Vaping May Be As Bad As Smoking

To reach their conclusion, researchers grew bacteria in a lab, and exposed them to e-cigarette vapor and cigarette smoke. The bugs in question – Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and  Pseudomonas aeruginosa – can live in the lungs without causing problems.

But they often lurk in the lungs of people with conditions such as  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease  (COPD), bronchitis and asthma, study co-author Dr. Deirdre Gilpin of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast told Newsweek, where they can cause infections and increase inflammation.

“This can result in the lungs becoming damaged and not able to function well,” Gilpin said.

When the team treated the bacteria with cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapor, they became more virulent, or potentially harmful, in a way that could lead to diseases such as COPD and asthma, Gilpin explained. The findings were published in the journal Respiratory Research.

She said she didn’t expect to find the changes in bacteria exposed to e-cigarette vapor to be the same, and sometimes greater, than those seen with cigarette smoke. “This suggests that vaping may carry the same risk as cigarette smoke in increasing the susceptibility to bacterial infection,” Gilpin said.

However, she also highlighted that the team generated smoke and vapor in the lab in the same way. But in real life people smoke and vape differently, as the latter requires a deeper inhalation, and people may vape for longer at each session.

“It’s possible that the effects we observed with vape could be potentially greater in real life,” she said. Gilpin added there are thousands of different e-cigarette flavors on the market, some of which are toxic. Investigating these in the future and with more patient samples is “really important,” she said.

“Ideally we would encourage, particularly young non-smokers, not to start vaping,” Gilpin continued. She suggested people trying to quit smoking using alternative methods. “Vaping is often quoted as being less harmful than smoking,” Gilpin stressed. “But less harmful isn’t the same as safe, and results from our study suggest that exposing lung bacteria to vape may carry the same risk as smoking.” “We urgently need more research about the long term effects of vaping on the lungs,” she concluded.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School and a spokesperson for the American Lung Association, who did not work on the research, commented on the paper. Referring to the bacteria which populate the lungs, he told Newsweek the study “tells us that vaping may begin to change the microbiome of our lungs.”

“Our lungs’ normal microbiomes are made of bacteria that live in an ecological community in a symbiotic relationship with our lungs. When we allow the prevalence of more pathogenic bacteria to increase (e.g.  Pseudomonas ) and/or become more virulent, then we create a susceptibility to disease initiation and/or progression,” explained Galiatsatos.

Asked whether those who use e-cigarettes should stop, he said doctors should tell their patients “to stop smoking, whether combustible or electronic cigarettes.”

“More importantly, any activity that has the ability to weaken lung immune defenses and tip the microbiome in favor of pathogenic bacteria , then these persons will be more susceptible to lung-related diseases in the future,” Galiatsatos said. 

vaping – e-palenie, używanie elektronicznych papierosów

susceptible to infections – podatne na infekcje

Haemophilus influenzae – pałeczka grypy

Streptococcus pneumoniae – dwoinka zapalenia płuc (pneumokok)

Staphylococcus aureus – gronkowiec złocisty

Pseudomonas aeruginosa – pałeczka ropy błękitnej

lurk in the lungs – czaić się w płucach

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – przewlekła obturacyjna choroba płuc

bronchitis – zapalenie oskrzeli

Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. What conclusions have scientists come to regarding the health risks associated with vaping?

2. What research did they carry out that led them to reach such conclusions?

3. What is the difference between smoking and vaping?

4. According to Dr. Deirdre Gilpin, why should e-cigarettes not be proposed as an alternative method of quitting smoking?

5. In Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos’ opinion, what additional risk does vaping carry for the lungs?

1. How does smoking affect physical appearance?

2. What damage can smoking cause to your reproductive system?

3. Why are smokers at higher risk from osteoporosis?

4. In what ways does smoking ruin your teeth?

5. What does smoking do to your blood cells?

Describe the issue presented in the article. Use the expressions listed below. They will help you give structure to the text analysis.

key words:

vaping

smoking

lung-related diseases

collocations with positive meaning:

critical-care medicine

ecological community

symbiotic relationship

lung immune defenses

collocations with negative meaning:

potentially harmful

bacterial infection

pathogenic bacteria

susceptibility to disease

action verb phrases:

carry the same risk

reach a conclusion

cause infections

increase inflammation

quit smoking

Record your text analysis on a voice recorder or practice delivering your presentation in a group setting.

Examples:

Vaping may carry the same risk as…

To reach their conclusion, researchers…

The bugs in question can…

Translate the sentences below using the suggested word or phrase. (See Key)

(carry … making) Używanie papierosów elektronicznych może nieść takie samo ryzyko jak dym papierosowy, jeśli chodzi o zwiększenie podatności płuc na infekcje.

(reach … exposed) Aby dojść do swoich wniosków, badacze wyhodowali bakterie w laboratorium i wystawili je na działanie oparów e-papierosów oraz dymu papierosowego.

(treated … virulent … lead) Kiedy zespół potraktował bakterie dymem papierosowym oraz oparami e-papierosa, stały się one bardziej zjadliwe lub potencjalnie szkodliwe w sposób, który może prowadzić do chorób takich jak POChP i astma – wyjaśniła Gilpin.

(find … exposed) Powiedziała, że nie spodziewała się, że zmiany w bakteriach wystawionych na działanie oparów e-papierosów będą takie same, a czasem większe niż te obserwowane w przypadku dymu papierosowego.

You can use your translations in your presentation of the topic (in Task 6).

Continue the translation using the suggested word or phrase. Remember: It’s not about translating these sentences perfectly – there are a number of possible ways to translate each sentence. This task aims to teach you TO THINK IN ENGLISH. By working on your translation of a sentence, you can change it to get closer to the sense of the original (see Key).

Możliwe, że efekty, które zaobserwowaliśmy with vape, mogą być potencjalnie większe in real life.

Gilpin added, że na rynku dostępne są tysiące różnych smaków e-papierosów, a niektóre z nich są toksyczne.

Investigating these w przyszłości i z większą liczbą próbek pacjentów jest „naprawdę ważne” – she said.

Zasugerowała people trying rzucić palenie using alternatywnych metod.

„Używanie papierosów elektronicznych jest często quoted as being mniej szkodliwe niż palenie” – Gilpin stressed.

Ale mniej szkodliwe isn’t the same as bezpieczne, a wyniki naszych badań sugerują, że exposing lung bacteria to vape może nieść takie samo ryzyko jak palenie.

You can use your translations in your presentation of the topic (in Task 6).

Now it’s time to put forward your views on the issues. Record your speech on a voice recorder or practice presenting your opinion in a group setting. Consider the issues raised in the text from these viewpoints:

Technical: Vaping

Vaping requires a deeper…

People may vape for longer at…

Scientific: Potentially harmful

According to scientists, vaping…

For instance, Dr. Deirdre Gilpin claims that…

Health: Lung-related diseases

Moreover, Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos suggests…

All in all, it seems that…

Zgłoś naruszenie/Błąd