Vape and Cancer : another misleading study !

Introduction

A new bad buzz is happening in the world of e-cigarettes. Indeed, the American journal PNAS, published on October 7, 2019 a study claiming that vaping causes lung cancer. The media, of course, rushed to make headlines.

* What if vaping caused lung cancer ? A New York study found tumours in mice that were subjected to nicotine steam from e-cigarettes...

What does this new study say ?

The results apparently show that mice exposed to the vapour of e-cigarettes developped pulmonary adenocarcinomas and urothelial hyperplasties of the bladder, which would suggest that e-cigarettes could be lung carcinogens and potentially bladder carcinogens for mice. Basically, e-cigarettes could lead to lung and bladder cancer.

However, when we take a closer look, this new study presents major methodological problems :

1. 450 years of dry hit !

The mice were exposed to totally unrealistic dosages. Prof. Peter Hajek points out that rodents have been given huge concentrations of chemicals that are nothing like human exposure when vaping. Prof. Bertrand Dautzenberg, a pulmonologist from Paris, says that these extravagant dosages are the equivalent of “ 450 years of vaping while overheating, therefore with carcinogenic aldehydes ”. The only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from this study is : “ Don't go over 100 years of vaping in dry hit ! ”

2. Genetically modified mice

Mice that were used for this study were genetically modified. They are known to have an increased risk of tumour development, especially on a pulmonary level.

Prof. Dautzenberg clearly states that: “ 20% of FVB/N mice spontaneously get lung cancer at 1 year and 55% at 2 years. Tang (author of the study) chose these mice to expose them to the equivalent of 450 years of overheated vaping and concluded that because 22.5% of them had cancers, vaping gives cancer. Not true ! “

The specialists are formal : the results of this study are unreliable given the conditions under which it was conducted !

The same researchers had already panicked the vaping world

The same team had already published a study in January 2018. They had caused a wave of panic on the world of e-cigarettes. At the time, they said that "e-cigarette smoke damages DNA and reduces repair activity in the lungs, heart and bladder of mice, as well as in human lungs and bladder cells."

Already then, the outraged reactions of the scientific experts didn’t take long to come :

Prof. Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Addiction Research Unit at Queen Mary University in London, highlighted at the time that “human cells have been submerged in nicotine and carcinogenic nitrosamines purchased on the market. It’s not surprising that this damages the cells, but it has nothing to do with the effects of vaping on people who do.”

Prof. Riccardo Polosa is the founder and scientific director of the Italian Smoke Free League. He also reacted : “The method described by the authors does not mimic the normal conditions of vaping. The conditions reproduced in these experiments are exaggerated and encourage the production of toxic substances in the same way as a "toaster" burning breadcrumbs. Our studies with patients that have lung disease not only show no damage but also show the same improvements that can be achieved by quitting smoking."

* New study on vaping. Mice inhaled the equivalent of 500 years of e-liquid in 12 weeks. "So?", "Another one drowned"

Conclusion

This is not scientific truth, but manipulation. This new study conducted by a team that had previously been heavily criticized for its lack of methodological rigour back in January 2018, claims that e-cigarettes cause lung cancer in humans.
Experts were outraged at the published results. They come back today explaining that the conditions under which these tests were performed are nothing like human exposure to vaping and that the mice used have a predisposition to develop lung tumours all on their own.