The Effects of Smoking and Vaping on the Respiratory System

In an article about the long term effects of smoking and vaping, it is learned that in the lungs, there is sticky mucus that traps pathogens. The mucus is normally swept out of the lungs by the cilia on the epithelial cells lining the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. However, cigarette smoke contains harmful chemicals that damage these cells, leading to a build-up of mucus and a smoker’s cough. Smoke irritates the bronchi, causing bronchitis. Smoke damages the walls of the alveoli. The alveoli walls break down and join together, forming larger air spaces than normal. This reduces the efficiency of gas exchange, so people with the lung disease emphysema carry less oxygen in their blood and find even mild exercise difficult. The after effects can lead to stroke and lung cancer, as well as other long term issues.

In an article by Dr Joanna Tsai, it is learned that recently, there have been more reports of life threatening illnesses due to vaping. The severity of many of the cases is alarming. Healthy and often young people are coming into the hospital with severe respiratory failure. Some end up on ventilators or medically induced comas, and a few have even died. The first confirmed vaping related case at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center occurred in the summer of 2019. For the most part, these cases are young, healthy individuals who developed severe respiratory problems after vaping. They reported using e-cigarette products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, but some had used nicotine, as well. This matches what we’re seeing nationally. While most cases involved the use of THC or both THC and nicotine, some involved only nicotine.

In a health news article, it is learned that not only is vaping or smoking bad for the respiratory system in general, certain smoke flavors are more damaging. A popular e-cigarette flavoring agent has been shown to have serious adverse effects on the lungs. A new study from scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrated that cinnamaldehyde impairs normal airway functioning. Cinnamaldehyde is the chemical that gives cinnamon its unique flavor and aroma. It’s a common, food-safe flavoring agent that’s widely used in food products and e-cigarettes. However, the researchers say that although a product may be deemed safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, heating, vaping, or burning it can lead to chemical changes that result in unknown, damaging effects on the body.

In a previous study by Karen Feldcher, her and her Harvard colleague, Joseph Allen, found flavoring chemicals primarily diacetyl and pentanedione in more than ninety percent of e-cigarettes they tested. “E-cigarette users are heating and inhaling flavoring chemicals that were never tested for inhalation safety,” said Allen. Although some e-cig manufacturers are stating that they do not use diacetyl or pentanedione, it begs an important question: what chemicals, then, are they using for flavoring? Further, workers receive warnings about the dangers of inhaling flavoring chemicals. Why aren’t e-cig users receiving the same warnings? These studies show that the flavoring is more damaging than thought to be, because the chemicals are not meant to be burned or inhaled.

A popular topic and respiratory illness going around is the coronavirus. It seems odd to tie in the coronavirus to this but considering the coronavirus is a respiratory illness, it seems fitting. According to Tanya Lewis, smoking or vaping could make you more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Although there have not been many studies investigating this link specifically, a wealth of evidence suggests that smoking suppresses immune function in the lungs and triggers inflammation. There have been far fewer investigations of vaping, but research suggests it may do similar damage. And both long-term smokers and e-cigarette users are at a heightened risk of developing chronic lung conditions, which have been associated with more severe cases of COVID-19, as the disease caused by the new virus is called. Scientists say it therefore seems reasonable to assume that smoking and possibly vaping could increase the risk of developing a serious infection from the coronavirus.