Children exposed to secondhand vapour clouds have five times the level of nicotine in their bodies compared to normal, a study suggests.
However, youth exposed to e-cigarette vapor had 84 percent less of the addictive substance in their systems compared to those exposed to traditional passive smoking from cigarettes.
British researchers involved in the study said their findings, based on a cohort of nearly 1,800 American children, suggested that switching from traditional cigarettes to vaping could reduce children’s risk of exposure to secondhand nicotine.
But at the same time, they warned that reducing does not mean eliminating and that vaping should be avoided around children.
In the study, researchers at the University of College London compared cotinine levels in blood samples taken from children in several U.S. households divided by their smoking and vaping status.
Young people exposed to e-cigarette vapor had 84 percent less of the addictive substance in their systems compared to those exposed to traditional passive smoking (file image)
Cotinine is a substance produced by the body when it breaks down nicotine, and testing for it is considered the gold standard for detecting exposure to the addictive substance.
In total, the researchers examined cotinine results from 1,777 children between the ages of three and 11 collected between 2017 and 2020.
Of this group, 270 had been exposed to cigarette smoke, 43 to e-cigarette vapor, and 1,464 had not been exposed to either of these two factors.
Children exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke reported the highest levels of cotinine, at 0.49 micrograms per liter.
In comparison, children of vapers recorded just 0.08 micrograms of cotinine per liter, a figure that represents an 83.6 percent reduction in nicotine exposure compared to youth exposed to traditional passive smoking.
However, this level was still 402 percent higher than the cotinine level recorded among children not exposed to passive smoking or vaping (0.016 micrograms per liter).
For comparison, a level of 15 micrograms of cotinine per liter of blood indicates that a person has consumed a nicotine product, such as cigarettes or vapes.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Red Jama openThey said results It was suggested that children’s exposure to secondhand nicotine from e-cigarettes was much lower than that from cigarettes.
This is probably also true for other harmful chemicals emitted by traditional tobacco products, they added.
However, they still warn against exposing children to e-cigarette vapor indoors.
‘However, vaping should be avoided indoors around children, as while nicotine itself has a limited risk profile, the increased absorption of nicotine from secondhand vapour suggests that children were also exposed to other potentially harmful excipients in e-cigarettes,’ they said.
However, independent researchers were more optimistic about the results, saying they showed the level of second-hand nicotine exhaled by vapers was “negligible”.
Professor Peter Hajek, an expert in health and lifestyle research at Queen Mary University of London, said: ‘The study confirms that, as expected, the amount of nicotine exhaled by vapers, to which children and others are exposed, is negligible.
‘Passive vaping’ is unlikely to pose any health risks, but vapers should of course respect that other people may not like the smell or appearance of the aerosol from their devices.’
The researchers said one limitation of their study was that they divided children by exposure to smoking or vaping overall, without taking into account differences in the frequency of smoking or vaping at home and that this area needed further research.
Another limiting factor they highlighted was that the children’s parents, who were asked about indoor tobacco use at home, might have lied for fear of being judged, which could have influenced the results.
Vaping has skyrocketed in recent years, both among adults and children in Britain.
Research shows that the number of young adults using these devices has tripled in just two years, and there has also been a more moderate increase of 6 percent among adults over age 45.
Other figures show how the proportion of children using e-cigarettes has soared: more than a third of 16- to 18-year-olds inhale them regularly.
By comparison, a decade ago, fewer than one in ten did so.
This is despite the fact that the sale of vapes to under-18s is banned and anyone caught selling them to minors can be fined and prosecuted by the Trading Standards Office.
Activists have long blamed predatory manufacturers for the deepening crisis.
They claim some brands intentionally appeal to children with colorful packaging, unlike highlighters, and kid-friendly flavors like bubblegum and cotton candy, all for “pocket-money” prices.
The Tobacco and E-Cigarettes Bill proposed by Rishi Sunak’s government included measures to curb the availability of e-cigarettes to children, as well as to discourage non-smokers from taking up the habit.
This included a commitment to completely ban disposable e-cigarettes, so popular with child users, by 2025.
But the bill was scrapped at the general election, although charities have since called on Keir Starmer’s new government to reintroduce it.
E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in the form of vapor, which is produced by heating a liquid, which usually contains propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and other chemicals.
Activists have long blamed predatory manufacturers for the growing crisis, alleging they are intentionally luring children with colorful packaging — unlike highlighters — and kid-friendly flavors like bubblegum and cotton candy.
Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon, two of the most dangerous elements.
The effect of nicotine on the brain is well known: within 20 seconds of inhalation, it triggers the release of chemical messengers such as dopamine, associated with reward and pleasure.
But it also increases heart rate and blood pressure and causes blood vessels to constrict. This is because nicotine triggers the release of the hormone adrenaline.
Experts agree that vaping is safer than smoking, but it is not without risks. E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and their long-term effects remain a mystery.
Some experts are concerned that high nicotine content may raise blood pressure and cause other heart problems.
Doctors have expressed fears that there could be a wave of lung diseases, dental problems and even cancer in the coming decades in people who picked up the habit at a young age.
Everything you need to know about electronic cigarettes
How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?
There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, which contain different levels of nicotine.
The legal amount of nicotine in e-liquid in the UK is 20mg/ml, which equates to between 600 and 800 puffs.
The Elf Bar 600, one of Britain’s most popular vaporizers, is advertised with nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg, and 20mg.
How many cigarettes are in an electronic cigarette?
The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent of 48 cigarettes, analysts say.
It provides 600 puffs before you have to throw it away, meaning that, in theory, every 12.5 puffs is equivalent to one cigarette.
Experts say that for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs is equivalent to ten regular cigarettes.
Elf Bars are a brand of e-cigarettes that are often sold in bright colors and with kid-friendly names and flavors, such as Blue Raspberry Lemonade and Green Gummy Bear.
Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?
According to the NHS, vaping products are considered better than cigarettes as users are exposed to fewer toxins and at lower levels.
The health service adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and heart and circulation diseases such as strokes and heart attacks.
Public Health England, now defunct, published an independent expert review in 2015 that concluded e-cigarettes are about 95 percent less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
However, vaping is not risk-free, as although levels in tobacco products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.
And Dr Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elf bars can cause inflammation, swelling and bleeding of the gums.
He said this is because nicotine dries out the mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation due to the buildup of bacteria and food that cannot be washed away.
In 2022, there were nearly 350 hospitalisations in England for vaping, believed to be mainly due to respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.