Vaping may cause lasting harm to young people’s lungs and could leave them at greater risk of developing a potentially fatal lung disease later in life, scientists have warned.
Researchers found that young adults who used e-cigarettes experienced a measurable decline in lung function over just 12 months. Those who vaped more heavily generally showed the largest falls.
The concern is that this damage could accumulate over time, increasing the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — an incurable condition that progressively makes breathing harder and kills about 30,000 people in Britain each year.
COPD is most commonly associated with decades of cigarette smoking. It develops when lung damage makes it increasingly difficult to breathe air out.
Now, researchers at Florida International University have uncovered early evidence that vaping may contribute to a similar decline in lung health.
The team assessed the lung function of 22 vapers aged between 21 and 35, measuring the amount of air they could forcefully exhale in one second.
When the participants repeated the tests roughly a year later, the amount of air they could expel had fallen significantly.
People who vaped most often tended to experience the greatest deterioration, although the researchers said they could not confirm that the pattern was more than a chance finding.
A study has suggested that vaping may raise the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD
The findings, published in Tobacco Control, are preliminary. The scientists stressed that much larger studies will be needed to determine whether vaping causes permanent lung damage or increases the risk of COPD.
Around 1.7 million people in Britain have COPD, while an estimated 600,000 others are living with the condition without knowing it, according to Asthma + Lung UK.
The disease occurs when the airways become damaged and narrowed, making it progressively harder to breathe.
Early symptoms can include a persistent cough, coughing up mucus and breathlessness. These problems may gradually worsen until routine daily activities become difficult.
Smoking remains by far the leading cause of COPD, although prolonged exposure to air pollution and other harmful substances can also play a role.
Although COPD is generally linked to older smokers, research indicates that signs of restricted lung function can emerge much earlier in adulthood.
A major European study of almost 50,000 people found that up to 8 per cent of adults in their 20s and 30s had restricted airflow, a key characteristic of COPD.
Importantly, restricted airflow was also detected in people who had never smoked, prompting questions about other factors that could be harming lung health in younger people.
In the latest study, the researchers observed that more frequent vaping was associated with a greater decline in lung function.
Those who vaped at least 30 times a day tended to suffer the sharpest falls, raising concerns that heavy e-cigarette use may be especially harmful.
However, the study included only 22 people. The researchers acknowledged that they could not exclude the possibility that the apparent connection between heavier vaping and greater lung damage was due to chance.
They said larger studies are required to establish whether the changes continue over time and could eventually develop into serious respiratory disease.
Even so, the scientists warned that repeated exposure to e-cigarettes could cause damage that accumulates over the years, potentially leaving users more vulnerable to COPD later in life.
Dr Aran Singanayagam, a consultant in respiratory medicine at OneWelbeck and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, said: ‘There is growing evidence that vaping can harm the body.
‘Regularly inhaling chemicals can cause inflammation and may result in lasting damage.
‘There is little doctors can do to reverse COPD, so it should be avoided wherever possible.’
Vaping is generally considered less harmful than smoking because e-cigarettes do not produce the tar and carbon monoxide found in tobacco smoke.
E-cigarettes are also used as a tool to help smokers quit. In 2023, the previous Conservative government announced plans to provide free vapes to one million smokers.
However, e-cigarette vapour can still contain potentially harmful chemicals, and health experts remain concerned about the long-term effects of inhaling them.
Earlier research has also suggested that vaping may weaken the lungs’ natural defences against infection.
The growing popularity of e-cigarettes among children and teenagers has raised particular concern. Research suggests that almost one million 11- to 17-year-olds have tried vaping.
A review published in August also found evidence of a link between vaping during adolescence and later taking up smoking. The findings have intensified concerns that e-cigarettes could act as a gateway to tobacco rather than helping steer young people away from it.
