Illegal disposable e-cigarettes more dangerous than cigarettes, study shows

Illegal disposable electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, may present a greater danger than traditional cigarettes, according to a study by the University of California (UC) Davis.

Research, published in the journal ACS Central Science, revealed that the dangerous levels of several toxic heavy metals in illegal vapes could present a large risk of cancer.

The researchers used a special instrument to test the puffs of three popular vape brands – Elf Bar, Flum Pebble and ESCO – which are not authorized by the FDA for use in the United States, but are largely sold by retailers.

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Three heavy metals – lead, nickel and antimony – were detected in all the strongly flavored and slightly flavored devices that have been tested.

These metals are classified as carcinogens, potentially leading to various types of cancers, such as skin, lungs and kidneys, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

All vapors have exceeded the risk limits of nickel cancer, which was linked to cardiovascular diseaseAsthma, pulmonary fibrosis and respiratory tract cancer, by NIH.

Brett Poulin, principal author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology of the UC Davis, told Fox News Digital that he was shocked by the levels of toxic metals.

“When I analyzed the first samples, the lead concentrations were so high that I really thought that the instrument was broken,” he said. “The levels far exceeded anything in our past data, or even in published literature.”

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One of the brands tested exposes users to so much lead smoking 19 cigarette packs discovered the researchers.

In addition, most disposable electronic cigarettes tested in the study have proven to contain higher levels of metals and metalloids than older rechargeable vapes.

At one point, said Poulin, he physically opened a device and discovered that he used lead copper alloys, which are metals mainly in copper with small amounts of lead.

“These materials have designed dangerous lead levels in e-liquid, even without the device being used,” Poulin told Fox News Digital.

“It is not clear if it was an intentional design choice, a cost reduction measure or manufacturing monitoring.”

“This neurotoxin has serious health risks, especially for children and adolescents.”

There is no known safe level of lead exposure, according to Poulin.

“This neurotoxin has serious health risks, in particular for Children and adolescentswhich are particularly vulnerable. “”

Daniel Sterman, MD, director of the NYU Langone PERLMutter Cancer Center pulmonary oncology program, told Fox News Digital that the study “clearly” demonstrates high metal concentrations.

“There are several risks of health vaping that we list for our patients and family members, [such as] Risks of various pulmonary diseasesIncluding asthma, MPOC and lung cancer, “said Sterman, who was not involved in the study.

The doctor noted that if it is difficult to establish a direct link of the causality between disposable vapes and cancer, he sees cancer patients that use the devices.

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“Disposable vapes should be highly regulated by local, state and federal agencies and limited to people aged 21 or over,” said Sterman.

The doctor also called the packaging on disposable vapes to clearly describe the many health risks, “especially for adolescents and young adults”.

Potential limitations

One of the main limits of the study was that only three brands of disposable electronic cigarettes were tested on the hundreds currently on the market.

There are distinct differences in the leachate of metals and profiles on the three brands, shared Poulin.

“We still know very little about the metallic content in the vast majority of disposable and non-tested disposable products,” he said. “This gap in knowledge poses a public health Concern, especially given the popularity of these devices. “”

A spokesperson for the Chinese brand Elfbar told Fox News Digital that they refute the results of the study, saying that they had stopped expeditions in May 2023.

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Due to the brand’s disputes, they are unable to market or sell products in the United States, said the company.

“This void of the market has led to an increase in counterfeits, imitations and illicit variations by abusing our brand name,” said the spokesperson. “As such, we have every reason to believe that the devices tested in this study are not authentic and have not been manufactured by Elfbar.”

The spokesperson has recognized that smoking remains the main cause of death and preventable illness in the world, noting that the recent study “continues to undermine the understanding of the public of cessation of tobacco. “”

The other two brands tested in the study did not respond to requests for comments.

“Disposable vapes should be highly regulated by local, state and federal agencies and limited to people aged 21 or over.”

Consumption of electronic cigarettes in adults increased from 4.5% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Men are more likely to vape than women, while 15.5% of young adults aged 21 to 24 have said it used electronic cigarettes, the above source states.

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The UC Davis study has received support from the subsidy of the research program on smoking diseases from the University of California and California Agriculture Experiment Station.