A new study published in Mar. 2022 by NYU Langone Health reveals that people who vape and hookah smokers are at an increased risk for inflammation and cancers of the nose, sinuses, and throat. All conditions seen less often in cigarette smokers. According to the study, people who vape or use hookahs are twice as likely to exhale through their noses than cigarette smokers. 

Since the introduction of vaping in 2007, there has been little research on the long-term health effects of vaping. However, new discoveries provide insight into the damaging effects of vaping. 

“Our findings suggest that the unique way vapers and hookah smokers use their devices may expose the nose and sinuses to far more emissions than cigarettes, which may in turn increase their risk for upper respiratory diseases,” said study author Emma Karey, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Environmental Medicine at NYU Langone Health.

Students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi attested to the damaging effects of vaping on the lungs. “I personally wish I never started to vape because I can tell what it’s doing to my lungs. I get shortness of breath I never had before and struggle with my performance in running,” said Annica Lyssy, a senior environmental science major at TAMU-CC.

 College students may assume that vaping is harmless in comparison to cigarette smoking, but science experts caution against this belief. “People thought [vapes] would not have any carcinogens, but studies after studies show there are a lot of chemicals in there, they have a high carbon monoxide level, and also those chemicals can cause cancer,” said Dr. Salim Surani on First Edition, as he explained the results of the study. 

After sharing the new study with Islanders at TAMU-CC, several students weighed in on how the study may influence their opinion on vaping. “The new data showed me how important it is to quit vaping. I’ve personally thought about it several times. The findings made me reconsider my decision to vape entirely.,” Annica Lyssy said.

“Vaping can be dangerous, but it doesn’t seem harmful at first, which is why I wasn’t too worried about starting. After hearing about how it may be more dangerous than cigarettes, I will probably never touch a vape pen again,” said Ginger Lingo, a senior biomedical science major. 

The study warns that more research needs to be done to ensure that the nasal damage is a result of the unique breathing pattern seen in people who vape alone and that no confounding variables impacted the results. Although more research needs to be conducted to fully understand the health consequences of vaping, experts believe that the current research study over vaping is a reason enough to quit. 

“There are a lot of flavoring agents and chemicals, and we don’t really know the side effects of a lot of those things, what it is going to do in the future in 20 or 30 years, but we do know that there are still a lot of carcinogens and carbon monoxide which are significant health challenges,” Dr. Surani said.

For more information on the effects of vaping, please visit https://www.thetruth.com/vaping.