In 2017 we gave an overview of e-cigarette use in the U.S. and how that use was increasing, particularly among young adults. At that time there were a lot of conflicting opinions on whether e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to cigarette use and that debate continues today. However, the concerns of e-cigarette use has increased exponentially over the past few years, and the primary safety concerns of 2017 of battery explosions and fire claims have been overshadowed by the growing known health risks associated with the vaping process of e-cigarettes, vape pens, vaporizers, e-cigars, e-pipes, and similar devices. Over the past several years, as more and more reports reveal a continual and rapid rise in the number of youth and e-cigarette smokers, this has led the federal government to label youth vaping as a "nationwide epidemic". This is despite the FDA's effort to restrict e-cigarette purchase and use to adult-only locations.

Now a study published early in January in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine provides solid evidence that vaping is tied to long-term lung problems. While this has been hinted at for some time, this study provides indisputable evidence that vaping has strong ties to serious lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. After analyzing 32,320 people over three years, the results reveal that vape users are 1.29 times more likely to have one of those diseases after three years when compared to non-vapers.

It's somewhat astonishing that a study of just three years can produce such evidence, as normally a smoking study would look at progression over a much longer period, some up to twenty years or even longer. To see this type of progression in just three years' time shows just how rapidly vaping can negatively affect a person's health.