Do e-Cigarettes Bring About a Change to the Immune Response in Lungs?

Cigarette smoking drastically increases the risk of a person to become vulnerable to a host of diseases and there is an assumption among us that e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes aren’t harmful as the smokers don’t inhale smoke which is composed of carcinogens. However, studies by the North Carolina School of Medicine suggest that there is more to the story of safety of e-cigarettes. A PhD Professor of pediatrics recently did a study which showed how the different chemicals in e-cigarettes can bring about a change in the immune responses within the airway of the human lungs.

Although the FDA or the US Food and Drug Administration categorizes most e-liquid flavors as “Safe”, this is a classification which has been designed for consuming orally. Most flavoring additives haven’t been appropriately studied for examining inhalation toxicity. The respiratory systems and digestive systems are different from each other. The stomachs within the human body are full of enzymes and acids which break down food and chemicals. This is a much different environment from the respiratory system. There’s not much proof of the effect of e-cigarettes on our lungs.

A twist to the e-cigarette law – What you should know if you vape

As per recent reports, it has been predicted that around 2.6 million adults are presently taking electronic cigarettes. Among them 2 out of 5 are ex-smokers and 3 out of 5 are present smokers. It is needless to mention that vaping has actually become a new trend with vaping shops and cafes being opened at every alternative corner of the streets. But 2016 could be a witness to some twists and turns to the laws that regulate the vaping industry. EU or the European Union will bring about some changes to the sizes of the e-liquid bottles which you can buy and the amount of nicotine that can be used.

What are the rules on vaping that will change?

  • If you’ve gone through some e-liquid reviews, you would be aware of the fact that previously people could even buy 30 ml refill containers. This would stop from 2016 as nowadays people would not get anything more than 10 ml.
  • The cartridges require being of a minimum size, of that of 2ml which declares the end of huge tanks.
  • The strongest nicotine strength that will obtain permission will be 20mg, which is presently 24 mg. In 2016, you won’t be able to purchase in bulk.
  • Refill containers and e-cigs containers should have some mechanism through which you can opt for leak-free refilling so that they can get a consistent dose.
  • Electronic cigarette’s retailers and manufacturers require submitting details about every single product which they sell to the government.
  • E-cigarettes can now be granted as a license to quit smoking and this step has been taken by Medicines and Health Care products Regulation Agency.

Do e-cigarettes lead to suppression of different immune genes?

There have been data which show that smoking e-cigarettes cause suppression of different immunity genes within your nasal mucosa. Even the e-cigarette user showed some similar changes to the immune genes and they even showed subdued changes to the genes which clearly suggested that there is a big impact on the respiratory system. Although certain impacts of e-cigarettes should depend on flavoring, but it is not always so. There is a chemical which is used in making e-cigarettes and it is called cinnamaldehyde. It has been found out that this chemical has an adverse impact on epithelial cell physiology.

Should you opt for e-cigarettes?

After going through the concerns of this article, if you really think you can stay without smoking, you can definitely think of switching to e-cigarettes as the content of nicotine and other chemicals is much less in them and hence they’re less harmful. But despite everything, if you think you can quit smoking, it is anytime better to quit the habit for good.

Majority of the people who are involved with e-cigarettes or cigarettes of any kind are pretty much aware of the TPD or the Tobacco Products Directive and how it is going to affect the cigarette industry. If you’re an active or a chain smoker, stay aware of the changes and then make your decision.

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