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Exposure to E-Cigarettes May Harm Brain Development in Children

| March 28, 2015 Comment

Exposure to E-Cigarettes May Harm Brain Development in Children – New research shows that nicotine exposure can damage brain development not only in fetuses in the womb, but also children and adolescents.

Dr. Tim McAfee, director of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health, and his team reviewed studies on the effects of nicotine. They found that several studies on animals show that nicotine harms development of brain and lungs. Nicotine seems to affect the part of brain that is involved in thinking and language development, and short- and long-term memory.

It must be pointed out that the review looked at nicotine exposure not just from e-cigarettes but also other sources, such as regular cigarettes and tobacco, and it’s unclear how much of the exposure in these studies is from e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes deliver different amounts of nicotine and can range from half a cigarette to a whole cigarette. Despite manufacturer’s claims that e-cigarettes are safe and release water vapor that’s harmless, research shows that the vapor contains nicotine, which can be inhaled by kids if they are around adults using e-cigarettes. McAfee says it is dangerous for pregnant women and teens to use e-cigarettes. In teens, exposure to nicotine could make them addicted to it and damage their developing brains.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to regulate e-cigarettes, and this would be a step in the right direction, according to McAfee.

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