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A new study has found that being exposed to the ingredients in vape smoke while in utero can alter the shape of a baby’s skull, even if there is no nicotine
Researchers from Ohio State University conducted a series of experiments on pregnant mice and found that liquid ingredients in e-cigarettes had a major impact on fetal development
“This is a small study that speaks to the possibility that nicotine-free vaping is not safe,” the author said
A new study has found that being exposed to the ingredients in vape smoke while in utero can alter the shape of a baby’s skull, even if the vape does not contain nicotine.
Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a series of experiments on pregnant mice, discovering that two liquid ingredients in e-cigarettes have a significant impact on fetal development of mice. The study was published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday, July 16, .
In the study, pregnant mice were exposed to two liquids that are used to create a smoke plume and the throat hit while vaping. Compared to two other groups of offspring, the mice exposed to the vape ingredients had lower birth weights, shortened skulls and narrower facial features.
The study’s authors wrote that the results of the study were “surprising” for several reasons, including that the mice were not exposed to nicotine at all and still experienced fetal development issues, per a press release.
Researchers did not expect to see a skull defect when the ratio of ingredients in the vape was “designed by the e-cigarette industry to be a safer available option than the proportions in earlier products.”
“This had no nicotine, and it’s still having effects on the development of the skull in our model, which was not anything we expected,” lead study author James Cray, a professor of anatomy at Ohio State University College of Medicine, said in the press release.
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A stock image of a vape pen.
As a part of the study, the pregnant mice were exposed to either filtered free air or two humectants — hydrating substances that function as carriers of other e-cigarette contents — at various concentrations, including 30% propylene glycol and 70% glycerol (also called vegetable glycerin) and a 50/50 ratio of the two.
“A lot of companies have moved toward getting away from a high percentage of propylene glycol toward more glycerol, trying to position this as a safer alternative,” he added, explaining that propylene glycol transmits more nicotine.
During the roughly three-week gestation period, the mice were exposed to the three different mixtures at a rate of one puff per minute, four hours per day, five days a week. Compared to the free air and 50/50 ratio, the progeny exposed to the 30/70 ratio showed a much larger reduction in cranial width and height.
“What we see is a consistent narrowing of all of the facial features, and the same thing as we move back into the cranium as well,” Cray said. “So globally they’re narrower and a little bit shorter-headed, which does mimic some observable changes that we see in children.”
“We also saw a bit of a reduction in weight. These animals were within the normal range of an animal that age, but they still weighed less,” he added of the results, which were consistent across several litters of mice and across sexes.
“The 50/50 mixture had no dramatic statistical changes – and that’s where we were looking for the difference. We thought heavier propylene glycol should be causing more effects, and it was the exact opposite,” Cray added.
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A stock image of a baby, a mother and a doctor.
Negative effects of nicotine on children have already been established. As the Mayo Clinic reports, nicotine can cause permanent damage to a developing brain and other organs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reports that about 3% of babies are born each year with nicotine-related birth defects and alterations to the head and neck — such as cleft lips — are among the most common, per the press release.
According to the researchers, understanding the health issues surrounding e-cigarettes is crucial, as the Food and Drug Administration and e-cigarette companies continue a number of legal battles over regulating these products.
“The majority of users are young adults and teenagers, so we are talking about people who are in peak reproductive years,” Cray said. “And with development of the head happening very early in fetal development, people could be using these products and not even realize that they are pregnant, which is of great concern.”
“This is a small study that speaks to the possibility that nicotine-free vaping is not safe,” he finished. “And it’s a sign that we probably should study the nicotine-free products as much as we study the nicotine-laden products.”
Read the original article on People
