The Nofumadores association has warned that dual smokersthat is, those people who combine the consumption of cigarettes with that of vapershave up to 40 times more likely to develop lung cancer compared to a person who does not smoke, as can be seen from a recent study carried out by Marissa Bittoni for Ohio State University (USA).
Thus, the study Vaping, tobacco and lung cancer risk found that smokers have 10 times more likely to develop this tumor than those who do not smoke. “The surprise, however, came with the finding that, among those who smoke and vape daily, this risk was multiplied by four,” the association points out.
The study was carried out comparing a group of 4,975 people who had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer with another control group made up of 27,294 people without cancer in which the characteristics of the first were replicated in terms of age, sex, race and place of residence.
The study’s lead author, Bittoni, points out that aerosolized liquids could be acting as a cancer accelerant since, “when heated by the electronic cigarette battery, they dump a mixture of water, flavorings, nicotine and other chemicals into the lung. In addition, there are other harmful ingredients such as diacetyl, diethylene glycol, cadmium, benzene and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead. “There are a large number of dangerous substances that those who use these devices are not aware of.”
Dual smokers in Spain
At this point, Nofumadores remembers that, in Spain, 7 out of 10 youths between 18 and 25 years old and 8 out of every 10 people aged 26 years or older who use electronic cigarettes are dual smokers. In line, they highlight that, according to a study led by the Spin Off Open Evidence, from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, 90% of those who consume electronic cigarettes also smoke combustion cigarettes and, therefore, are dual smokers.
“These could be in danger if, as Bittoni’s study points out, the substances contained in these devices act as cancer accelerants of lung”, highlights from the association.
“Combining electronic cigarettes with conventional cigarettes could multiply the risk of suffering from one of the most lethal tumors. This unmasks an industry that claims that they are 95% less harmful than regular tobacco and that they help you quit smoking. In the end, neither one nor the other,” stated the president of Nofumadores.org, Raquel Fernández.
“Dismantles the theory of harm reduction”
According to Nofumadores, the conclusions of this study represent a “refutation” to industry advertising that speaks of “harm reduction” from vaping when compared to conventional cigarettes. For Bittoni, the results suggest that “rather than creating a less favorable microenvironment for the growth and development of tumors in the lung, exposure to liquids in aerosol form could, in in fact, promote carcinogenesis.
According to the president of Nofumadores, consumers of these addictive products, especially young people, “have fallen into the trap of this harm reduction slogan promoted by the industry that makes them think that vaping is safer, but there is no scientific evidence of independent studies. With the electronic cigarette, the liquid enters the lungs in the form of an aerosol. In the long run, we don’t even know if that’s better than burning tobacco and, of course, combining it is a bomb.”
The study reflected that, in practice, all vape consumers They were also smokersso they could not separately estimate the risk of lung cancer for those who vape exclusively. However, according to the conclusions of the study, this is not a problem to be able to affirm that the components of the vaper drastically accelerate lung cancer caused by cigarettes.
Future of vapers
At this point, Nofumadores recalls that electronic cigarettes are found in Spain “in the expectation of take a hard legislative blow“, since the new Royal Decree by which RD 579/2017 of June 9 is modified, which regulates certain aspects related to the manufacture, presentation and marketing of tobacco and related products “plans strong restrictions for flavorings.
“He Ministry of Health bet on eliminate flavors that make this product, so addictive, attractive to children and adolescents, sometimes functioning as a gateway to cigarettes, since studies indicate that those who vape are three times more likely to start smoking,” the association states.
From Nofumadores they make a call to those smokers who, “deceived by the industry and in the absence of universal access to pharmacological and behavioral treatments to quit smoking, try to abandon the addiction on their own, and end up combining two products whose interaction can cause lung cancer and probably many other pathologies yet to be discovered.”
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