Vaping dangers to pregnancies seen in NC study

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Margeaux Marbrey (center) and her team at Duke University School of Medicine are researching the impact of e-cigarettes on pregnancies.

A new study found hazards to pregnancies from vaping, and the worst part may not be the nicotine.

The research from Duke University looked at the effects of e-cigarettes on the embryo development and fetal growth of mice.

Dr. Margeaux Marbrey, assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the Duke University School of Medicine, who led the research, said the nicotine from e-cigarettes led to smaller fetal weights for the mice. However, the additives in vapes, such as thickening agents or flavoring additives, had effects too.

“There was actually an increased rate of fetal miscarriage, such as baby loss, fetal loss early in pregnancy,” Marbrey said. “This implies that even in the absence of nicotine, just the flavoring can be really toxic to the pregnancy and to the baby.”

Marbrey recommended people who are pregnant should avoid both cigarettes and e-cigarettes because of the effects they have on developing fetuses, and, if necessary, seek nicotine replacement therapies.
Marbrey noted e-cigarettes are seen as nicotine cessation tools, and research shows up to 15% of pregnant women use them.

“There may be women that are cigarette smokers and when they got pregnant, they wanted to switch to something that they thought was safer,” Marbrey said. “They are implied to be safe but it's these unknown additives that could really be toxic for the pregnancy and for the baby.”

When it comes to the flavoring additives in some vapes, Marbrey added the Food and Drug Administration has approved them for eating but not for inhaling.

“We don’t know if they’re going to be bad until they’re heated, aerosolized and inhaled and then people die or they’re hospitalized,” Marbrey said. “Unfortunately, there needs to be more regulation and we need to have more knowledge about how these food additives, when heated and inhaled, could be toxic.”

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