Scientists issue warning to mint flavour vape smokers after groundbreaking new study

Scientists are warning vapers that mint flavours damage the lungs more than any other kind of the smoking substitute.

You probably already know that smoking is really bad for you and vaping is less bad but that does not make vaping a healthy thing to be doing.

It's still seen as a healthier alternative, which is perhaps why a million Brits are being given free vapes as part of a 'swap to stop' initiative from the government, with around one in five smokers getting help to kick the habit.

Their logic is that up to two out of three smokers will ultimately be killed by their habit, so shifting them onto something less lethal is a good idea.

It's part of their aim to have a 'smoke-free UK' by 2030, essentially getting the number of Brits who smoke down to about five percent or less of the population.

While vaping is not perfect, it is healthier than cigarettes, but experts have warned that vapers need to stay away from one flavour in particular.

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Scientists have been warning that mint vapes do more damage to the lungs than any other flavour as they produce more toxic microparticles compared to menthol-free liquids.

Mint vape fans took shallower breaths and had poorer lung function than other smokers - regardless of how long they smoked cigarettes, whether they used cannabis-laced vaping products, and their age, gender, and race.

Scientists warn the minty flavour could be as dangerous as cannabinoid vapes, which have been strongly linked to lung injury.

Despite these stronger health risks mint flavours are highly popular and medical researchers are struggling to keep up with the market.

Professor Kambez Benam of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine was a senior author of a study on the dangers of different vaping flavours.

He warned: "Many people, especially youth, erroneously assume that vaping is safe, but even nicotine-free vaping mixtures contain many compounds that can potentially damage the lungs.

"Switching to e-cigarettes may be a better, safer alternative for someone who is trying to quit smoking regular tobacco products. But it’s important to have full knowledge of e-cigarettes’ risks and benefits before trying them."

Lynne Sutherland/Alamy

The researchers developed a 'vaping robot' to measure the health impacts different flavours would have, with the bot able to precisely mimic the temperature, humidity, puff volume and duration of people's breathing patterns.

The new robot can measure the size and number of vape particles, and how these may vary from flavour to flavour and it's bad news for mint.

While people are being given free vapes to get off smoking there's also going to be a crackdown on the disposable ones you can see lying about everywhere in the UK to combat high levels of youth vaping.

Vapes affect your lungs differently to smoking and some people have suffered significant health scares after vaping too much.

Topics: Health, News, Science, Vaping

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker