Vaping has come of age it seems – at least according to the Oxford Dictionaries.  The word “vape”, which is synonymous with electronic cigarette use, has been selected as the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2014.

So what is vaping, and what are the health risks?  Vaping does after all mimic cigarette smoking, and in many cases involves the harmful substance tobacco.

Risk Bites covers the basics with this short video on electronic cigarettes and health:

 

Further information on e-cigarettes and health:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette

A Harmful Cigarette: MTSG, March 19 2013. http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2013/03/19/a-harmless-cigarette/

e-Cigarettes. JAMA, January 8 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.279164

Health Impacts of Vaping

FDA web page on electronic cigarettes: http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm172906.htm

FDA Evaluation of E-Cigarettes (May 4 2009). http://www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/scienceresearch/ucm173250.pdf

WebMD: E-Cigarettes: Expert Q&A With the CDC. http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20131112/e-cigarettes-cdc

WebMD: E-Cigarettes: Separating Fiction From Fact. Jan 3 2014. http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20140103/e-cigarettes-separating-fiction-from-fact

Washinton Post (March 24 2014) Do e-cigarettes help people quit smoking? New study raises doubts http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/24/do-e-cigarettes-help-people-quit-smoking-new-study-raises-doubts/

Notes from the Field: Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6235a6.htm?s_cid=mm6235a6_w

Secondary Exposure to E-cigarette Emission Might be Harmful to Health. FDA Advisory No. 2013-015. June 26 2013. http://www.fda.gov.ph/advisories/food/80233-fda-advisory-no-2013-015

Secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes contains nicotine but not other toxins: study. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/03/us-e-cigarette-idUSBREA020K820140103

Metal and Silicate Particles Including Nanoparticles Are Present in Electronic Cigarette Cartomizer Fluid and Aerosol. Williams et al. PloS One March 20 2013. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057987 http://dx.doi.org/1 0.1371/journal.pone.0057987

Nicotine Side Effects. Drugs.com. http://www.drugs.com/sfx/nicotine-side-effects.html

How Toxic is Nicotine? Think Big October 18 2013. http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/nicotine-is-not-as-toxic-as-we-think

Evaluating the harm caused by nicotine products. Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. http://drugscience.org.uk/external-resources/nicotine-mcda-briefing/

Regulation of Vaping and e-Cigarettes

Proposed new regulations from FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm394667.htm

New York Times (April 24 2014) F.D.A. Will Propose New Regulations for E-Cigarettes http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/health/fda-will-propose-new-regulations-for-e-cigarettes.html?_r=0

Regulations expected soon on e-cigarettes. Sacramento Bee, January 10 2014. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/10/6062228/regulations-expected-soon-on-e.html

Awaiting FDA, states pursue their own e-cigarette rules. Washington Post, October 19 2013. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/29/awaiting-fda-states-pursue-their-own-e-cigarette-rules/

The E-Cigarette Industry, Waiting to Exhale. New York Times, October 26 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/business/the-e-cigarette-industry-waiting-to-exhale.html

In One Of His Last Acts As Mayor Of New York City, Michael Bloomberg Bans E-Cigarettes In Public. Business Insider December 31 2013. http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-e-cigarette-ban-2013-12