New study uncovers negative effects of vaping

(Lindsay Fox/ Pixabay) - Researchers at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Lawson Health Research Institute have shown that vaping has a negative effect on a critical layer in the lungs and may harm lung function. The study, published in the PLOS ONE Journal , shows that vaping affects pulmonary surfactant - a layer in the lungs made up of lipids and proteins that allows people to breathe with minimal effort by reducing surface tension. "Vaping continues to be popular but not much is known about what happens with the aerosol when it enters the lungs," said Ruud Veldhuizen, professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and Lawson scientist. "We realized that the first thing the vapor aerosol comes in contact with in the lungs is pulmonary surfactant, which is an area our team specializes in." The research team placed a film of surfactant inside a syringe and then used a vaping device to push aerosol into the syringe. This allowed the vapor to directly interact with the surfactant. The researchers then mimicked inhaling and exhaling vapor into the syringe 30 times to resemble a standard vaping session. "In particular we were looking at the surface tension in the surfactant," said Emma Graham, Master's student at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.