Study Shows Mint Flavour in Vape Liquid Can Be Toxic to Lungs
Vaping has become a popular alternative to traditional smoking, especially among young adults. However, a new study reveals that adding mint flavour to vape liquid can make it more toxic and harmful to the lungs.
According to researchers, menthol-flavoured vape liquid generates more toxic microparticles than menthol-free juice. They used a specially designed "vaping robot" to mimic the mechanics of human breathing and vaping behavior to analyze the difference that mint flavouring makes.
The researchers also examined the medical records of vapers and found that menthol vapers took shallower breaths and had poorer lung function compared to non-menthol smokers, regardless of age, gender, race, and smoking nicotine or cannabis products.
The Illusion of Safety
The findings of this study are important as many people, especially youth, believe that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking. However, this assumption is false, even with nicotine-free vaping mixtures. These mixtures contain many compounds that can potentially damage the lungs.
"Just because something is safe to consume as food does not mean that it's safe to inhale," warns senior author Kambez H Benam, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The Vaping Robot
The vaping robot used in this study precisely mimics the temperature, humidity, puff volume, and duration of vaping. Therefore, it can simulate the pattern of healthy and diseased breathing and reliably predict lung toxicity related to vapes.
The researchers developed the robot to improve testing of how mixing vaping liquids and adding flavorings affect their composition and health impacts. This robot overcomes the limitations of traditional testing, which involve using rats and mice or growing cells in a lab. Rodents have very different nasal passage anatomy, while lab-based testing can take weeks or months to deliver reliable results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the addition of mint flavoring to vape liquid can make it more toxic and damaging to the lungs. Even nicotine-free vaping mixtures contain many compounds that can potentially harm the lungs. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping and discourage its use among young adults.
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FAQs
- What is the vaping robot used in the study? The vaping robot is a specially designed machine that mimics the mechanics of human breathing and vaping behavior to analyze the difference that mint flavouring makes.
- What did the study find about menthol-flavored vape liquid? The study found that menthol-flavoured vape liquid generates more toxic microparticles than menthol-free juice.
- How does the vaping robot improve testing? The vaping robot overcomes the limitations of traditional testing, which involves using rats and mice or growing cells in a lab. It precisely mimics the temperature, humidity, puff volume, and duration of vaping, simulating the pattern of healthy and diseased breathing, and reliably predicting lung toxicity related to vapes.
- Why is it important to discourage the use of vaping among young adults? The study shows that vaping, even with nicotine-free mixtures, can be harmful to the lungs. It is essential to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping and discourage its use among young adults.
- What compounds in vaping mixtures can potentially damage the lungs? Even nicotine-free vaping mixtures contain many compounds that can potentially damage the lungs.