NOS News•today, 1:46 PM
When using vapes, electronic cigarettes, toxic metals are released that, through inhalation, end up deep in the lungs and then into the body. This is evident from new American research. That means vaping doesn’t just damage the respiratory system; the brain and organs can also be affected.
It was already suspected that metals are released when vaping, but how much ends up in the body was not known. According to the study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, vaping increases the risk of exposure to lead, uranium and cadmium.
Exposure to heavy metals can cause permanent damage in young people, not only with long-term use, but also in the short term, the researchers warn.
According to them, exposure to metals such as lead and cadmium can lead to cognitive disorders, behavioral disorders and respiratory complications in children. Lead mainly affects the heart and blood vessels and the brain, cadmium is associated with various types of cancer.
NOS Stories already investigated the dangers of vaping two years ago:
Despite the health risks, its popularity worldwide has risen sharply in the past five years. “Sometimes I think: how much more do we need to convince everyone that vapes are really very unhealthy?”, asks pediatric pulmonologist Noor Rikkers of the Leiden LUMC in the NOS Radio 1 News.
Filament
The metals on which this new research focuses mainly come from the filament that ensures that the liquid in the e-cigarette evaporates. “We already knew that these metals are released, but this study showed it in the urine of young people who vape. With more vaping, we also see more heavy metals in the urine.”
It’s not just the metals that cause problems. The e-liquid, the liquid in the vape, contains nicotine, which also has a harmful effect on brain development. In addition, there are still many liquids with sweet or fruity flavors in circulation, although their sale has been banned in the Netherlands since January 1.
The research shows that sweet flavors – popular among young people – in particular cause extra damage. Users of those flavors appeared to have more uranium in their bodies. Rikkers: “That is also a heavy metal that is very harmful. Enforcing that ban is therefore very important.”
It has long been clear that vaping is bad, certainly no better than cigarettes.
Rikkers emphasizes that the damage to the brain caused by nicotine, for example, is in many cases irreversible and that people can suffer consequences for the rest of their lives.
“We occasionally see young people end up in intensive care with serious breathing problems due to vaping. But I am more concerned about the silent damage to the brains of young people. Relatively little is known about the long-term consequences, because vapes have not been around for very long. exist. In 20, 30 years we will know much more. But it has long been clear that it is bad, certainly not better than cigarettes.”
Why is vaping so popular, and does that popularity only seem to be increasing? This is mainly due to the successful lobby of the manufacturers, Rikkers thinks. “Ten years ago, there was a British study that claimed vaping was 95 percent less harmful than smoking. That claim was not based on scientific fact and some researchers appeared to have ties to the vaping industry. Yet that story is very persistent. “
Additionally, vapes often contain more nicotine than cigarettes. “Many vapes contain more nicotine than one or two packs of cigarettes. That makes it very addictive. In addition, there are young people who also start smoking in addition to vaping, which causes even more damage.”
Smoke-free generation
She would prefer to see the government, like in New Zealand and the UK, restrict the sale of nicotine. “We must move towards a nicotine-free generation, where children born after 2011 can no longer legally obtain vapes or cigarettes. That would also mean an enormous relief for healthcare.”
Some social organizations are trying to get the idea on the agenda of the House of Representatives with the citizens’ initiative Nicotinee, which still requires about 6,000 signatures.
The plan should take effect from 2030, when children born in 2012 turn 18. In 2018, the government and social institutions agreed in the National Prevention Agreement to strive for a smoke-free generation by 2040.
