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Category Archives: Vaping
Vaping can increase susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV-2 – UC Riverside
Posted: March 2, 2024 at 2:26 pm
Vapers are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that spreads COVID-19 and continues to infect people around the world, a University of California, Riverside, study has found.
The liquid used in electronic cigarettes, called e-liquid, typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and flavor chemicals. The researchers found propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin alone or along with nicotine enhanced COVID-19 infection through different mechanisms.
Study results appear in the American Journal of Physiology.
The researchers also found that the addition of benzoic acid to e-liquids prevents the infection caused by propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and nicotine.
Users who vape aerosols produced from propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin alone or e-liquids with a neutral to basic pH are more likely to be infected by the virus, while users who vape aerosols made from e-liquids with benzoic acid an acidic pH will have the same viral susceptibility as individuals who do not vape, said Rattapol Phandthong, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and the research papers first author.
The researchers obtained airway stem cells from human donors to produce a 3D tissue model of human bronchial epithelium. They then exposed the tissues to JUUL and BLU electronic cigarette aerosols to study the effect on SARS-CoV-2 infection. They found all tissues showed an increase in the amount of ACE2, a host cell receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Further, TMPRSS2, an enzyme essential for the virus to infect cells, was found to show increased activity in tissues exposed to aerosols with nicotine.
Prue Talbot, a professor of the graduate division and Phandthongs advisor, said e-cigarette users should be cautious about vaping as some products will increase their susceptibility to SARs-CoV-2 infection.
It would probably be best for vapers to quit vaping for the protection of their health and to stop nicotine dependency, she said. If they cannot stop vaping, it is better to vape aerosols produced from an e-liquid with acidic pH or with benzoic acid to prevent the enhanced SARS-CoV-2 infection caused by nicotine, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin. However, inhalation of benzoic acid has its own risk, and data is still limited on this topic.
The researchers acknowledge that the relationship between e-cigarettes and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility is complex.
The complexity is attributed to a wide range of available e-liquids, the chemical composition of each e-liquid, and different models of e-cigarettes, Phandthong said. Our study only used Classic Tobacco Flavor JUUL e-cigarette and BLU Classic Tobacco e-cigarette. Even with just these two e-cigarettes, we found the aerosols and individual ingredients produced different effects on SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Phandthong and Talbot hope the Food and Drug Administration will use their findings to implement regulatory laws on e-cigarette products.
Our findings could also help improve the design of clinical trials involving the use of tobacco products and SARS-CoV-2 infection, Phandthong said. In the meantime, it is worth bearing in mind that the scientific literature has shown that a vaper who contracted SARS-CoV-2 has more complications during the recovery period and is more likely to develop long COVID-19, which can be serious and last many months post-infection. We hope our findings encourage vapers to stop vaping and discourage non-users from starting to vape.
Phandthong acknowledged the team only investigated the initial stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
There are many later stages involved in infection, such as viral replication, he said. It is likely that these additional stages can also be affected by inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols.
Phandthong and Talbot were joined in the study by Man Wong, Ann Song, and Teresa Martinez.
The research was funded by grants from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Tobacco Products of the Food and Drug Administration, and California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
The research paper is titled Does vaping increase the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection? Paradoxically yes and no.
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As youth vaping skyrockets, SC bill aims to crack down on sales of illegal e-cigs – News From The States
Posted: at 2:26 pm
COLUMBIA In Oconee County, dozens of illegal e-cigarettes are confiscated from students weekly, tallying to potentially thousands in the past three years, estimates school security director Evie Hughes.
I dont believe you can go into a bathroom in a middle or high school and not get a vape, Hughes told the SC Daily Gazette. It is an epidemic among kids.
A bipartisan proposal sent Thursday to the Senate floor aims to cut down on the number of vapes being sold to children, who could be inhaling much more than nicotine.
The fruity- or candy-flavored e-cigarettes that have caused vaping by youth to skyrocket are already illegal. Only e-cigarettes that taste like tobacco or menthol are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and theyre generally marketed as a way to help adults quit smoking.
The problem is that the colorful, disposable vapes made in China (and often disguised as something else) have poured into the United States since shortly before Chinese regulators banned selling the flavors there in 2022.
U.S. authorities cant keep up. The FDA announced its first seizure of illegal e-cigarette shipments in December. The 1.4 million products seized at the Los Angeles airport all from China were worth $18 million, according to the announcement.
South Carolina is among states acting on their own to try to stop the escalating flow to youth in their borders.
This is about the children and their futures, said Senate President Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla.
His bill, which received a rare unanimous vote by all 17 senators on the Medical Affairs Committee, would create a registry of vapes that are legal to sell in South Carolina. Products not on the registry, created and maintained by the attorney generals office, could be seized from wholesalers and retailers.
Makers and distributors of vapes not on the approved list must remove them from stores statewide or face fines of $1,000 per day per product.
The sweet-smelling, brightly colored vapes senators are trying to get off shelves come in flavors like wild cherry, bubblegum and cotton candy. The packing can look like makeup brushes, highlighters and flash drives, making them easy to conceal in a students book bag or pockets, said Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.
Its clear from the colors and shapes of these that these are being marketed to children, said Hutto, among 15 co-sponsors of the bill.
As a show-and-tell of the problem, Alexander brought dozens of e-cigarettes confiscated from Oconee County students over the past several weeks.
Hughes said 30 to 50 vapes are taken from students in the districts 18 schools each week.
In South Carolina, 47% of high school students reported vaping in 2020, according to the latest stats available from the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. It could be much higher now.
Nationwide, theres been a 2,600% rocket-fueled-like surge since 2019 in high schoolers who vape choosing disposables, with fruity flavors being by far the most popular, followed by candy flavors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Like regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes contain nicotine. And disposable vapes generally have a high nicotine content. The addictive drug is particularly harmful to young people whose brains are still developing, as it can affect their attention spans, mood, impulse control and ability to learn, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vapor has also been linked to lung damage and seizures, according to the FDA.
And thats what can happen with regulated vapes.
Theres no telling whats in illegal, unregulated vapes coming from China, senators said.
Some have THC, the psychoactive drug found in marijuana. Senators said they worry many could be laced with highly deadly drugs like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than morphine thats also pouring in from China. Fentanyl-laced vapes have already been reported in other states.
Under South Carolinas bill, the registry would have to be in place by Sept. 1.
Four other states Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin already have similar registries. Virginia is expected to be the fifth with a bill passed by its Legislature this week.
Alexanders bill has the backing of not only legislators of both parties but educators and law enforcement.
It would put the State Law Enforcement Division, the attorney generals office and the Department of Revenue in charge of enforcement.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said his deputies are busy with murders, break-ins and other serious crimes. They dont have time to check what products stores have on their shelves, he said.
We could spend all our time going to stores, Lott said.
The registry would make it easier for the state to crack down on sales, said Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, who spoke in support of the bill at a recent subcommittee meeting.
Getting enforcement into place is key, said Rickenmann, adding hes heard from parents and teachers.
In Oconee County, students caught with vapes have to go through an eight-week course on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Instead of deterring students, though, the strict punishments have led to teens getting sneakier about hiding their vapes, Hughes said.
It feels like were fighting a war, but right now were losing the battle, Hughes said.
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Whether anti-vaping activists like it or not, vaping helps smokers quit – OCRegister
Posted: at 2:26 pm
Whether anti-vaping activists like it or not, vaping helps smokers quit OCRegister
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Adults in England wrongly think vaping is worse than smoking – study – Euronews
Posted: at 2:26 pm
Vaping is not risk-free but is less harmful than cigarette smoking, according to the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
More than half of smokers in England inaccurately think that vaping is more or as harmful as cigarette smoking, according to a new study.
The study included survey responses from more than 28,000 smokers in England between 2014 and 2023.
Some 57 per cent of respondents thought vaping was more or equally as harmful as smoking, while 27 per cent thought e-cigarettes were more harmful.
The risks of vaping are much lower than the risks of smoking and this isnt being clearly communicated to people, said Sarah Jackson, lead author and principal research fellow at University College London.
This misperception is a health risk in and of itself, as it may discourage smokers from substantially reducing their harm by switching to e-cigarettes."
"It may also encourage some young people who use e-cigarettes to take up smoking for the first time, if they believe the harms are comparable," she added.
The findings were published in Jama Network Open and funded by Cancer Research UK.
The researchers also found that the perception of e-cigarettes has worsened over time. In 2014, only 11 per cent of smokers said they were more harmful than cigarettes.
The researchers said this view increased amid reports in the US of lung injuriesassociated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products.
Laboratory data, however, showed that the cases were linked to vitamin E acetate, an additive in THC-containing e-cigarette or vaping products, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).
The study's authors said that more research is needed into the factors that caused people to think vaping was more or as harmful as smoking.
According to the National Health Service (NHS), nicotine vaping is not risk-free but is "substantially less harmful than smoking".
"We only recommend it for adult smokers, to support quitting smoking and staying quit," the NHS added.
There have been concerns about the rise in vaping among young people especially. One study in the US found that some 14 per cent of high school students reported e-cigarette use and that many did not know that vaping products contain nicotine.
The CDC also notes that young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to start smoking.
The UK is banning the sale and supply of disposable vapes due to their appeal to young people, including colourful packaging.
"The number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years and there is strong evidence to suggest that cheap and easy-to-use disposable vapes are partly to blame," the government said.
One limitation of the UCL study was that only current adult smokers were asked about their perception of e-cigarettes so the researchers were "unable to explore changes among nonsmokers or youth".
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Adults in England wrongly think vaping is worse than smoking - study - Euronews
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Iowa vaping bill draws opponents from retailers, health care groups – Southernminn.com
Posted: at 2:26 pm
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Young people lead vaping and use of some illicit drugs soar – Cosmos
Posted: at 2:26 pm
In concerning news a new survey shows rates of current e-cigarette use and vaping in Australia have tripled since 2019 from 2.5% to 7.0% of people.
The data comes from the results of the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS).
More than 21,000 people across Australia took part in the survey, produced by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), in 2022 and 2023.
Vaping was most common among people aged 1824, with current use increasing substantially between 2019 (5.3%) and 20222023 (21%), says AIHW spokesperson Dr Gabrielle Phillips.
The proportion of all people who have used an e-cigarette at least once in their lifetime has also increased significantly to 19.8% from 11.3% in 2019.
But that number jumps in young adults aged 1824 to almost half (49%).
Episode 2 of the Cosmos: Debunks podcast series on vices, we learned that while we know about the long-term health impacts of smoking tobacco, the effect of vaping wont be fully understood until decades down the line.
The 2022-2023 NDSHS was conducted before new regulations on vapes and e-cigarettes including restriction on importation of vapes except for therapeutic purposes came into effect in early 2024.
The report also provides insights into the use of other drugs including tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substances in Australia.
In promising news, the proportion of people who smoke daily continues to drop from 24% in 1991 to 8.3% in 2022-2023 while the proportion of those who have never smoked continues to increase from 49% in 1991 to 65% in 2022-2023.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Australia, so its encouraging that we continue to see a decrease in the use of tobacco by people in Australia, says Phillips.
But Phillips says that, despite updated guidelines to reduce alcohol-related harms, the proportion of people in Australia who drink alcohol at risky levels has not changed since 2019.
Alcohol still remains the most commonly used drug in Australia, with 77% of Australians reporting they consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months.
And while almost half (47%) of Australians have used an illicit drug in their lifetime, about 1 in 5 (18%) have done so in the past 12 months.
This recent use of many illicit drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, has remained stable between 2019 and 2022-2023. However, from 2019 to 2022-2023:
Dr Stephen Bright, aSenior Lecturer in Addictionat Edith Cowan University, says the survey shows several interesting trends in drug use.
Australians continue to be one of the worlds highest consumers of cocaine, yet there is little public awareness about the use of this drug since it is perceived to be an upper-class drug despite the significant impact that the production of the drug and trafficking has on the South American rainforest and indigenous communities, he says.
Use of psychedelic drugs has significantly increased making them the third most popular illegal drugs in Australia after cannabis and cocaine. The increased popularity of psychedelic drugs is likely due to increased media hype regarding the potential for these drugs to be used to treat mental health conditions.
To access free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, phone the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline 1800 250 015
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Young people lead vaping and use of some illicit drugs soar - Cosmos
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Fargo Cass Public Health taking action after growing concerns with teen vaping – INFORUM
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Fargo Cass Public Health taking action after growing concerns with teen vaping INFORUM
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Kids are doing this everywhere: New Zealand wrestles with rise of primary school vaping – The Guardian
Posted: at 2:26 pm
Kids are doing this everywhere: New Zealand wrestles with rise of primary school vaping The Guardian
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Could messages from social media influencers stop young people vaping? A look at the government’s new campaign – The Conversation
Posted: at 2:26 pm
Vaping is on the rise among young Australians. Recent figures from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey show current use of ecigarettes among teenagers aged 1417 increased five-fold from 1.8% in 2019 to 9.7% in 20222023. For young adults aged 1824, use quadrupled from 5.3% to 21% over the same time period.
If these young Australians were using e-cigarettes to quit smoking, perhaps we would have slightly less to worry about. But many young Australians using e-cigarettes do so recreationally and havent previously been exposed to nicotine. Although were still learning about how vaping will affect health in the long term, we know e-cigarettes are harmful.
Reforms introduced this year by the federal government will be key to reducing rates of e-cigarette use among young Australians, while ensuring those who are genuinely using e-cigarettes to quit smoking have a pathway to do so.
It will take some time to see a reduction in e-cigarette use as a result of these reforms. We need to be patient, and give the laws time to work. Enforcement will be key. But if theres anything weve learnt from decades of tobacco control, its that we need a comprehensive approach.
This is where the federal governments latest initiative a social media campaign targeting youth vaping comes in.
Read more: Young non-smokers in NZ are taking up vaping more than ever before. Here are 5 reasons why
Many will be familiar with the anti-smoking TV ads that have aired over the past several decades. Who could forget the Sponge campaign featuring tar being squeezed out of a sponge into a jar to represent the tar in the lungs of those who smoke.
Or the hard-hitting testimonial featuring a former smoker named Terrie diagnosed with oral and throat cancer, who had her larynx removed.
But times have changed. Tobacco smoking continues to decline and young Australians spend a lot of their time on social media. For better or worse, platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram have become a source of information for youth.
And so we need to be creative with our campaigns. We need to present information in a fresh way.
The governments new influencer-led youth vaping campaign aims to spark a conversation with the next generation of Australians about the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction.
This campaign will feature a range of influencers seeking to combat the large amount of pro-vaping content on social media platforms. These influencers people like Ella Watkins (a writer and actor), Ellyse Perry (a cricketer), Zahlia and Shyla Short (surfers), the Fairbairn Brothers (comedians), and JackBuzza (a gamer) span multiple areas to ensure young Australians with diverse interests are reached. Some have vaped in the past and subsequently quit.
The government hopes these influencers will engage young people using their own unique style and tone, and communicate authentically about the harms associated with e-cigarette use.
Read more: TikTok promotes vaping as a fun, safe and socially accepted pastime and omits the harms
The campaign capitalises on what can be powerful parasocial relationships: one-sided relationships where a person becomes emotionally connected to a public figure such as a celebrity or influencer. Social media influencers are in our childrens bedrooms, bathrooms, and classrooms. Why not use them to promote healthy attitudes and behaviours?
Emerging research suggests the use of social media influencers in anti-vaping campaigns could be a promising strategy for improving the reach of public health messaging and engagement with the target audience.
In the context of vaccination, the use of social influencers in a campaign promoting the flu vaccine in the United States led to significant increases in positive beliefs about the vaccine and marked decreases in negative attitudes toward it.
The use of social influencers to promote a healthy lifestyle is still a relatively new frontier in health communication, and whether this campaign will be effective is a tricky question to answer.
There are several benefits to this approach, such as leveraging the relationships influencers have built with their audience, enhanced authenticity, and meaningful communication of health information.
It also provides an opportunity to shift social norms. In the context of tobacco and vaping control specifically, public health has far fewer resources compared to the tobacco and vaping industries. The strategic use of social influencers can help organisations involved in health promotion to overcome this commercial imbalance.
Read more: How can I help my teen quit vaping?
But there could also be risks associated with this campaign, such as the lack of control over the content an influencer may choose to share, and their actions and opinions on other topics, which may affect their credibility. Vetting influencers and implementing risk mitigation plans will be crucial steps for the government to take.
Specific details of the campaign are yet to be released, so we dont know exactly how the influencers will be engaged to combat increasing rates of e-cigarette use among youth. But we will be closely watching this innovative approach.
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