UCLA Say Ecig Harm Mouths
UCLA team say ecig vapour harms mouth cells in a new study.
-
by Dave Cross
Share on:
According to the UCLA press office, “the research is a step toward answering the question of whether e-cigarettes are significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes,” and, “suggests that e-cigarettes may not be significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes.”
It will come as no surprise to many that the detail in the research demonstrates a very poor understanding of the mechanics of vaping. Worse, there are some assumptions and conclusions made that would lead the most non-scientific reader to question the qualifications of Dr. Shen Hu – the lead researcher and associate professor of oral biology and medicine.
The failings of the study begin with the construction of the investigation. No details are available for the type of atomiser or coil used: “A homemade puffing machine composed of a compressed air source, a solenoid valve, and a Raspberry Pi (Raspberry Pi Foundation, UK), which serves as a timer and solenoid valve controller, was used to puff the ECs by pushing clean air through the EC from the front air hole.”
It continues: “Particle number concentration (PNC) and size distribution of EC aerosols were measured as a function of puff duration from approximately 2 to 5 seconds inside a 320 L stainless-steel chamber.” There is no indication of the frequency of puffs performed which, when combined with a fixation on microparticles, gives further indication that the team simply repeated the mistakes of previous flawed studies – especially as a member of this team took part in one of the other studies.
Devoid of information about type of device, power settings or puff duration leads Doctor Farsalinos to criticise: “[The] omissions are extremely important because it is well-known that electronic cigarettes can be easily abused in a laboratory setting, which may result in the evaluation of unrealistic, dry puff, conditions. Such conditions are irrelevant to human exposure.”
He goes on to point out that there is no mention of the number of puffs performed, the amount of liquid consumed or the amount of aerosol dilution into the cell medium. “[These] omissions are extremely important because they violate the basic principle of toxicology which dictates that the dose determines the toxicity. In fact, it is very easy in a cell culture to create an adverse cell response, just by manipulating the dose of exposure. Therefore, it is crucial to present the level (dose) of exposure and ensure that this is relevant to human exposure. Otherwise, the findings cannot be extrapolated to human effects and can only be used for comparing two different exposures. For the latter, it is surprising that the authors did not attempt to perform the same experiment with the same conditions and the same level of exposure with tobacco cigarette smoke. Thus, the study findings cannot even be used for comparative purposes.”
No doubt the team will carry their blinkered and flawed approach into the second stage of their investigation: the human study. “A small but significant portion of dental patients at UCLA Dental Clinics have used e-cigarettes, which will provide sufficient patient resources for our planned studies,” said Hu. “Our hope is to develop a screening model to help predict toxicity levels of e-cigarette products, so that consumers are better informed.”
Better informed? Highly unlikely.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
Join the discussion
Parliament Fears Two
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs faced questions from a Conservative MP and, oddly, a member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
-
by Dave Cross
Harm Reduction For The Rich
The United Kingdom risks becoming a harm reduction country only for the wealthy, according to Michael Landl of the World Vapers’ Alliance
-
by Dave Cross
Sacrificing Health For 2p Cut
Tory Government alienates vaping voters with its mission to cut tax by an unaffordable 2p to attract voters by placing a tax on vape products in the forthcoming budget
-
by Dave Cross
Scotland Announces Single-Use Vape Action
A ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland is due to come into effect on 1 April 2025, under proposed legislation published today
-
by Dave Cross
