Electronic cigarette devices may weaken the immune system and make users more susceptible to contracting infections.
In a study published in the medical journal PLOS ONE on February 5, researchers found that mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor are more at risk of becoming infecting with viral and bacterial infections. Some even died as a result.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health compared . one group pf mice, one of which was exposed to e-cigarette vapor for two weeks in a specially made inhalation chamber for mice. The chamber contained vapor and nicotine concentrations comparable to human e-cigarette use. The second group was exposed to only fresh air.
Mice exposed to the vapor showed significantly impaired pulmonary bacterial changes. Those exposed to the vapor were much more likely to develop infections. Some became very sick and some died from infections.
“Our findings suggest that e-cigarettes are not neutral in terms of the effects on the lungs,” notes senior author Shyam Biswal, PhD, a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins.
In another study published in November 2014 also revealed e-cigarettes may have a greater harmful effect to the pulmonary function than researchers initially thought. The research focused on the way the flavorings are designed to be released in ultra-fine aerosols that penetrate deeply into the lungs, potentially causing serious health effects.The vapor also significantly increased oxidative stress and moderate macrophage-mediated inflammation.
Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers
