Second-hand vaping is bad for your health

‘Likelihood of symptoms’

EXPOSURE to second-hand nicotine from vaping could double the risk of young adults wheezing, a study shows.

Scientists said the shock finding could become part of ‘compelling rationale’ for banning e-cigarettes in public.

They collected detailed information on respiratory health, active and second-hand nicotine vaping, and conventional tobacco and cannabis smoke exposure in households.

The 2,000 participants, who had an average age of 17, were followed for five years until 2019.

The University of California researchers recorded whether the youngsters had bronchitic symptoms – for example a daily cough in the morning for three consecutive months, congestion that was not linked to a cold, or had bronchitis. And they also noted whether they reported wheezing or experienced shortness of breath.

The results revealed that those exposed to second-hand nicotine from vaping – but who did not smoke or vape themselves – were more than twice as likely to report wheezing compared with those who had not been exposed.

They were also three times as likely to report bronchitic symptoms, and twice as likely to report shortness of breath. Participants who had been exposed to second-hand nicotine vaping during any of the study years were also more likely to actively use tobacco or cannabis products themselves or to have been exposed to second-hand smoking. The researchers said their study was observational, meaning they could not say for certain that being around secondhand nicotine from vaping caused the increased likelihood of symptoms.

But if this could be proved in further studies a ban on using e-cigarettes in public places would be warranted, they said.

‘This study is the first to describe the negative effects of second-hand nicotine vape exposure on respiratory symptoms,’ they wrote in the journal Thorax.

‘If causal, reduction of second-hand e-cigarette exposure in the home would reduce the burden of respiratory symptoms and would provide a compelling rationale for regulation of e-cigarette use in public places.

‘Ultimately, this is a public health concern that – if not addressed – has the potential to negatively affect our population, including those who are most vulnerable.’ E-cigarettes may soon be prescribed on the NHS to help smokers quit as part of a radical plan to slash smoking rates in England.

Regulators have published updated guidance that paves the way for medicinally licensed e-cigarette products to be prescribed for smokers who want to stop smoking and switch to vaping instead.

The move could see England become the first country to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes, currently used by around 3.6million adults.

A separate study suggests that e-cigarettes damage eyesight. Scientists found vapers were 34 per cent more likely to suffer from visual impairments.