A new U.S. study has found that some popular disposable e-cigarettes can release more toxic metals in a single day's use than nearly 19 packs of traditional cigarettes, raising fresh concerns about the safety of these devices. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, discovered that after simulating 500 puffs, significant levels of lead, nickel, and antimony leached into the e-liquid and could be inhaled by users.
The study, published in the journal ACS Central Science, tested seven devices from three widely used disposable vape brands popular in the United States. The findings indicated that vapors from three devices had nickel levels and two had antimony levels exceeding cancer risk limits. Furthermore, vapors from four devices showed nickel and lead emissions surpassing health-risk thresholds for non-cancerous illnesses like neurological damage and respiratory diseases. The lead exposure from one tested vape was reported as equivalent to smoking up to 19 packs of cigarettes in a day.
While vaping is generally considered less harmful than smoking because it doesn't produce tar or carbon monoxide, this research highlights a different set of potential risks associated with the components of disposable devices. The study noted that research has been slow to catch up with market trends for these products, leaving consumers and regulators unaware of associated risks.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health UK (where disposable vapes were recently banned), described the study as "on the face of it highly alarming." However, she cautioned that the study tested American products, which "may well be quite different from legal products in the UK," and emphasized that traditional cigarettes contain "thousands of [other] harmful chemicals." She reiterated that for UK vapers using legal, regulated products, vaping remains less harmful than smoking, with cigarettes being the most lethal consumer nicotine product.
