Smoking, features and articles | Educational Science

May 16, 2016

E-Cigarettes: What Vaping Does to Your Body

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs, have been on the market in the U.S. since 2008 and have gained wider use in recent years. Now, evidence is beginning to emerge on e-cigs' short-term effects, and their positive and negative impact on people's health. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid —...

May 20, 2016

What's Causing E-Cigs' Trail of Injuries?

An electronic cigarette exploded in the face of a man in Albany, New York, recently, leaving him with a hole his tongue and burns on his hand, CNN reported. The explosion also knocked out several of the man's teeth. But this is far from the first injury caused by an...

Oct 5, 2016

Are E-Cig Injuries Exploding Upward?

Injuries from exploding e-cigarettes appear to be on the rise, according to a new analysis from a Seattle hospital. Over a nine-month period from October 2015 to June 2016, health care workers at the University of Washington Medical Center treated 15 patients for injuries from exploding e-cigarettes. For comparison, from...

Jan 5, 2017

Child Swallows E-Cig Liquid After Medication Mix-Up

A 6-year-old girl in Oregon experienced severe nicotine poisoning after her parents accidentally gave her liquid nicotine meant for electronic cigarettes instead of a children's liquid pain reliever, according to a new report of the girl's case. The child survived, but nicotine poisoning can be fatal, and the researchers warned...

Jan 17, 2017

Live and Let Die: James Bond's Smoking Habits Over the Years

When it comes to vices, James Bond may be known for martinis, but a new study finds that he's been quite the smoker as well. And although 007 kicked the habit in 2002, he still faces the scourge of secondhand smoke, the research found. In the study, the researchers reviewed...

Feb 7, 2017

E-Cig Risk: Teens Who Vape More Likely to Start Smoking Tobacco

Teens who vape in high school are at increased risk for using tobacco cigarettes in the future, a new study found. The study discovered that teens who use electronic cigarettes, a practice also referred to as vaping, in the 12th grade were four times more likely to start smoking tobacco...

Mar 1, 2017

Why Do People Vape? Reasons Have Changed

The reasons people use e-cigarettes are shifting: Fewer people are using them to quit smoking, and more people are using them to boost their social image, a new study finds. The findings could have important implications for public health, as they could help guide initiatives seeking to discourage e-cigarette use,...

Mar 8, 2017

Depression Rates Spike in Teen Smokers

Today's teen smokers may have worse mental health than teen smokers of years past: The group has experienced a spike in depression in recent years, according to a new study. Researchers found that, among smokers ages 12 to 17, the percentage who had depression increased from 16.0 percent in 2005...

Apr 5, 2017

There Are Nearly 1 Billion Smokers on Earth

Nearly 1 billion people around the world light up cigarettes every day, a new study finds. The findings signal to experts that despite progress in reducing the number of smokers, more work is still needed to target tobacco use, the researchers said. Interestingly, the researchers found that although the percentage...

Jun 30, 2017

Do Smokers' Lungs Heal After They Quit?

Cigarette smoke can have wide-ranging health effects on the body, and the lungs and airways are two of the hardest-hit areas. But the good news is that after a person quits smoking, the lungs can heal to a certain extent, said Dr. Norman Edelman, a senior scientific advisor for the...

Oct 3, 2017

Should People Who Can't Quit Smoking Switch to E-Cigarettes?

Switching to e-cigarettes won't solve all the health problems smokers face. For example, e-cigarettes are still addictive, and studies suggest that they may be bad for heart health. But compared with traditional tobacco cigarettes — which, in addition to nicotine, are full of tar and other toxins — e-cigarettes could...

Jan 25, 2018

Are 'Heat-Not-Burn' Tobacco Products Safer Than Cigarettes?

A new tobacco device by Philip Morris, known as IQOS, shouldn't go to market with the claim that it reduces disease risk compared with traditional cigarettes, a panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded today (Jan. 25), according to news reports. But how exactly do these products...

Mar 15, 2018

The FDA Wants to Take Nicotine Out of Tobacco. How Do You Do That?

Changes could be coming to cigarettes in the U.S.: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today (March 15) that it is taking steps to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes. But exactly how do you take the nicotine out of tobacco? The agency plans to propose a new rule that...

Mar 27, 2018

What Makes an E-Cig Taste Good May Also Make It Toxic

With names like Banana Pudding, Blueberry Cinnamon-Streusel Muffin and Butter Crunch, the flavoring ingredients in electronic cigarettes sound not only harmless but immensely appealing. But some of the liquids used in e-cigarettes may in fact have highly toxic effects on human cells tested in a lab, a new study reveals....

Apr 3, 2019

The FDA Is Investigating a Possible Link Between E-Cigarettes and Seizures

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a possible link between e-cigarette use and seizures, the agency announced today (April 3). The FDA said that, between 2010 and 2019, there were 35 reported cases of people who had seizures shortly after they used e-cigarettes. Most of these reports...