Gerrard Kaonga
A new study has revealed that vaping while pregnant can have serious impacts on the well-being of a child - even if the e-cig doesn't contain any nicotine.
Vaping has grown to be very popular in a relatively short period of time but because of this, not all of the health risks are fully understood.
In fact, many Americans have taken up vaping as an alternative to smoking, believing it is a healthier option without realizing the potential consequences of getting addicted to this habit.
New research has indicated that even vapes without nicotine within them can still cause serious health issues and defects to unborn children if taken by the mother.
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The lead author in this new study, James Cray, professor of anatomy in The Ohio State University College of Medicine, has said: “The majority of users are young adults and teenagers, so we are talking about people who are in peak reproductive years.
“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. And it’s a sign that we probably should study the nicotine-free products as much as we study the nicotine-laden products.”
Cray noted that in their study they found that vape usage can alter fetal development, specifically skull shape.
Researchers exposed pregnant mice to a combination of two liquids used to create the throat hit and smoke plume associated with vaping.
They then studied the mice and their offspring and found that many were born with shortened skulls and narrower facial features as well as lowering birth rates.
Cray added: “[Vaping has] no nicotine, and it’s still having effects on the development of the skull in our model, which was not anything we expected.
“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. 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 for animals of that age, but they still weighed less.”
The findings were published in the journal PLOS one and the team have called for more research into the impact of vaping - with and without nicotine - as vaping continues to grow in popularity.