May 25, 2016

expert reaction to research on e-cigs and neutrophil cells

Publishing in the journal Respiratory Research researchers have reported that exposure to e-cigarette vapour extract triggers inflammatory responses from human neutrophils, a kind of immune cell.

Prof. Linda Bauld, Professor of Health Policy at the University of Stirling, said:

“New studies on e-cigarettes are welcome as we need to know more about these products. However, a common problem with some research, including this study, is that the main comparison should be with tobacco which contains a range of toxicants including formaldehyde and acrolein. Previous research has shown that levels of these compounds are far lower in e-cigarette vapour than in tobacco smoke. Smokers need accurate information that  conveys the relative risk of continued smoking with e-cigarette use and all the available evidence is that e-cigarettes are a far safer option. Alarming headlines based on cell line studies such as this one will merely deter more smokers from stopping smoking by using e-cigarettes, contributing to the disease and early death that continued smoking causes. ”

‘Electronic cigarette exposure triggers neutrophil inflammatory responses’ by Andrew Higham et al. was published in Respiratory Research.

Declared interests

None declared