A study finds that the nicotine and flavorings in vapes affect eggs in ways that would make it more difficult to conceive.
Many experts have considered vaping a much safer alternative to smoking, urging people—pregnant people included—to use e-cigarettes instead of real cigarettes; after 15 years on the market, millions of Americans are daily users of vapes or e-cigarettes, which have less toxins than cigarettes but other unstudied chemicals and heating elements. But now, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that the nicotine and chemicals in e-cigarettes can actually make it much harder for an embryo to implant in the uterus, according to a study published today in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The study also found that vaping while pregnant can trigger lifelong developmental abnormalities in babies.
After exposing mice to e-cigarette vapor for several months, the researchers found the fertility of the females drastically impaired. These effects may be more severe in humans, due to various environmental, health, and genetic factors, according to the researchers.
“These findings are important because they change our views on the perceived safety of e-cigarettes as alternatives to traditional cigarettes before and during pregnancy,” study author Kathleen Caron, the chair of the department of cell biology and physiology at UNC-CH, said in a statement.
Julia Ries – Vice – September 5, 2019.
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