While vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco, it still poses health risks by inhaling toxic substances: the use of electronic cigarettes should be reserved for smoking cessation and be as short as possible, says the health safety agency.
In 15 years, e-cigarettes have become a part of life for more than three million French people, hence the need to examine the potential health risks associated with vaping. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) therefore mobilized 14 experts who reviewed 2,864 scientific studies and several international reports, before issuing their opinion on Wednesday.
The research shows that vaping "poses health risks" because "it involves inhaling harmful substances," Benoît Labarbe, head of the tobacco product assessment unit at the agency, explained to AFP. "That's why vaping must be absolutely prohibited for non-smokers and young people who are attracted to the fruity and sweet flavors of these products."
On the other hand, for smokers of traditional cigarettes, "this can be, alongside other nicotine replacement products, a tool for quitting smoking, the use of which will then have to be stopped," he adds.
The harmful effects identified are linked to the repeated inhalation of toxic substances: these are released when using the equipment (the electronic cigarette can emit metals), already present in the liquid – propylene glycol, glycerol, flavorings – and are formed when the liquid is heated.
Among the compounds formed by heating, aldehydes "bind to the tissues of the respiratory tract and damage them," explains pharmacist Thibault Mansuy, coordinator of the expert assessment. "If this damage is repeated over time, the tissues will have difficulty repairing themselves properly."
An alteration of cells (DNA lesions) has been observed, which may promote a cancerous environment.
– “106 substances of concern” –
Other risks confirmed by scientific studies include: harmful cardiovascular effects, considered "probable" when vaping e-liquid containing nicotine, and "possible" even without nicotine – changes in heart rate, blood pressure… which can lead to long-term heart disease.
In terms of respiratory health, some studies suggest an increase in the occurrence of a chronic lung disease, COPD.
Finally, for the child exposed in utero, maternal vaping has "possible" effects, both on cardiovascular and respiratory development, alterations in heart rhythm and lung tissue, inflammatory phenomena…
This is why Anses recommends that pregnant women or women planning a pregnancy stop smoking completely, accompanied by a healthcare professional, "avoiding electronic cigarettes if possible".
Another harmful effect: when vaping an e-liquid containing nicotine, "the aerosol generated by the electronic cigarette has the same addictive power as cigarette smoke," the health agency reminds us.
Jean Moiroud, president of Fivape, the interprofessional vaping union, ironically told AFP that "the most important risk associated with vaping is that of effectively and permanently quitting smoking," while defending himself against "denying the risks associated with vaping."
However, according to a survey conducted for the report, 70% of current vapers have been vaping for more than four years.
In total, out of 1,775 substances present in aerosols (the vapor inhaled by the vaper), Anses identified 106 that it considers "particularly concerning", although present with "significantly lower concentrations" than those of conventional cigarette smoke.
Based on current knowledge, none of the observed health effects of vaping "exceed, in severity or level of evidence", those of smoked tobacco which causes 75,000 deaths per year in France – thanks to the absence of combustion.
Finally, Anses warns of the many dangers of making your own e-liquid, as one in two vapers do, for the sake of saving money: risk of overdose, use of ingredients unsuitable for inhalation (essential oils, food flavorings, etc.) or accidental ingestion by children.
"The next step will be to (...) determine whether passive vaping is also dangerous for health," the subject of further work, said Health Minister Stéphanie Rist on franceinfo.
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