Vaping may not be any safer than tobacco smoking, according to a recent study by a group of UNC scientists. Released earlier this month, the study summarized the effects vaping has on smokers' lungs.
The group conducted research by performing bronchoscopies on subjects including non-smokers, cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users — including e-cigarette users who did and did not previously smoke tobacco.
The results from the study show that vaping caused an increase in proteolysis, or protein degradation, which can lead to bronchiectasis and emphysema — two lung conditions that can cause difficulty breathing.
The scientists concluded that vaping can have an impact on the body similar to that of tobacco products, as proteolysis has also occurred in the lungs of cigarette smokers.
Robert Tarran, a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and member of the Marsico Lung Institute at the UNC School of Medicine, led the study. Other scientists involved were Arunava Ghosh, Raymond Coakley, Andrew Ghio, Marianne Muhlebach, Charles Esther Jr. and Neil Alexis.
“Dr. Ghosh did most of the actual bench work measuring proteases,” Dr. Tarran said. "Dr. Esther measured nicotine levels in vapers lungs and blood, and Dr. Alexis coordinated the sample collection.”
Dr. Arunava Ghosh said the human body cannot physically handle the amount of nicotine that is inhaled through the use of e-cigarettes. The large variety of flavors available for vaping has also increased e-cigarette use because it "tastes good." This has resulted in individuals developing nicotine addictions that can be dangerous for their bodies.
Dr. Tarran was prompted to dig deeper when he noticed an absence of research on the effects of vaping, and said he plans to do more research on this topic in the future.
“We just scratched the tip of the iceberg,” Dr. Tarran said. “We will try to do a second study where we do it on a bigger scale and try to replicate it.”
