Are e-cigs without nicotine bad for you?
Do you smoke e-cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes have now become more common and popular as compared to regular cigarettes. It is for this reason that it is so important to be aware of their side effects. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the usage of e-cigarettes by young adults has raised concerns amongst both parents and health officials.
A team of researchers authorized by the department revealed their findings that nicotine, whether it is in the form of an e-cigarette or a regular one, is harmful to the lungs. Nicotine used in e-cigarettes can still cause constriction of blood vessels in the lungs, dryness in the mouth, and addiction. It is just the other toxic oxides that were present in a regular cigarette that may be absent from an electronic one.
The loss of the integrity of endothelial cells inside the lungs is considered to contribute to other side effects such as lung injury and inflammation. All these can still be caused as a result of e-cigarette usage.
Are nicotine-free e-cigarettes as harmless as they pretend to be?
Interestingly enough, when the effects of nicotine-free e-cigarettes were brought to observation, it was noted that even though the cigarettes were labeled nicotine-free, there could be no proof that they were. Since e-cigarettes are yet to gain FDA oversight, most brands do not reveal the content of the e-liquid contained inside an e-cigarette.
Furthermore, it was brought to the knowledge of the researchers that the cigarettes that contained zero nicotine content still contained lung-harming substances such as acrolein. This particular substance was noted to be present in both cigarettes and vapors, making it all the more harmful. Acrolein is considered to be the substance that attacks the molecules of the lungs that are responsible for holding the endothelial cells together.
The lead researcher Irina Petrache, Ph.D., said
that the effects that are known as yet are just short-term side effects of the
use of e-cigarettes, and we are still unaware of what the future might hold for
long-term users. In light of the side effects that have been uncovered, it can
only be imagined that the future is not going to yield positive results.