Environmental Health News, Week 10: Toxic e-cigarettes

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Using electronic cigarettes, otherwise commonly known as, "vaping" is becoming increasingly popular. With a variety of attractive flavors, the practice may appeal to many. However, with so many flavors comes the use of chemicals to create them. A liquid within the e-cigarette is heated until it vaporizes. These e-liquids contain propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavors, and typically nicotine. According to an article by Live Science, the potential toxicity of these substances is not known, but a recent study looked at how these chemicals affected human cells. While the study did not actually look at the health effects but rather, the effects the chemicals had on human cells, the researchers suggest that this could potentially lead to toxic effects. More studies are needed on the subject. There are more than 7,700 commercially available flavors, and the U.S. FDA has not been able to regulate all of the ingredients. In addition to this, most of the e-liquids do not reveal their contents on the packaging.

With vaping becoming more and more popular, it is necessary to study and understand the (potential) harmful effects that can occur. While many believe that vaping is a better alternative to smoking, this does not mean that there are not health consequences tied to it. Studying the e-liquids is a good start, and the researchers even created a searchable database: www.eliquidinfo.org

Reference
https://www.livescience.com/62135-e-cigarette-liquid-flavor-toxicity.html

Comments

  1. Ashley SubramaniMarch 29, 2018 at 7:07 PM

    Hey Loren,

    I had saw this article and was shocked to read that the e-liquid could be more harmful than nicotine. If that is the case, this should not be a method used to quit smoking. I know people that vape to stop smoking but it seems they may be still doing harm to their health. As vaping is still new, more research needs to be done to understand the true impact it has on health.

    ReplyDelete

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