Vape warning as Irish study suggests cancer and lung injuries 'almost a certainty' for long-term users
Flavoured vapes mimicking fruit, candy and dessert flavours are the most concerning, Professor of Chemistry at RCSI and lead author of the study Dr Dónal O’Shea said
Cancer and lung injuries are "almost a certainty" in the future for long-term vape users, a study from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has found.
Flavoured vapes mimicking fruit, candy and dessert flavours are the most concerning, Professor of Chemistry at RCSI and lead author of the study Dr Dónal O’Shea said.
These flavours are more dangerous and need "urgent attention" as they contain anywhere from six to 20 different chemicals to make the commercial flavour.
READ MORE - Vape retailers in Ireland could be fined €2,000 for not following this regulation
The study, which was conducted using artificial intelligence, found that once these chemicals were heated very toxic compounds were detected.
Fruit and candy-flavoured vapes had the most volatile carbonyls (VCs) present, which are known to pose serious health risks such as cancer and pulmonary disease.
The study noted that the "cocktail of chemicals" used in these flavours were never intended to be heated to high temperatures for inhalation.
A total of 127 hazardous chemicals detected from vapes used in the study were classified as ‘Acute Toxic’, 153 as ‘Health Hazards’ and 225 as ‘Irritants’.
While vape manufacturers say their products are targeted at people trying to quit smoking cigarettes, Professor O’Shea says vaping causes a "different profile of chemical hazards" compared to tobacco.
He said: "We wanted to understand, before it’s too late, the likely impact flavoured vapes are having on the health of the growing number of vapers.
"It is plausible that we are on the cusp of a new wave of chronic diseases that will emerge 15 to 20 years from now due to these exposures.
"We hope this research will help people make more informed choices and contribute to the conversation on the potential long-term health risks and the regulation of vaping, which this research suggests should be comprehensive."
The lead author said while it’s difficult to directly compare tobacco smokers and vapers, those who do vape are at a "significantly higher" risk of disease than non-vapers.
As the study notes that flavoured vapes are the most dangerous, Prof O’Shea said these need to be restricted on the market.
He added that this is especially important to reduce the number of young people vaping who were not previously tobacco users.
"If we look into the future after prolonged long-term exposure we are going to see new diseases emerge, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and injuries to lungs, it’s almost a certainty," the chemistry professor said on RTÉ’s Today with Colm Ó Mongáin.
"You don’t need to be a medical doctor to see the dangers that are here. In any flavoured vape, there could be anywhere from half a dozen to 20 different chemicals to make up that commercial flavour.
"Then you have all the hidden breakdown products that are being formed as well. So, this is a huge cocktail of unknown chemicals."
The number of adults vaping in Ireland has increased by 166 per cent in the past seven years. In the HSE’s 2023 Healthy Ireland Survey, 8 per cent of adults said they use e-cigarettes, compared to 3 per cent in 2016.
This comes as there was a 43 per cent increase in hospital admissions for vaping-related illness in Ireland last year, according to figures obtained by The Sunday Times.
10 people were admitted to an acute hospital in the country in 2023 for a vaping-related illness, compared to seven the year before.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called to ban the sale of vape products in the vicinity of schools in a bid to "protect young people".
Ireland was one of the last countries to ban the sale of vapes to under 18s, with the ban only coming into effect last December.
Before this ban came into effect, most vape retailers had signs saying they would only sell e-cigarettes to people over the age of 18, and ID was needed.
However, an Irish Mirror investigation undertaken last year found that a 14-year-old boy was able to buy four disposable vapes in a corner shop, a vape outlet and two phone stores in under an hour.
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