoking cigarettes is linked to lung, upper aerodigestive tract, pancreas, bladder, kidney, cervix, and colorectal cancers.
Additionally, smoking is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. E-cigarette vapor may contain harmful substances such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, and diacetyl. Research has shown that e-cigarettes may contain up to 15 times more formaldehyde than traditional cigarettes. Inhaling these chemicals can irritate the lungs and interfere with producing immune-boosting white blood cells, increasing the risk of bronchitis, bronchiolitis obliterans, bronchiectasis, primary spontaneous pneumothorax, and other lung conditions.
E-Liquid
When people use e-cigarettes, they inhale nicotine and other chemicals into their lungs. The liquid that fills these devices, called e-liquid, may have ingredients such as sugar and flavorings. It also may contain chemicals like formaldehyde and acrolein, which are dangerous when inhaled. These chemicals can disrupt your body’s normal functions, which can increase your risk of disease and death. For example, acrolein can reduce lung function by irritating the smallest airways in your lungs. The chemical also can cause lipoid pneumonia, which is caused by aerosolized fatty acids that enter your lungs and damage the tissue. Another vaping-related complication is a fungal infection in your lungs called aspergillosis, which can be difficult to treat. Vitamin E acetate, which is used to enhance the flavor of some e-liquids, can trigger a lung injury called e-cigarette-associated lung injury or EVALI. It is an inflammation that affects the lungs’ smallest airways, leading to coughing and shortness of breath. The CDC also reports that long-term vaping increases the risk of developing bronchiolitis obliterans, a chronic disease that causes permanent scarring in the lungs; bronchiectasis, which is when the bronchial tubes become inflamed and narrow; and a life-threatening respiratory condition called bullous emphysema, which involves the formation of blister-like areas (bullae) in your lungs that make it hard to breathe.
Other Toxins
In addition to nicotine, e-liquids contain other chemicals that can be harmful. These toxins can cause a range of symptoms and illnesses, from immediate poisonings such as nausea, stomachache or diarrhea to long-term effects such as damage to the immune, reproductive or nervous systems and cancer. Some of these toxins are found naturally in foods, such as from molds that grow on plants or through infection of animals by toxic bacteria such as staphylococcus enterotoxins (SEB). Human industrial processes can create others. Many toxins are known or suspected human carcinogens, and some are proven to cause cancer in humans. Whether or not a person gets cancer depends on the type and amount of exposure to toxins, how they affect their body and how quickly their cells grow out of control. It can take years for cancerous cells to develop into a tumor, and even then, the cancer may not show any symptoms until the patient is very sick. Cancerous cells also usually have different characteristics from normal cells and grow into surrounding tissues faster. The cancerous tissue can grow into the bloodstream and spread to other body parts. It’s too early to know if vaping increases the risk of lung disease or cancer in people who are not smokers, but studies have shown that some of the flavorings used in e-liquid can react with base liquids and form dangerous chemical compounds. For example, the chemical diacetyl – added to some buttery and popcorn flavors – can damage small lung passageways.
Vaping and Lung Cancer
While we don’t know if vaping causes cancer, there’s plenty of evidence that it harms your lungs. This is true whether you smoke tobacco or use a device (called a vape pen, mod or vaporizer) that’s used to inhale marijuana or another substance like CBD oil. The vapor you breathe contains nicotine and other chemicals that can irritate your lungs, nose or throat. Those include aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, formaldehyde and heavy metals. A recent study found that e-cigarettes emit 15 times the amount of formaldehyde than traditional cigarettes. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen that can cause lung, mouth and bladder cancer. Vaping can also lead to other serious health problems. For example, it increases your risk of developing bronchitis, bronchiectasis, bullous emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It can even cause a condition known as popcorn lung, which scars and narrows tiny air passageways in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Research is ongoing, and it may be a while before we understand the long-term effects of vaping on the lungs. In the meantime, it’s important to stop smoking or using vaping devices if you are one of the millions of people who have turned to them as an aid in quitting smoking. If you need help, talk to your doctor or a trained quit coach.