Electronic cigarettes 'could damage your lungs' as they cause less oxygen to be absorbed by the blood



Around 650,000 smokers are thought to be using the inhalers to help them kick the habi t

They are touted as a safe alternative to smoking, but electronic cigarettes could damage the lungs, latest research has found.



The devices were found to cause an immediate rise in airway resistance in the lungs - meaning less oxygen is absorbed by the blood.



On average the effect lasted for ten minutes, a report presented at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Vienna found.



Concerns: E-cigarettes were found to cause an immediate rise in airway resistance in the lungs - meaning less oxygen was being absorbed by the blood

Electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine through a vapour rather than smoke and there has been much debate over their safety.



Around 650,000 smokers are thought to be using the inhalers - which look like cigarettes or pens - to help them kick the habit.

But at present the devices - which are all imported from China - do not have to undergo any safety checks before being put on sale in high street chemists.



To investigate, researchers from the University of Athens examined the effects on eight people who had never smoked and 24 smokers, 11 with normal lung function and 13 people with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.



Each person used an electronic cigarette for 10 minutes. The researchers then measured their airway resistance using a number of tests.



For all of those involved the e-cigarette caused an immediate rise in airway resistance, lasting for ten minutes.

It was more pronounced in smokers than non smokers, although not immediately noticeable in those with existing chronic breathing difficulties.



Professor Christina Gratziou, Chair of the ERS Tobacco Control Committee, said: 'We do not yet know whether unapproved nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, are safer than normal cigarettes, despite marketing claims that they are less harmful.



'This research helps us to understand how these products could be potentially harmful.



Around 650,000 smokers are thought to be using the inhalers - which look like cigarettes or pens - to help them kick the habit

'We found an immediate rise in airway resistance in our group of participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device.



'More research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term.



'The ERS recommends following effective smoking cessation treatment guidelines based on clinical evidence which do not advocate the use of such products.'

Ministers are concerned that some brands of E-cigarettes may contain very high levels of nicotine - the addictive substance in cigarettes has also been linked to cancer.

Figures from the charity Action on Smoking and Health show that 2 million Britons have tried e-cigs at least once, with 650,000 currently using them.

Deborah Arnott, spokesman for the charity said: ‘We certainly wouldn’t want smokers to think it’s better to go back to using cigarettes rather than e-cigarettes.