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Study: Vaping Raises Lung Disease Risk, but Less So Than Smoking

VOA News

   A new U.S. study has concluded that the use of e-cigarettes, called
   vaping, increases the risk of developing chronic lung diseases, but
   less so than smoking.

   The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
   surveyed 32,000 American adults between 2013 and 2016 who had no signs
   of lung disease when the study began.

   Scientists found that those who used e-cigarettes were 1.3 times more
   likely to develop chronic lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis,
   emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

   For people who used both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes, the risk
   nearly tripled. Senior author Stanton Glatz, a University of California
   San Francisco professor of medicine, noted that many smokers did not
   abandon conventional cigarettes when they began using e-cigarettes.

   But the study noted that even for those who switched completely to
   vaping, risks were still apparent in just three years of use.

   Last month, the World Health Organization called for stricter
   regulations on the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes as more
   information comes to light about the potentially harmful impact of
   these products.

   Health officials are increasingly worried about the risks posed by
   e-cigarettes as reported cases of deaths and illnesses from the devices
   spread from the United States to Europe and beyond. They see the recent
   death of a young man in Belgium and reports of vaping-related illnesses
   in the Philippines and other countries as a call to action.