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Boston, MA – According to a new study by Harvard T.H., two chemicals widely used to flavor electronic cigarettes could affect the function of eyelashes in human airways. Chan School of Public Health.
The eyelashes are antenna-like protuberances present on 50 to 75% of the cells lining the human airways. They play a key role in maintaining the human respiratory tract free of mucus and dirt and allow people to breathe easily and without irritation. Altered eyelash function has been badociated with lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
"Although the chemicals used to aromatize e-cigs are frequently used, little is known about the mechanism of their impact on health." Our new study suggests that these products could harm eyelashes – the first line of defense of the lungs – change the expression of genes related to the production and function of eyelashes, "said Quan Lu, badociate professor of environmental genetics and pathophysiology. Lu and Joseph Allen, badistant professor in exhibition evaluation science, were the lead authors of the study.
The study will be published on February 1, 2019 in Scientific reports. He is the first to examine the impact of flavoring chemicals on human epithelial cells lining the lungs.
Millions of people use e-cigarettes and the recent increase in their consumption among school-aged children has alarmed public health experts. In mid-December, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams called the e-cigarette epidemic among young people. Scientific studies examining the potential health effects of electronic cigarettes and their many chemical components have not kept pace with the increase in their use.
In a previous study, colleagues at Allen and Harvard Chan discovered flavoring chemicals – mainly diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione – in over 90% of the electronic cigarettes tested.
In addition to being used in electronic cigarettes, diacetyl is used as a flavoring agent in foods such as butter-flavored microwave popcorn, baked goods and sweets; he can create a variety of flavors. Diacetyl is considered a safe ingredient in foods, but the evidence suggests that it can be dangerous when inhaled. It was previously linked to bronchiolitis obliterans, a debilitating lung disease dubbed "popcorn lung," as it first appeared in workers who inhaled artificial butter at microwave popcorn processing facilities. After the link between diacetyl lung and popcorn has been reported, 2,3-pentanedione has sometimes been used as a substitute.
In this new study, researchers used new laboratory techniques to examine the impact of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione on epithelial cells in a system closely mimicking the epithelium of human airways in humans. vivo. They exposed normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) to chemicals for 24 hours. They found that diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione were linked to changes in gene expression that could affect both eyelash production and function.
In addition, the researchers found that even low concentrations of both chemicals affected gene expression, suggesting that current standards for safe exposure limits for workers may not be enough. . According to the authors, there are no such standards for users of electronic cigarettes.
"Electronic cigarette users heat and inhale flavor chemicals that have never been tested for inhalation safety," Allen said. "Although some e-cigs manufacturers say they do not use diacetyl or 2,3-pentandione, this raises an important question: what chemicals do they use as flavoring?" , workers are warned of the dangers of inhalation Why do e-cigs users not receive the same warnings? "
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Other authors of the study at Harvard Chan include the main author Hae-Ryung Park, Michael O. Sullivan, Jose Vallarino, Jin-Ah Park and David Christiani.
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