Thirdhand Vapor From E-cigarettes Damages the Lungs of Mice

Electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes or vapes, cause many of the same health hazards as cigarettes. When someone uses an e-cigarette, the exhaled vapor absorbs into nearby materials and becomes thirdhand vapor residue. In a study led by University of Technology Sydney researcher Andrew Thorpe, researchers compared how mice lungs reacted to different types of e-cigarette vapor residue. The researchers divided the mice into three different groups. The first group had a cage with a clean towel. The second group had a towel exposed to e-cigarette vapor without nicotine. The third group had a towel exposed to e-cigarette vapor with nicotine. Each towel was replaced daily. After four weeks, the researchers compared the lungs of each group of mice. See the results on the graphic below.

What do these findings mean? These changes in the air sacs and collagen make it harder to breathe and increase the chance of lung cancer. This study suggests that exposure to thirdhand vapor residue from e-cigarette vapor – whether it contains nicotine or not – can damage lungs. Just as people should avoid environments containing thirdhand smoke from tobacco products, people should also avoid environments at risk of containing e-cigarette vapor residue.

Click here to read the study.

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