Secondhand vape exposure dangerous for kids

Similar to secondhand cigarette smoke, children exposed to secondhand vape smoke are also breathing in potentially harmful chemicals from the vaping liquid. — AFP Filepic

Disrupting dopamine levels and causing inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular damage, secondhand vape exposure can significantly damage a child, potentially even contributing to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

That’s according to a recent study by Atlanta-based Emory University in the United States.

Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it’s still not safe.

In 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 2,807 cases of lung injury related to electronic cigarette or vaping use.

Those injuries contributed to 68 deaths.

Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease clinical research director Dr Michael Blaha reported that most of those cases affected people who modified their vapes or used black market eliquids, especially with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

According to Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and the Rollins School of Public Health, vaping is also causing damage in another way.

Children living in households where ecigarettes are used are inhaling substances harmful to their developing bodies.

“Many people who smoke have switched to using ecigarettes, thinking it’s safer for them and others nearby,” study lead author and Emory’s School of Nursing associate professor Dr Jeannie Rodriguez said in a news release.

“However, there are chemicals in the liquids used in a vape that are hazardous for you and those that you care about who are exposed to the vapours you exhale.”

ALSO READ: Vapes: Hero or villain in the smoking war?

The Emory schools implemented a study using data from blood, saliva and exhaled breath tests to determine how secondhand vape exposure affected children aged four to 12 years old.

They were found to have significantly higher levels of metabolites linked to chemicals found in ecigarette liquids, leading the researchers to call secondhand vape exposure a lurking “invisible threat”.

“If you do vape and are ready to quit, talk to your healthcare provider and your family and friends,” Assoc Prof Rodriguez said.

“You may need the support of those around you to be successful.

“Think of past attempts to quit not as failures, but as training opportunities for you to eventually successfully quit.

“Don’t give up.” – By Hunter Boyce/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Tribune News Service