- Elena Bailey and Philippa Roxby
- Health Affairs Correspondent
Izzy developed bleeding gums and sores on her lips after intensifying her vaping habit
The popularity of single-use e-cigarettes appears to be on the rise, as they are brightly colored, easy to use, and come in exciting flavors from candy to blueberry.
Those cigarettes are a big part of the government’s plan in England to help the remaining six million smokers quit smoking in its traditional form by 2030.
But how safe are e-cigarettes, especially for young people who have never tried conventional cigarettes?
Izzy Esposito, 18, from Borehamwood, England, started smoking e-cigarettes last summer after all her friends tried them, and now she smokes most of the time.
“I can just sit in bed and use e-cigarettes and at the same time communicate on FaceTime with my friends,” she says.
“It’s always on hand, so one feels tempted to smoke it all the time.”
“I got to the point where I started using about two e-cigarettes a week.”
Izzy recently had to stop using it after her gums started bleeding and she developed sores in her mouth and on her lips.
“I didn’t want to brush my teeth because the process seemed so painful after the bleeding and sores,” she says.
picture released, Getty Images
A study indicates that single-use e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among 18-year-olds
Disposable electronic cigarettes are the latest fad in the smoking world. It is cheaper than a pack of cigarettes and can be used immediately upon purchase, and it can also be thrown away once finished.
Izzy is drawn to colors and flavours, and the fact that she can buy one to match the outfit she wears every night out with her friends.
She used to smoke occasionally on the weekends, but finds vaping easier and more convenient.
“I smoke e-cigarettes a lot more than I’ve ever smoked, for example sometimes I smoke an entire one at a night out or a get-together with friends.”
E-cigarettes have helped thousands of people quit smoking and get rid of dangerous and toxic tobacco smoke, giving a huge health boost.
But e-cigarette vapor, which is still being researched and studied, can contain small amounts of chemicals, including nicotine, which can carry other risks, which scientists have not yet known.
There is also a growing concern that young people are turning to e-cigarettes because they see them as completely risk-free.
Prof John Britton, professor emeritus at the University of Nottingham in the UK, who advised the government on its latest report on quitting, says: “It is unreasonable to say that vaping is completely safe, as it is a trade-off between risks. Somehow, it’s crazy to start vaping.”
Professor Britton predicts that within 40 or 50 years, we will see lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and other serious lung diseases as a result of vaping.
But those numbers are likely to be small, and far less than the health problems caused by traditional smoking.
The latest data shows that most teens are not smokers – just 11 percent of 11-17-year-olds tried e-cigarettes in 2021.
But the new data for 2022 has not been published and some expect it to rise.
University College London (UCL) research estimates that there are 74,000 e-cigarette users between the ages of 16 and 17 in England alone.
Another college study indicates that single-use e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among 18-year-olds, with more than half of them now using these products.
picture released, Getty Images
There are many types of electronic cigarettes and thousands of different flavors on offer
“Young people and adolescents may experience smoking through these e-cigarettes but they do not become regular long-term users,” says Professor Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
She adds that in the past they were testing it with traditional cigarettes, and may become teenage smokers, which would be a bigger problem and more harmful to their health, but despite this more efforts must be done to protect young people.
The UK has some of the strictest regulations for e-cigarette use in the world. Almost all marketing of e-cigarettes is banned, the amount of nicotine in the product is limited and only those aged 18 and over can buy it legally.
Prof Bauld says: “It is important that we keep these e-cigarette products away from young people, because they are not for them and are not suitable for them.”
Acute sore throat
Megan Munday, 18, started using e-cigarettes to help her cut back on traditional cigarettes, and found the flavors to be “addictive”.
She said the e-cigarettes left her barely able to speak, “and I got a sore throat so bad that I felt like I was getting sharp stab wounds in the throat when I swallowed.”
“It was so bad that I had to take time off work because of it,” she says, and she had to stop using it.
picture released, Getty Images
Dentists say vaping can cause bad breath, sores, and dry mouth
Dentists say they notice some side effects of vaping, such as bad breath, sores, pain in some areas, and dry mouth. This can lead to a lack of saliva and possibly tooth decay.
Bleeding gums can occur after people stop smoking as circulation improves, often at the same time they start vaping. It is an indication that the gums are back to normal and is not necessarily a bad sign.
Dental experts say it is unlikely that nicotine is a significant factor in cancer or gum disease, at least that is what is known so far.
Professor Richard Holliday, Senior Lecturer and Emeritus Adviser in Restorative Dentistry in Newcastle, England, said: “We are still in the research and monitoring phase and do not have all the answers, but the available results show that there is nothing to be overly concerned about.
It might be more harmful
But despite reviews downplaying the potential dangers of e-cigarettes, not many people feel comfortable and don’t agree with these views.
David Thickett, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Birmingham, is concerned about the effects of high doses of nicotine getting into the lungs through vaping.
Although nicotine gum and patches have been used for many years to relieve cravings, which are considered safe, he cannot be sure of the effect of nicotine in e-cigarettes.
“This means that they are potentially more harmful,” says Professor Thickett.
In an in vitro study, vaping was found to damage important immune system cells in the lungs and cause inflammation.
There is no doubt that more research on people who smoke e-cigarettes is needed to confirm the results, but some effects were similar to those observed in regular smokers of traditional cigarettes, and people with chronic lung disease.
Professor Thickett cautions that users do not always receive enough support to stop nicotine consumption after switching to e-cigarettes.
He concludes by saying that e-cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes, but they may be harmful in the long run, and research on them is still in its early stages.