E-cigs ‘could be as harmful as tobacco cigarettes’, new study warns

People think of e-cigarettes as a ‘safe’ alternative to tobacco – and public health bodies back the use of the devices, as they’re far less likely to kill you than cigarettes.

But in at least one way, they may be just as harmful as smoking tobacco – with tests showing that e-cigarettes cause DNA damage at a similar level to filter cigarettes.

Cellular mutations caused by DNA damage can lead to cancer.

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Researchers from the University of Connecticut used a 3D printed testing device – and found that the DNA damage they cause varies widely according to how much vapour the user inhales, and what chemicals are used.

The researchers passed vapour from e-cigarette devices over human cells in a device which ‘lit up’ to show damage.

Researcher Karteek Kadimisetty said, ‘From the results of our study, we can conclude that e-cigarettes have as much potential to cause DNA damage as unfiltered regular cigarettes.

The team set their test so that 20 puffs of an e-cigarette was roughly equivalent to smoking one tobacco cigarette, a ratio supported by other research.

The team gathered samples at 20, 60, and 100 puffs. The potential DNA damage from e-cigarettes increased with the number of puffs, Kadimisetty says.

Kadimisetty says, ‘Some people use e-cigarettes heavily because they think there is no harm. We wanted to see exactly what might be happening to DNA, and we had the resources in our lab to do that.’