Chemicals in vape can cause lung disease, says Health Ministry medic
BY NABIHAH HAMID
Published: 2 January 2016 1:30 PM
MALAYSIAN INSIDER
The chemicals used to flavour vape liquids can obstruct airways in the lungs, which eventually affect the heart, says a doctor. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 2, 2016.
E-cigarette smoking, or vaping, is harmful as it can obstruct airways in the lung, the Institute of Respiratory Medicine’s (IPR) respiratory consultant Professor Datuk Dr Abdul Razak Muttalif says, amid moves to ban vaping in some states.
Dr Razak said diacetyl, a flavouring chemical used in vape liquids, could cause a type of lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans when consumed.
The chemical obstructs airways in the lungs and eventually affects the heart.
“When the airways are obstructed, oxygen cannot get into the lungs, and when this happens, the oxygen cannot reach the heart.
“Without oxygen in the heart, the individual will have less oxygen in the body,” Dr Razak said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
Debate in Malaysia over the health impact of consuming e-cigarettes has seen vapers argue that vape sales should be allowed since cigarettes are sold in convenience stores and other open outlets.
Many also say that vape has been helpful in kicking the smoking habit.
Health authorities, however, have said nicotine in vape should be subjected to laws on poison control and tobacco, and should only be sold by licensed medical practitioners.
Players in the vape industry have, in turn, said that not all vape products contained nicotine, and have called for dialogue over regulations instead of a crackdown on the lucrative industry.
Dr Abdul Razak Muttalif says more research needs to be done on the effects of vaping. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, January 2, 2016.Dr Razak, however, addressed the impact of flavours used in vape liquids.
Diacetyl’s impact on the lungs was different from respiratory problems faced by asthma patients and smokers, he said.
“During an asthma attack, lung airways become constricted, which can be remedied by taking respiratory medicine. It’s different from the chemicals found in vape liquids, which obstruct the airways completely.
“Cigarette smoke narrows the lung airways, just like in asthma patients, besides damaging the lungs.”
Other studies, such as one by Harvard University, have claimed that chemicals in vape liquids are linked to lung disease.
The Environmental Health Perspective journal detected levels of diacetyl above the laboratory limit in 39 out of 51 e-cigarette liquids tested.
Either diacetyl, acetoin or 2,3-pentanide – two related flavouring compounds which may be pose a respiratory hazard – were detected in 47 of the 51 flavours tested.
Dr Razak, who heads the ministry’s technical committee to review the effects of vape and shisha on health, said several public universities in Malaysia were also studying the effects of vape liquid in detail.
He said it would take some time yet for the research to yield conclusive results, but stressed that what mattered were existing proof that vaping could be dangerous to one’s health.
While he conceded that, unlike cigarettes, vape liquids did not contain any tar, its rapid rise in popularity was a cause for concern.
He said the lack of restrictions on the production and sale of vape products would pose more health problems in the future.
“Imagine, within just a year, we have nearly one million vape users in Malaysia. In comparison, there are five million smokers in the country.
“Vape users may outnumber cigarette smokers in the future. We don’t want to wait and see what the long-term effects of vaping are.”
He said most vape users were not fully aware of the contents of the vape liquid they were consuming.
The multi-million ringgit vaping industry in Malaysia has boomed due to the fast-growing number of users in the country.
Vape proponents say it helps them quit cigarette smoking, which they believe to be a more dangerous habit.
However, scientists and medical officers around the world have differing views over the health effects of vaping.
Early last year, Public Health England, an agency under the United Kingdom Health Department, urged cigarette smokers to turn to vaping instead, calling it a safer option.
But the World Health Organisation and scientists at the University of Liverpool’s school of medicine have expressed concerns over the safety of e-cigarettes.
In Malaysia, the Health Ministry is concerned over the rise in vape users, especially among children and non-cigarette smokers in the first place. – January 2, 2016.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/chemicals-in-vape-can-cause-lung-disease-says-health-ministry-medic#sthash.5Wt74GkT.dpuf
Dr Razak said diacetyl, a flavouring chemical used in vape liquids, could cause a type of lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans when consumed.
The chemical obstructs airways in the lungs and eventually affects the heart.
“When the airways are obstructed, oxygen cannot get into the lungs, and when this happens, the oxygen cannot reach the heart.
“Without oxygen in the heart, the individual will have less oxygen in the body,” Dr Razak said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
Debate in Malaysia over the health impact of consuming e-cigarettes has seen vapers argue that vape sales should be allowed since cigarettes are sold in convenience stores and other open outlets.
Many also say that vape has been helpful in kicking the smoking habit.
Health authorities, however, have said nicotine in vape should be subjected to laws on poison control and tobacco, and should only be sold by licensed medical practitioners.
Players in the vape industry have, in turn, said that not all vape products contained nicotine, and have called for dialogue over regulations instead of a crackdown on the lucrative industry.
Dr Abdul Razak Muttalif says more research needs to be done on the effects of vaping. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, January 2, 2016.Dr Razak, however, addressed the impact of flavours used in vape liquids.Diacetyl’s impact on the lungs was different from respiratory problems faced by asthma patients and smokers, he said.
“During an asthma attack, lung airways become constricted, which can be remedied by taking respiratory medicine. It’s different from the chemicals found in vape liquids, which obstruct the airways completely.
“Cigarette smoke narrows the lung airways, just like in asthma patients, besides damaging the lungs.”
Other studies, such as one by Harvard University, have claimed that chemicals in vape liquids are linked to lung disease.
The Environmental Health Perspective journal detected levels of diacetyl above the laboratory limit in 39 out of 51 e-cigarette liquids tested.
Either diacetyl, acetoin or 2,3-pentanide – two related flavouring compounds which may be pose a respiratory hazard – were detected in 47 of the 51 flavours tested.
Dr Razak, who heads the ministry’s technical committee to review the effects of vape and shisha on health, said several public universities in Malaysia were also studying the effects of vape liquid in detail.
He said it would take some time yet for the research to yield conclusive results, but stressed that what mattered were existing proof that vaping could be dangerous to one’s health.
While he conceded that, unlike cigarettes, vape liquids did not contain any tar, its rapid rise in popularity was a cause for concern.
He said the lack of restrictions on the production and sale of vape products would pose more health problems in the future.
“Imagine, within just a year, we have nearly one million vape users in Malaysia. In comparison, there are five million smokers in the country.
“Vape users may outnumber cigarette smokers in the future. We don’t want to wait and see what the long-term effects of vaping are.”
He said most vape users were not fully aware of the contents of the vape liquid they were consuming.
The multi-million ringgit vaping industry in Malaysia has boomed due to the fast-growing number of users in the country.
Vape proponents say it helps them quit cigarette smoking, which they believe to be a more dangerous habit.
However, scientists and medical officers around the world have differing views over the health effects of vaping.
Early last year, Public Health England, an agency under the United Kingdom Health Department, urged cigarette smokers to turn to vaping instead, calling it a safer option.
But the World Health Organisation and scientists at the University of Liverpool’s school of medicine have expressed concerns over the safety of e-cigarettes.
In Malaysia, the Health Ministry is concerned over the rise in vape users, especially among children and non-cigarette smokers in the first place. – January 2, 2016.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/chemicals-in-vape-can-cause-lung-disease-says-health-ministry-medic#sthash.5Wt74GkT.dpuf
.jpg)
