TEENAGE vapers could be unwittingly smoking street drug spices, researchers have warned.
A test of almost 600 vapes confiscated from English schools revealed that 16.6% of them contained the illegal narcotic.
The synthetic drug has a number of dangerous side effects for users, including cardiac arrest.
And it’s worryingly common, with 74% of the 38 schools in the study having at least one spice-enriched e-cigarette.
Spices are believed to have been added to vapes sold as containing cannabis oil to cut costs.
Study leader Professor Chris Pudney from the University of Bath warned: “We know that children can have cardiac arrests.
“I believe some came very close to death.
“Principals are telling me that students are fainting in the hallways and ending up with long stays in intensive care.”
He warned parents that his findings were not “a niche, one-time occurrence that happens in a school far away from you,” but something common.
Prof Pudney is now urging people to talk to children about the risks faced by spices and vaping, as well as the Government to prioritize the issue at a national level.
Schools that believe they have problems with spice-enriched vapors should come forward for testing, he said.
Smoking vs. vaporize
VAPING has been touted as an effective tool for helping people quit smoking.
Although vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, the habit is not completely harmless and comes with its own set of risks.
The NHS only recommends it for adult smokers to support smoking cessation.
Doctor and author Dr Philippa Kaye explained to The Sun that the differences between vaping and smoking – and whether one is better than the other – are “complicated”.
“In short, vaping is better than smoking, but breathing air is better than vaping.”
Vaping exposes users to far fewer toxins – and at lower levels – than smoking cigarettes.
Switching to vaping significantly reduces exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, and heart and circulatory diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
These diseases are not caused by nicotine, which is relatively harmless to health. But research still links vaping to a higher risk of lung failure and disease.
Health risks of cigarettes
- Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop heart disease, stroke and lung cancer
- Smokers are at greater risk of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels
- Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging the airways and small air sacs
- Smoking can cause cancer in almost any part of the body
- It also affects general health such as mouth, eyes, immune system and fertility
Health Risks of Vaping
- They can cause side effects such as throat and mouth irritation, headache, cough and nausea.
- They can lead to tooth decay
- They can harm heart health
- They can cause lung disease
- They could slow brain development
Read more about how vaping can affect your health here.
Sources: NHS, CDC
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
