One billion humans around the world are smokers, and tobacco is one of the world’s leading causes of death.
The burning of a cigarette releases more than 4,800 chemicals. Of these, more than 90 are highly toxic and carcinogenic or suspected of causing cancer.
According to the scientific literature, nicotine, which is the main addictive agent, is not considered carcinogenic in itself (although it is known that it can promote the development of tumors). But now, the findings of a new study suggest that the nicotine in e-cigarettes could damage DNA.
Research has shown that the nicotine in these cigarettes damages DNA , increasing the risk of cancer . The damaging effects have been seen both on DNA and its ability to repair itself. This makes cells more likely to mutate and therefore to develop cancer .
“This is the first evidence we have that nicotine itself can be carcinogenic,” said Herbst , chairman of the Cancer and Tobacco Subcommittee of the American Association for Cancer Research. “It is certainly worrying, and I would be lying if one said that e-cigarettes are safe and can be used by everyone without consequences.”
At the moment, the results have been obtained through experimental tests with mice, but , if confirmed in future studies, the finding could mean that e-cigarettes carry their own risk of cancer through the nicotine they deliver . However, not all animal research reflects the same evidence as human research.
The experimentation process
The study’s lead researcher, Moon-shong Tang , a professor of environmental medicine at New York University, and his team exposed laboratory mice to the vapor of the e-cigarette , which contains both nicotine and liquid solvents. They also exposed mice to nicotine and solvents separately. The goal was to investigate the risk it poses to people who use a typical e-cigarette.
“We found that the solvent alone does not cause DNA damage,” says Tang. “E-cigarette thinner nicotine did the same harm as nicotine alone.”
The researchers also exposed cultured human lung and bladder cells to nicotine , and found the same effects: DNA damage and suppression of DNA repair.
At the moment, the next step of the investigation is already underway. The mice are exposed to the nicotine and vapor from the e-cigarette long-term to see if they actually develop cancer or heart disease .
Tang has been unable to say whether e-cigarettes are even safer than traditional cigarettes, which contain thousands of harmful chemicals produced by burning tobacco. However, some scientists, such as Anthony Alberg , chair of epidemiology at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, say the study would be optimal if it had taken the additional step of exposing mice to tobacco smoke as well. , and then they would have compared them to mice that inhaled the vapor from the e-cigarette .
Reference: Hyun-Wook Lee, Sung-Hyun Park, Mao-wen Weng, Hsiang-Tsui Wang, William C. Huang, Herbert Lepor, Xue-Ru Wu, Lung-Chi Chen, and Moon-shong Tang. “E-cigarette smoke damages DNA and reduces repair activity in mouse lung, heart, and bladder as well as in human lung and bladder cells” (2018). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073 / pnas.1718185115
