Vaping: New pneumonia type, called Lipoid, discovered after 5th death

Dubai: Despite little scientific literature on the long-term ill effects of vaping on users' health, there's a clear emerging trend: Vaping is 'deceptively safer' at the very least, and deadly, too, at the very most.

On Thursday, September 5, US doctors reported the fifth death from vaping, after it has left at least 450 with deadly lung disease in the US alone.

Claims that vaping is "safer" (than regular smoking) are largely unproven, but so do claims that it's unsafe.

Now, however, following the death of five individuals in different states of the US — with vaping as the only common denominator between them in the month of August alone — authorities have raised alarm bells.

New type of pneumonia

The US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) has raised an alarm following the diagnosis of a new type of pneumonia called Lipoid that seems to have been contracted through use of liquids in electronic cigarettes.

The deaths were reported from the state of Illinois, Oregon, Indiana, Minnesota and Los Angeles.

The news may become a wake-up call for all vapers in the UAE who might think it is "safe" to switch from regular cigarettes to vaping.

The CDC has also stated that over 450 unrelated people across the US who were habitual vapers had also reported sick by inhaling the oils, experienced symptoms of nausea, breathlessness, bouts of coughing and chest pain that required hospitalization.

Many of those reported sick were using marijuana and cannabis oil in the e-cigarettes.

Denise C. Vidot, an epidemiologist from the University of Miami and assistant professor in the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, is considered an expert on the health risks of cannabis use.

In an email interview with Gulf News, Vidot discussed about respiratory disease associated with the use of e-cigarette products.

Dr Vidot, who has published numerous works on substance abuse, said that the issue needed proper examination.

She added that health hazards of vaping were still being researched and the full extent of the harm triggered by vaping was yet to be determined

“Vaping exposes users to many different substances for which we have little information about related harms — including flavorings, nicotine, cannabinoids and solvents," she told Gulf News, citing a statement released by the CDC director, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, on Friday. 

"The CDC has been warning about the identified and potential dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping since these devices first appeared," she added.

Unsafe for all

Dr Vidot said: "E-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women or adults who do not currently use tobacco products. As an epidemiologist, I look forward to seeing rigorous investigation of the possible association."

Dr Sreekumar Sreedharan, an internal medicine specialist at Aster Clinic in Karama, Dubai, said that vaping is "misleading" youngsters, allowing them to fall into the nicotine addiction trap.

“While vaping from e-cigarettes does not involve combustion of paper and release of noxious gases like carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and tar, which are carcinogenic, the absence of these does not make e-cigarettes any safer,” said Dr Sreedharan.

"One must not forget that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, and chronic nicotine exposure may lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes," he added