VCU toxicologist: ‘No vape is safe'
But as cool as the smoking devices appear, Virginia Commonwealth University Forensic Toxicologist Dr. Michelle Peace says the e-cigarettes are doing more harm than good.
Her candid message — no vape is safe. She has discovered in her research that 95% of all compounds in vape products are not safe to inhale.
'The framework exists for protecting the consumer,' Peace said. 'So enforcement really needs to happen full throttle. Probably just as important is education, as misinformation about vaping is rampant.'
It's been her mission to expose the hidden toxic chemicals, as most users are in the dark about what they're actually inhaling.
'The primary compounds that make up a vape liquid are propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin,' she said. 'There are compounds such as ethyl acetate that are used as a flavoring chemical.'
Ethyl acetate is also used in fingernail polish remover.
'So there are compounds that are used as industrial solvents to clean equipment and brakes, and the food industry uses them as a solvent for flavoring chemicals. That doesn't mean that they're safe to inhale.'
So far, the has authorized 39 tobacco and menthol flavored e-cigarette products, though she says there are too many that are unregulated and without quality testing.
'We have found that the products that are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration do have significantly fewer chemicals in them,' she said, 'where, in an unauthorized product, we might find 15 to 20 different chemicals. And then, in an authorized product, we might find five or six. That's significantly less. But nonetheless, there's still chemicals that can harm people and their tissue.'
Users can develop a hacking cough, dried out lung tissue or even worse.
'There are some really interesting studies that are coming out that demonstrate that vaping is changing your DNA,' she said. 'There's an indication that maybe your body is 13 years older than a non vapor.
Through a project funded by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, vapes are confiscated on school campuses in the Commonwealth and sent to VCU for testing.
For those indirectly inhaling vapes, there's still a second-hand risk. And the bigger issue, according to Peace, is many people are using vapes to consume other drugs.
has reported more than 2,800 vaping hospitalizations nationwide.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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