Study finds e-cigarette liquid can release hundreds of toxic chemicals when inhaled – National

A new study conducted in Ireland has found that flavored e-cigarettes can produce more than 100 toxic chemicals that can cause immediate harm when inhaled.

vaping The product works by heating chemicals to high temperatures to form an aerosol that is inhaled. This research Nature Wednesday, used artificial intelligence See how the chemicals in 180 different vape flavors change when heated and affect the human body.

It noted that the chemicals used in e-liquids tend to come from food or cosmetics and are not specifically developed for use in e-cigarettes. According to Health Canada, the mixture is most commonly made using vegetable glycerin.

When these chemicals are inhaled into the lungs and heated to high temperatures, “unknown secondary chemicals” are produced, the study said.

The researchers' AI tools classified these unknown chemicals and found approximately 127 acute toxins, 153 health hazards, and 225 irritants in the e-cigarette products studied.

Acute toxins are described as harmful chemicals that cause immediate harmful effects after a single dose of the substance.

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Study author Donal O'Shea said it was shocking that people were exposed to a huge number of “health-damaging chemicals” every time they vaped.

“What we're saying is that when you heat chemicals, they tend to change into different chemicals that you shouldn't breathe into your lungs,” O'Shea told Global News.

He said exposure to acutely toxic chemicals creates a high risk of causing “immediate serious injury” if the dose is large enough.

Previous research has also found that some flavored e-cigarette products produce dangerous chemicals. From 2017 to 2019, Health Canada researchers Approximately 22 chemicals have been detected in e-cigarette products sold in Canada.

US Research published in April We found that e-cigarettes can increase the risk of exposure to lead, uranium, and cadmium, which can cause systemic harm, especially in young people.

Exposure to these toxins was associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and cancers of the nasopharynx, lung, breast, pancreas, prostate, and bladder.

Despite a slight decline in youth e-cigarette usage rates, data released last year revealed that Canadian teens still own some e-cigarettes. Ta. Highest rate of e-cigarette use worldwide.

Given the large number of e-cigarette devices and flavors on the global market, it would take scientists a very long time to track all the chemicals they produce, O'Shea said. That's why his team decided to use his AI to estimate the chemical composition of 180 flavors by simulating how they break down when heated at high temperatures. This process is called thermally induced pyrolysis.

We found that almost every flavor analyzed by AI had at least one product classified as a health hazard.

“The accumulation of these toxins, even at very low doses over many years, can cause damage to the lungs at a cellular level, and depending on the compound itself, it can cause damage beyond the lungs. “The damage just accumulates slowly and leads to the progression of various diseases,” O'Shea says.

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In 2021, the federal government of Canada: ban most e-cig flavors Reformulate existing flavors using ingredients approved by Health Canada.

Although these regulations have not yet materialized, flavored e-cigarettes are already banned in five states and territories: quebecNew Brunswick, P.E.I., Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories.

In an email to Global News on Friday, Health Canada said Canadians will have access to information about e-cigarettes in line with recent regulations. Nature Please study on the website.

“Consistent with recently published scientific research, Health Canada's website warns Canadians that there is no harm or potential for harm from vaping aerosols produced during the heating of vaping liquids. We are warning you that chemicals may be generated.

The agency says e-cigarette use is still less harmful than cigarettes.

“Young people and people who do not use tobacco products should not vape because e-cigarettes are not harmless.”

The research team from the RCSI School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin concluded their study by saying they hope their findings will be used as a useful public health resource.

“Because e-cigarettes represent an unprecedented new stress on the human body and can produce pyrolysis products that are more toxic than the parent compounds, it is wise to strictly limit the number of chemicals in the e-liquid. ,” the study states.

Mr O'Shea, who is also a professor of chemistry at the RCSI, said political leaders around the world needed to “take up the task of introducing some regulation”.

He says there's only so much parents can do to prevent young people from vaping.

“I think there really needs to be some regulation as to what chemicals are in[e-cigarettes]and I also recognize that e-cigarettes have never really been tested for this type of use. “We're working hard,” O'Shea said.

“So, as adults and as politicians, we have to take some responsibility to prevent teenagers from falling into their hands, rather than telling them they shouldn't.” .”

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