Vaping-related deaths: Beware of misinformation! Scientific study

The electronic cigarette has had a bad reputation in the United States for some time. The relevant authorities claim to have recorded no fewer than 12 deaths across ten different American states directly linked to the use of the e-cigarette. So, fact or fiction? Here are a few reassuring elements to consider!

The e-cigarette wrongly challenged

It was not a restful summer for the electronic cigarette. The favourite product of vapers has been the subject of numerous controversies around the world, since the scandal that originated in the United States during the summer period. Indeed, American health authorities reported an increase in the number of people affected by pulmonary-type illnesses due to the use of the electronic cigarette. According to one of the latest reports issued by the CDC, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the electronic cigarette would have caused the death of 12 people and 805 suspected patients were said to be suffering from pulmonary dysfunctions as a result of e-cigarette use. Across the Atlantic, they are even talking of a kind of "epidemic".

This is how the electronic cigarette quickly found itself in the dock. Is it guilty for all that?

American federal authorities quickly established a causal link between the deaths and the use of a "vape device" simply because it was the one and only common point between all the recorded cases. However, the analyses have not yet been able to identify any brand or product in particular.

Detractors without arguments

The French Office on Smoking indicates that on average one in two smokers dies as a result of smoking. Yet when it comes to the e-cigarette, several pulmonologists say they are witnessing a kind of resurrection among their vaping patients.

They speak of restored breathing and breath capacity for those who have swapped the good old cigarette for a vape device.

The e-cigarette, and the substances it contains, are not toxic according to health authorities, when inhaled at the doses recommended by specialists. By respecting this, vapers may sometimes experience throat dryness due to the water vapour generated, but not particular lung problems, such as those that tobacco can cause.

Yet these indications do nothing to stop the detractors of the e-cigarette from seizing on the subject. One of the main arguments put forward revolves around the lack of publicly available scientific data, compared to the numerous studies that have existed for years on the subject of smoking.

According to them, the absence of alarming information on the subject of the e-cigarette does not make it a healthy and safe product for all that.

Diverted and illegal use at fault

Current news never stops demonising vaping and its potential health effects. Nevertheless, a survey conducted by the online media outlet 20minutes.fr shows that mistrust does not yet seem to have truly taken hold in France.

And that is good news, because while the e-cigarette turns out to be the perfect culprit for those who never stop pointing the finger at it, it is not the direct cause of the deaths of the individuals in question.

So far, US authorities have not been able to determine the exact causes that led to the pulmonary failures. However, THC was found in the majority of cartridges contained in the electronic cigarettes of those concerned. An active substance found in cannabis, THC can indeed cause adverse effects on the body, which is why cannabis consumption remains illegal in many countries around the world. This is what was revealed by the study on these electronic cigarettes by 20minutes.

America is obviously no exception to this ban, as several states continue to refuse the legalisation of cannabis. This is obviously not enough to stop illegal consumers from indulging away from the authorities and without concern for the law.

But that is not all — a particular molecule would have been isolated by investigators during the analysis of these cannabis cartridges: vitamin E acetate. This substance, normally used in the form of skin oil or capsules, proves to be harmful when brought to a vapour state at high temperature for inhalation. "Very high" levels of this additive would therefore have been found.

The THC cartridges implicated would therefore have been sold by dealers on the black market in the depths of the internet or simply on the street. How then can these deaths be attributed to the e-cigarette, when its use would clearly have been diverted?

The controversy only affects the United States, as no similar cases have been recorded elsewhere.

Scrupulously controlled consumption

First and foremost, anyone who visits a shop dedicated to electronic cigarette use will be met by a specialist in the field. Vaping specialists are there to provide advice on the doses to respect, the frequency not to exceed, and act as true guides to vaping. Furthermore, in France, electronic cigarette consumption is subject to heightened monitoring. And for good reason:

1. French electronic cigarette manufacturers have absolutely no right to include fatty substances or illicit substances in the composition of their liquid, due to the AFNOR standards they are required to comply with. French health authorities are very strict on this matter.

2. Unlike the American market, the French e-cigarette market is strictly regulated, notably by the rules set out in the European Directive applicable from 1 January 2017, but also by the Health Law passed in May 2016.

3. French standards, guided by AFNOR, European standards, led by CEN, and international standards, set by ISO, help frame and secure the consumption of e-cigarettes. FIVAPE says it loud and clear: vaping saves lives!

4. All of the approximately 35,000 products offered on the vaping market in France are very precisely notified to the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES).

So, convinced?