E-cigarettes may raise infection risk, study finds

Experts call for more research on safety concerns

DENVER, Col. – In an effort to quit after about 20 years of smoking, Paula Brown started using an e-cigarette.

"Probably the worst side effect that I had from smoking was the heaviness in your chest and taste and smell," said Brown. "Always, my kids wanted me to quit smoking."

While e-cigarettes have kept Brown away from tobacco, experts say there are potential risks with e-cigarettes that are just coming to light.

In a new study, researchers at National Jewish Health tested the liquid used in e-cigarettes, sometimes called e-liquid, and noticed how quickly human cells were damaged by it.

"It increased the levels of viral infection inside the cells, said lead researcher Dr. Hong Wei Chu.

Using a special device, the research team put cells from the airways of young, healthy non-smokers in one end and an e-cigarette in the other.

They found after just ten minutes of exposure, the cells were damaged. The damage lasted 24 hours or longer and the risk of respiratory infection increased substantially.

It didn't matter if the liquid contained nicotine or not. Researchers say the liquid itself did the damage.

"There's no standard to control how much liquid is to be put into these, the e-liquid. And I think it's very dangerous, you know, to use it especially for long-term consumption," said Chu.

Researchers say their findings are especially concerning given how some products are flavored and marketed to teenagers.

"When you flavor them in that way not only are they appealing, but, falsely, the user sees them as 'Oh, no big deal. They're not bad for me,'" said Dr. David Tinkelman from National Jewish Health.

More than 40 million adults in the United States have tried e-cigarettes.

While some experts think they may be a safer alternative than smoking tobacco, most insist more research is needed to fully understand the impact they have on the body.

"In the last 4 or 5 years, it's exploded. And what's exploded is really the marketing efforts to get those products out onto the market. Unfortunately, the science behind them has not exploded at the same time," said Tinkelman.