The dangers of e-cigarettes: Why UC Davis says they are more toxic than traditional cigarettes 

(FOX40.COM) — Disposable electronic cigarettes were found to have higher levels of dangerous metals than traditional cigarettes, making them more toxic, according to a study by the University of California, Davis.

The study published by the journal ACS Central Science on Wednesday found that one disposable e-cigarette released more lead during a day’s use than nearly 20 packs of traditional cigarettes. The risk of cancer, respiratory disease and nerve damage increases when certain metals are inhaled.

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“Our study highlights the hidden risk of these new and popular disposable electronic cigarettes — with hazardous levels of neurotoxic lead and carcinogenic nickel and antimony — which stresses the need for urgency in enforcement,” said senior author Brett Poulin, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology. “These risks are not just worse than other e-cigarettes but worse in some cases than traditional cigarettes.” 

According to the study, though most disposable e-cigarettes are illegal in the U.S, they are still available and are most consumed by teens or young adults, who are highly susceptible to lead exposure.

First author Mark Salazar, a Ph.D. candidate in Poulin’s lab, analyzed metalloids and metal inside seven disposable devices from three popular brands. 

With the use of an instrument, UC Davis said the internal liquid inside a disposable device was heated. Around 500 to 1,500 puffs for each device were created.

This is what they found:

• High concentrations of elements in the vapor, including antimony and lead, were emitted from various devices
• As the number of puffs increased, so did the levels of chromium, nickel and antimony
• Most of the disposable e-cigarettes tested released markedly higher amounts of metals and metalloids into vapors than earlier, refillable vapes

“We found that these disposable devices have toxins already present in the e-liquid, or they’re leaching quite extensively from their components into e-liquids and ultimately transferred to the smoke,” Salazar said. 

The study found that nickel and lead were drained from leaded bronze alloy components into the e-liquid in some devices.

“When I first saw the lead concentrations, they were so high I thought our instrument was broken, said Salazar.

Heating coils were also found to be releasing nickel, and antimony was present in unused e-liquids, both increasing the risk of cancer.

The health risks for daily users were also evaluated, as two devices had antimony levels and three devices had nickel levels that exceeded cancer levels.

Nickel and lead emissions that surpassed health-risk thresholds for illnesses besides cancer were found in the vapor of four of the devices. Some health risks include neurological damage and respiratory diseases.

Despite only three of the nearly 100 disposable e-cigarette brands on the market being tested, researchers said the initial work raises concern as disposable e-cigarettes remain popular, especially with the youth.