June 6, 2025 • 6 mins
There’s been a lot of discussion and concerns about the long-term effects of vaping of late, especially regarding young people. New research has started to uncover potential long-term problems with vaping.
What is the problem with vaping?
- It was introduced as a “quit smoking” tool and was accepted to be less harmful than smoking.
- Useful as a quit smoking tool, as a substitute for cigarettes .
- However, the growing issue in NZ is young people taking up vaping who would otherwise not smoke.
- Surveys indicate that 26.5% of 18–24-year-olds and 10% of 14–18-year-olds vape daily.
- Concerns if there would be long-term effects on these young people.
Is it addictive?
- Many vapes have nicotine which is highly addictive.
- Increasing reports of people not being able to get off vapes.
- We know nicotine can cause concerns over brain development, increased risk of anxiety, raise blood pressure, and increased heartrates.
- Vapes can irritate the lungs, causing coughs and even some concerns over increased risk of collapsed lungs.
A new study has started to shed light
- A new study out of Oxford University has identified long term harm from vaping alone.
- It followed nearly 250,000 individuals who vaped, over four years.
- Major finding: vapers are 2.29 times more likely to develop Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease – COPD.
- COPD is often referred to as emphysema: lungs stiffen, lots of mucous, recurrent infections, and reduced ability to get oxygen into the blood stream due to lung damage. Permanent damage.
- Among 30-70-year-olds, they’re 1.39 times more likely to have high blood pressure.
Implications of this?
- Obviously, it’s an issue for the number of young teenagers taking up vaping and an emerging health issue overall.
- We need to think hard about our approach to vaping – Australia has made vaping prescription only.
- Restrictions have been put in place in New Zealand.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
That'd be well, it's obviously when you think about it.
Really one of the big problems with vaping is that
we don't understand the long term effects because vaping is
so new relatively, But there are some new research out
of Oxford University that is shining a bit of light
on the effects of vaping. Doctor Brian Betty is here
to talk us through it this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Kelder Brian oh Cilra Jack. Nice to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, nice to be chatting with you. So what's the
big problem with vaping?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Look, yeah, so we need to talk about vaping again.
I know we've talked about it before, but you know,
we know that vaping was introduced as a quick quit
smoking tool. Now it's accepted that it's less harmful than smoking,
so we know that's the case, and it is very
very useful as a quit smoking tool that is substituting
for cigarettes when you want to give up. However, we've
(00:57):
got this growing problem in New Zealand with young people
type taking up vaping who otherwise not smoke, and this
is a critical issue. So they wouldn't be doing this,
but they're now vaping. So look, if you look at
the surveys, eighteen to twenty four year olds, about a
quarter of them are vaping daily, and in fact, fourteen
to eighteen year olds about ten percent of vaping daily. Now,
(01:19):
the problem with this, up until this point, we don't
know what the long term effects of vaping potentially are,
and that is a problem.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, I mean, it is obviously addictive, and I mean,
you know, I think probably all know people, but I
mean I've got a lot of people my age, a
lot of friends and stuff who just started vaping a
little bit and then have found themselves properly addicted.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Oh look, look this has really emerged as an issue.
And look, most of the apes have nicotine in them,
and nicotine is one of the most addictive substances we know.
So yeah, we've got this problem where people are vaping
and suddenly find they can't get off it. They want
to stop it, but they can't. It's really really powerful,
and this is this growing issue that we've got. Now
(02:05):
we know that nict does cause addiction, but nickneen has
some harms. So in particular, there's concerns over brain development
and adolescents. It can affect that maybe increased anxiety, raised
blood pressure, and increases the heart rate. Now, the vapes themselves,
if you think about it, if you're on a daily basis,
putting moist are with chemicals into your lungs that is
(02:29):
intuitively has an effect. So we do know it can
cause cough. And there actually have been some concerns over
increased collapsed lungs from vaping, so that young adolescents said
that their lungs can collapse. So there has been some
stuff around about this, but no long term evidence is
to the harm it up until this point.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, So we've got this new study from Oxford University
shedding a bit more light on vaping.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah. So, look, this is the first one and this
is really really important and it's out of Oxford, so
it's very reputable, and its first time that's identified long
term harm from vaping alone. So look at followed up
two hundred and fifty thousand patients who vape or people eate,
and it followed them up over four years and said,
well what happens if you vape over that period of time.
(03:12):
And look, the major finding was this that you were
two point twenty nine times more likely to start to
develop chronic obstructive airways disease. Now, this is what we
call inmphysema, colloquially called entphysema. So this is really really serious.
So this is where the lungs start to what we
call fibros, They start to stiffen. There's lots of mucus
(03:34):
produced to get recurrent infections and over time reduced ability
to get oxygen into the bloodstream and it causes permanent
damage to the lungs. So two point twenty nine times
more likely to develop that. Now the other thing, in
thirty to seventy year olds, you were one point thirty
nine times more likely to develop high blood pressure. So
again this is a critical issue. And it was the
(03:56):
first time that long term harm outside of the short
term effects had really been identified. So this is very
very significant.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
There are the implications.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Well, look, I think the main thing here is it's
really really an issue for the younger cohort of people
or patients who are taking up vaping, especially in that
that adolescent age group, and are getting addicted to it
and can't get off it because this emerging issue is
saying well, look there's potentially long term harm here. It's
(04:30):
not a benign thing. So absolutely for smoking sensation, no
problem with that. But you know the fact that you
wouldn't have otherwise smoked that there's an emerging issue. So
I think we still need to think very hard about
vaping and the access to vaping. We know it's been
you know, shops can't sell it under eighteen's but there's
now thousands of apes shops around New Zealand and it's
(04:52):
really interesting. I mean Australia have made vaping just recently
or last year, they've made it script only. You have
to get a script off your doctor to get a vape.
I personally think we should be moving into a space
where vaping is available in pharmas he's only, so you
can buy it across the counter and pharmacy and you
can get some education about vapes at that point and
take that middle sort of approach. I do seriously think
(05:15):
we need to do something or think harder about the
whole vaping situation.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, it's such a tricky one, isn't it, Because in
a way that the horse has kind of bolted and
that you have all of these people who are now
addicted to vaping who might not otherwise have been smoking
or vaping at all, you know, and then you know,
if you if you're making life more difficult for them
to get vapes, then that could have its own issues.
But then it's yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
A complete two edged sword. And I look, I agree
with your comment. I think in many ways a horse
has bolted bolted in New Zealand and it's under unintended
consequence of something that was thought to be positive at
the start.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So I mean it is it is definitely better than smoking,
right like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
No, no, no doubt about it one. And as a
quit smoking tool, which is what it was was promoted for,
I don't have any problems with that, and I recommend
my patients switched to vaping, you know, the drop of
the hat.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
But it's not going to be least.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
But it's not harmless, it's not benign, and that's the
critical thing. And the fact these younger kids have taking it,
taking it up is the issue because they otherwise wouldn't
have smoked.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, hey, thanks so much, Brian, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Good as God.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks' b from nine Am, saturday or follow
the podcast On, iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
That'd be well, it's obviously when you think about it.
Really one of the big problems with vaping is that
we don't understand the long term effects because vaping is
so new relatively, But there are some new research out
of Oxford University that is shining a bit of light
on the effects of vaping. Doctor Brian Betty is here
to talk us through it this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Kelder Brian oh Cilra Jack. Nice to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, nice to be chatting with you. So what's the
big problem with vaping?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Look, yeah, so we need to talk about vaping again.
I know we've talked about it before, but you know,
we know that vaping was introduced as a quick quit
smoking tool. Now it's accepted that it's less harmful than smoking,
so we know that's the case, and it is very
very useful as a quit smoking tool that is substituting
for cigarettes when you want to give up. However, we've
(00:57):
got this growing problem in New Zealand with young people
type taking up vaping who otherwise not smoke, and this
is a critical issue. So they wouldn't be doing this,
but they're now vaping. So look, if you look at
the surveys, eighteen to twenty four year olds, about a
quarter of them are vaping daily, and in fact, fourteen
to eighteen year olds about ten percent of vaping daily. Now,
(01:19):
the problem with this, up until this point, we don't
know what the long term effects of vaping potentially are,
and that is a problem.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, I mean, it is obviously addictive, and I mean,
you know, I think probably all know people, but I
mean I've got a lot of people my age, a
lot of friends and stuff who just started vaping a
little bit and then have found themselves properly addicted.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Oh look, look this has really emerged as an issue.
And look, most of the apes have nicotine in them,
and nicotine is one of the most addictive substances we know.
So yeah, we've got this problem where people are vaping
and suddenly find they can't get off it. They want
to stop it, but they can't. It's really really powerful,
and this is this growing issue that we've got. Now
(02:05):
we know that nict does cause addiction, but nickneen has
some harms. So in particular, there's concerns over brain development
and adolescents. It can affect that maybe increased anxiety, raised
blood pressure, and increases the heart rate. Now, the vapes themselves,
if you think about it, if you're on a daily basis,
putting moist are with chemicals into your lungs that is
(02:29):
intuitively has an effect. So we do know it can
cause cough. And there actually have been some concerns over
increased collapsed lungs from vaping, so that young adolescents said
that their lungs can collapse. So there has been some
stuff around about this, but no long term evidence is
to the harm it up until this point.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, So we've got this new study from Oxford University
shedding a bit more light on vaping.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah. So, look, this is the first one and this
is really really important and it's out of Oxford, so
it's very reputable, and its first time that's identified long
term harm from vaping alone. So look at followed up
two hundred and fifty thousand patients who vape or people eate,
and it followed them up over four years and said,
well what happens if you vape over that period of time.
(03:12):
And look, the major finding was this that you were
two point twenty nine times more likely to start to
develop chronic obstructive airways disease. Now, this is what we
call inmphysema, colloquially called entphysema. So this is really really serious.
So this is where the lungs start to what we
call fibros, They start to stiffen. There's lots of mucus
(03:34):
produced to get recurrent infections and over time reduced ability
to get oxygen into the bloodstream and it causes permanent
damage to the lungs. So two point twenty nine times
more likely to develop that. Now the other thing, in
thirty to seventy year olds, you were one point thirty
nine times more likely to develop high blood pressure. So
again this is a critical issue. And it was the
(03:56):
first time that long term harm outside of the short
term effects had really been identified. So this is very
very significant.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
There are the implications.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Well, look, I think the main thing here is it's
really really an issue for the younger cohort of people
or patients who are taking up vaping, especially in that
that adolescent age group, and are getting addicted to it
and can't get off it because this emerging issue is
saying well, look there's potentially long term harm here. It's
(04:30):
not a benign thing. So absolutely for smoking sensation, no
problem with that. But you know the fact that you
wouldn't have otherwise smoked that there's an emerging issue. So
I think we still need to think very hard about
vaping and the access to vaping. We know it's been
you know, shops can't sell it under eighteen's but there's
now thousands of apes shops around New Zealand and it's
(04:52):
really interesting. I mean Australia have made vaping just recently
or last year, they've made it script only. You have
to get a script off your doctor to get a vape.
I personally think we should be moving into a space
where vaping is available in pharmas he's only, so you
can buy it across the counter and pharmacy and you
can get some education about vapes at that point and
take that middle sort of approach. I do seriously think
(05:15):
we need to do something or think harder about the
whole vaping situation.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, it's such a tricky one, isn't it, Because in
a way that the horse has kind of bolted and
that you have all of these people who are now
addicted to vaping who might not otherwise have been smoking
or vaping at all, you know, and then you know,
if you if you're making life more difficult for them
to get vapes, then that could have its own issues.
But then it's yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
A complete two edged sword. And I look, I agree
with your comment. I think in many ways a horse
has bolted bolted in New Zealand and it's under unintended
consequence of something that was thought to be positive at
the start.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So I mean it is it is definitely better than smoking,
right like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
No, no, no doubt about it one. And as a
quit smoking tool, which is what it was was promoted for,
I don't have any problems with that, and I recommend
my patients switched to vaping, you know, the drop of
the hat.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
But it's not going to be least.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
But it's not harmless, it's not benign, and that's the
critical thing. And the fact these younger kids have taking it,
taking it up is the issue because they otherwise wouldn't
have smoked.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, hey, thanks so much, Brian, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Good as God.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks' b from nine Am, saturday or follow
the podcast On, iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.