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It's estimated that almost 15 per cent of young adults in Canada use vapes regularly, with many believing the practice is safer than smoking cigarettes. Yet little is known about how vaping affects the lungs and whether it can permanently damage them.

Researchers at Dalhousie University are hoping to answer that question with the use of a novel breathing test that has been shown to detect early lung damage in children with lung disease years before traditional breathing tests.

In this study, Dr. Sanja Stanojevic, an assistant professor in Dal's Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, will investigate whether the breathing test can identify early lung damage in people who vape, which involves inhaling fumes containing thousands of chemicals directly into the lungs.

It has been difficult to measure the effects of vaping because traditional breathing tests cannot detect early lung damage and once they do, the harm is often permanent. Dr. Stanojevic and her team will use the novel test to measure how the lungs work in people who vape and those who don't.

Dr. Stanojevic is available to discuss the project and how it will ultimately provide doctors, policy makers and the public with needed information about whether vaping is safe.

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Media contact:

Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca