E-cigarettes banned in India: Know how vaping affects heart and lungs

Health

Salome Phelamei

Updated Sep 18, 2019 | 15:42 IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says e-cigarettes will be banned in India with immediate effect. Know the health risks associated with vaping.

E-cigarettes banned in India: Know how vaping affects heart and lungs | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Key Highlights

The Indian government has given its approval to ban e-cigarettes in the country with immediate effect.

E-cigarette use was linked to an increased risk of a stroke, heart attack, angina, and heart disease

Many teens and young adults in the US developed severe lung problems after using e-cigarettes

New Delhi: In a significant step that will help curb health issues linked to e-cigarettes, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, has given its approval to ban e-cigarettes. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, e-cigarettes will be banned in India with immediate effect. The move means the production, manufacturing, import/export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising related to e-cigarettes are banned.

Earlier, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended a ‘complete ban’ on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), adding that e-cigs can adversely affect the cardiovascular system, disrupt respiratory immune cell function and airways in a way similar to cigarette smoking. The top medical research body also said that the use of ENDS can trigger nicotine addiction among non-smokers also.

Many people who are trying to quit smoking, sometimes wrongly assume that smoking e-cigarettes is a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. Vaping (also called smoking e-cigarettes) is also wrongly presumed as a better option for those with lung conditions such as COPD. While e-cigarettes, or vapes, are growing in use and popularity, research has shown that vaping can be harmful to health even when the vapour is entirely nicotine-free. The new study published in the journal Radiology suggested that even a single episode of vaping led to reduced blood flow and an impaired endothelial function in the large artery that supplies blood to the thigh and leg. The findings from the new study add to the growing evidence suggesting that e-cigarettes are far from harmless.

What does vaping do to your body?

Heart health

vaping and Heart disease

Preliminary research has shown that vaping poses risks to heart health. A 2019 review has found that e-liquid aerosols, when inhaled, most likely affect the heart and circulatory system. This can happen because aerosols contain particulates, oxidizing agents, aldehydes, and nicotine. The review also said that e-cigarettes can actually deliver nicotine at levels similar to conventional cigarettes. Another 2019 study also found that e-cigarette use was linked to an increased risk of a stroke, heart attack, angina, and heart disease.

Lung health

Vaping and lung disease

Studies also suggest that vaping may negatively affect the lungs. For instance, a 2018 report from NAP found that there’s some evidence that exposure to an e-cigarette has adverse effects on the respiratory system, although more research is required to better understand how and whether vaping does really contribute to respiratory diseases.

According to the CDC, as many as 94 possible cases of severe lung illness linked with vaping were reported in 14 states from June 28, 2019, to August 15, 2019. A statement from the agency said that investigation is ongoing to find out if there is a link between patients’ symptoms and the kinds of products they used or what could be the cause of the pulmonary disease. Also, a small study, published in 2016, claimed that nicotine-containing vaping products trigger lung inflammation and lung tissue damage.

Earlier, a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives warned that electronic cigarettes may contain microbial toxins linked with myriad health problems, including asthma, reduced lung function and inflammation.