Research Looks At Possible Health Impacts Related To Flavored Vaping Products
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes continues increasing, new research is looking at the possible health impacts related to using flavored products.
Scientists from Yale School of Medicine conducted a study that looked at the chemical reactions between the flavor compounds and the liquid nicotine in vaping products.
"So what is being added by the manufacturer is not actually the chemical compounds that the users are being exposed to. There are chemical reactions happening in the liquid," explained Dr. Julie Zimmerman, a chemical and environmental engineering professor at Yale.
Researchers at Yale showed CBS News the custom vaping machine they built to analyze the chemical makeup of flavors.
"Many of these chemicals are known to be inflammatory agents, are known to have toxic effects," said Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, a psychiatry professor at Yale. "But we still have to determine things like what concentration and dose do these inflammatory effects appear."
Researchers said flavors are a big worry because they attract children and teens to start vaping.
The Trump Administration is moving to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and many states are taking their own steps.
RELATED: Vape Shop Owner Says Ban On Flavored Products Would 'Shut Us Down'
Adding to concerns, a new study from researchers at Duke Health.
The Duke study revealed that the flavoring ingredient pulegone, which can potentially cause cancer, was found in high levels of e-cigarette liquids and smokeless tobacco products.
The FDA banned the chemical, which can be found in menthol and mint products, as a food additive.
"This is really a big health concern for the vapers because they are putting this chemical in much higher levels than what is accepted by FDA," said Dr. Sairam Jabba, a researcher at Duke University.
