Researchers in the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute at The Ohio State University College of Medicine suggest that vaping during pregnancy could predispose children to lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The study exposed pregnant mice to e-cigarette vapours with and without nicotine. At five months old all the offspring were examined. Reduced lung function and scaring were evident in the lungs of mice exposed to the vapours, regardless of if they contained nicotine or not.

“The dangers of smoking traditional cigarettes while pregnant are clearly documented, including sudden infant death syndrome, low birth weight and asthma, but the effects of e-cigarette vapour exposure during development are not clear. Vaping has only been around since the early 2000s and little research has been done during the in-utero period. Our findings indicate that vaping while pregnant can have long-term health effects for the offspring,” said Matthew Gorr, the study’s senior author to EurekaAlert!.

Loren Wold, the study’s co-author said, “E-cigarettes have been touted as being safer than traditional cigarettes and while this is true, there are still health consequences. Clinical research is just now starting to ramp up because it’s clear that e-cigarettes are not going away. We need this type of research to help guide policy in a market that is largely unregulated.”

Ongoing research at The University of Ohio will examine the effects of in-utero vaping exposure as the mice age.

Read the full study here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00233.2022

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