JAKARTA - A new study warns that vape users are inhaling 'acutly toxic' compounds that could lead to a 'new wave of chronic diseases' in the coming decades.
Researchers in Ireland have used artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate chemical reactions occurring within flavored vapes, also known as e-cigarettes.
They found that the e-liquid liquid inside the vape that gives a flavor contains a 'coketail' of chemical compounds that produce 'toxic' compounds when heated.
Vaping has a'significantly different chemical hazard profile' compared to smoking traditional tobacco, according to the researchers' reports.
While they don't say vaping is more dangerous than smoking tobacco, they worry that new health problems will arise due to the vaping trend.
How does vaping work? Vaping works by heating the liquid in a small device so you can inhale it into your lungs. Fluids, called e-liquids, usually contain nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and taste.
Electric cigarettes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most destructive elements in tobacco smoke.
Based on the chemical compounds predicted by AI, this can include chronic obstructive lung disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Regarding the chemical compounds predicted by AI, researchers fear that this could be chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Research has linked vaping to heart failure, lung disease, and gum disease, although according to the NHS and health experts, evidence suggests that vaping is far more harmless than smoking.
Vaping has been widely adopted as an alternative to traditional smoking with around 4.5 million people in the UK regularly use it.
A new study has been published by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), which is based in Dublin.
"We want to understand, before it's too late, the possible impact of flavored vape," said lead author Professor Donal O'Shea at RCSI. Our discovery shows a significant chemical hazard profile that is different from the one we know from smoking traditional tobacco.
"Plausible that we are on the verge of a new wave of chronic diseases that will appear in the next 15 to 20 years due to this exposure," he said.
From menthol to vanila pepper and sour strawberries, there are about 40,000 flavors of vape in today's market around the world. However, according to researchers, there are only 180 e-liquid flavor chemical ingredients known from which these flavors come from, mixed in various quantities.
This liquid taste in e-cigarettes is heated at high temperatures, thus forming steam which is then inhaled.
The original source for taste comes from the food industry, where they have a good safety record for special use in flavored drinks, cakes, and candy.
However, researchers warn that the ingredients are not meant to be heated at high temperatures and inhaled.
Experts use an AI neural network model method that teaches computers to process data in a similar way to the human brain to simulate the effects of heating up the e-liquid flavor chemical found in vape.
By examining 180 known e-liquid flavoring chemicals, AI can predict what new compounds form when these substances are heated.
Surprisingly, the results show the formation of many dangerous compounds including 127 which are classified as 'acute toxics', 153 as 'health hazards' and 225 as 'tiban'.
Among these, volatile carbonil (VCs) chemical compounds known for their negative health effects are predicted to form in fruit flavored, candy, and mouthwash products, which tend to be the most popular among younger vapers.
Packaging and flavor vapes are increasingly attractive to young users. The researchers stated that their findings show a significant chemical hazard profile in contrast to traditional tobacco smoking.
The study uses a combination of artificial intelligence with previously published information to predict that while heating up a combination of chemicals in flavored vapes may produce harmful toxic substances, and these predictions can then be tested with further studies.
The researchers warn that vaping is attractive to the younger generation who have never smoked tobacco before, mainly because of colorful packaging and little awareness about the health risk of vaping.
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Professor Jacob George, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and therapy at the University ofwas, who was not involved in the study, welcomed the use of AI in this regard.
Close to 40,000 different flavors in markets around the world today and understanding their effects would require a combination of techniques including automatic mapping algorithms and the creation of neural networks like this, said Professor George.
Although this study cannot provide a definitive answer to the risk of flavored vapes on human health, this study could be a first step that helps to identify signals that can then lead to further, more in-depth research on heat-induced chemical breakdown of the chemicals used in taste.
The study has combined artificial intelligence with previously published information to predict that while heating up a combination of chemicals in flavored vapes may result in harmful toxins, and these predictions can then be tested with further studies, "he said.
"There is no quality evidence yet about the safety or dangers of these flavored materials, so I welcome a new strategy as used by these researchers," added Professor George.
This new study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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