Long-term vaping will see young people’s risk of disease significantly increase, according to a study from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The research also found a link between vaping and cardiovascular problems.
The study, led by Dr Donal O’Shea, a Professor of Chemistry at RCSI, focused on flavoured vapes and used artificial intelligence as part of the process. It discovered that harmful toxic compounds were produced when the chemicals were heated.
The team analysed 180 different chemical flavours using AI to see what would happen when they were heated, reports the Irish Star.
Dr O’Shea described vaping as a “scourge” and warned that new illnesses will ”inevitably” follow for many young people who have started vaping, despite never having smoked tobacco before, reports RTE. Prof O’Shea called for many flavoured vapes currently on the market to be limited.
He believes this could reduce the number of harmful chemicals in the electronic smoking devices. Popular flavours, including fruit and candy, need “urgent” attention, he told RTE’s Today With Colm O Mongain.
The majority of vapers in Ireland are young, non-tobacco smokers, according to the expert, who has called for regulation on the products to prevent future health issues. The academic from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) explained that certain flavours, when heated, can cause a chemical to break down into 10-20 different compounds.
“You don’t need to be a medical doctor to see the dangers that are here,” warned Dr O’Shea. “In any flavoured vape there could be anywhere from half a dozen to 20 different chemicals to makeup that commercial flavour. Then you have all the hidden breakdown products that are being formed as well. So, this is a huge cocktail of unknown chemicals. “
Dr O’Shea admitted it was difficult to draw parallels between tobacco smokers and vapers, but said those who vape have a higher chance of developing illnesses compared to those who don’t.
“I think your risk of disease will be significantly higher and we will see this developing in ten to 15 years’ time,” he said. He further warned that different vape devices have different internal components, including temperature and heating specifications, which makes it hard to determine which vapes are most harmful.
He also stated there was no evidence that vaping was a good substitute for people addicted to tobacco smoking, a view supported by Ireland’s health body, the HSE.
“We are confident in the results of the study and they mirror experimental work carried out by others,” Prof O’Shea said. “Using artificial intelligence, we can look at the entirety of all the different flavors that are being used and predict what’s going to happen.
“We can then follow up with experimental evidence at a later stage, but we can get a good insight into what is occurring in these devices and be able to understand what medical impacts will come down the line,” he concluded.
Source: Yahoo! News