Some disposable vapes can release more toxic metals in a day than 19 packets of traditional cigarettes, a study has found.
Vapes do not produce tar, carbon monoxide, or a host of other harmful chemicals that traditional cigarettes do, which is why vaping is still seen as less harmful than smoking.
However, researchers at the University of California, Davis have found that a specific type of vape — the disposable or single-use variety, the sale of which was recently made illegal in the UK — may be more harmful than cigarettes on one measure: the amount of metals, such as lead, nickel and antimony, being inhaled by users.
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The ban came into force in the UK on June 1 after data showed that 8.2 million vapes were being thrown away every week, more than 13 a second.
Scientists tested seven devices created by three brands of disposable vapes that remain popular in the United States, despite widespread restrictions on their sale. They found that, after 500 puffs, significant levels of lead, nickel and antimony leached into the liquid and could be inhaled.
“Vapours from three of the devices had nickel levels and two devices had antimony levels that exceeded cancer risk limits,” the researchers noted. “Vapours from four of the devices had nickel and lead emissions that surpassed health-risk thresholds for illnesses besides cancer, such as neurological damage and respiratory diseases.”
The study, published in the journal ACS Central Science, said of one vape that “this level of lead exposure is equivalent to smoking as many as 19 packs of cigarettes in a single day”.
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Tobacco plants can absorb lead through the soil or the air, which ends up being inhaled in cigarette smoke.
“Despite their prevalence, research has been slow to catch up to market trends, with few studies on disposable e-cigarettes since the introduction of these devices, leaving consumers and regulatory bodies unaware of associated risks,” the study said.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health UK, said the study was “on the face of it highly alarming” but noted that it tested American products “which may well be quite different from legal products in the UK”. She added that there were “thousands of [other] harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke” being inhaled by cigarette smokers.
“UK vapers who use legal products should be reassured that vaping is less harmful than smoking,” she said. “Cigarettes remain the most lethal consumer nicotine product. ”
