Vaping has gained wide acceptance as an alternative to traditional smoking. In the UK alone, 4.5 million people are regular e-cigarette users, according to the latest figures. However, there are numerous unknowns regarding the long-term health impacts of vaping, especially for the younger, "never-smoked" generations. Flavoured vapes, which are the most appealing and common entry point for them, are a particular concern.

To understand the health implications of flavoured vapes on the population, I spearheaded a research project that utilised artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the chemical changes that occur during vaping. While it took over 30 years of research to establish that tobacco smoking causes cancers, AI allows us to obtain this crucial information more rapidly for all vapes. Although the UK government has introduced the tobacco and vapes bill, our findings suggest that even tighter regulation is needed, and quickly.

Our study has unearthed something that has hitherto received limited attention: the potentially harmful substances produced when e-liquids in vaping devices are heated for inhalation.

We employed an AI neural network model, a method that instructs computers to process data in a manner inspired by the human brain, to simulate the effects of heating e-liquid flavour chemicals found in nicotine vapes. Then, by examining all 180 known e-liquid flavour chemicals, it predicted the new compounds formed when these substances are heated in a vaping device just before inhalation.

Alarmingly, this revealed the formation of numerous hazardous chemicals, including 127 classified as "acute toxic", 153 as "health hazards", and 225 as "irritants" (some were categorised in more than one of these groups). Among these, volatile carbonyls (VCs), chemicals known for their adverse health effects, were predicted to form in the fruit-, candy-, and dessert-flavoured products that are most popular among younger vapers.

Vaping in the Never-Smoked Generation
Our findings indicate a significantly different profile of chemical hazards compared to traditional tobacco smoking. We may even be on the verge of a new wave of chronic diseases that will surface 15 to 20 years from now due to prolonged exposures.

The vast variety of flavours available in vaping products, consisting of over 180 different chemicals blended in various amounts, makes their chemistry more challenging compared to traditional cigarette smoke. This cocktail of chemicals, sourced from the food industry where they have a good safety record for specific uses in flavoured drinks, pastries, and sweets, were never intended to be heated to high temperatures for inhalation.

Vaping devices vary greatly in operation and temperature control, so the resulting chemical reactions can differ. This increases the unpredictability of potential health risks. Users may unknowingly be increasing their risk of exposure to harmful chemicals.

With the AI framework developed in our study, we hope to delve deeper into this variability to create risk reports for individual flavours.

What's Next?
Our study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that vaping, a supposedly safer alternative to traditional smoking, comes with its own set of novel health risks. The flavours, often designed to attract younger users, may significantly contribute to these risks.

I believe it is clear that stricter, comprehensive regulations on the ingredients used in vapes, including nicotine-free vapes, are necessary. For instance, policymakers should require sellers of these products to prove their safety claims, especially when marketing to non-tobacco smokers.

As vaping continues its rapid rise in popularity, technology and AI are important tools to help us anticipate the future health issues that vapers may face. We hope that by uncovering the chemical transformations in flavoured vapes, we are assisting in informing public health policies on vaping that reflect its true risks and enable users to make more informed decisions.

It is crucial that we learn from our past mistakes, where generations were misled about the safety of smoking. With the aid of AI, we can change this trajectory to prevent history from repeating itself.

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