Latest news with #vapes
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Disposable vapes more toxic and carcinogenic than cigarettes, study shows
Illegal disposable e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, may present a greater danger than traditional cigarettes, according to a study from the University of California (UC) Davis. The research, published in the journal ACS Central Science, found that hazardous levels of several toxic heavy metals in illegal vapes could present a high cancer risk. Researchers used a special instrument to test the puffs from three popular vape brands — ELF Bar, Flum Pebble and Esco — that are not FDA-authorized for use in the U.S., but are widely sold by retailers. Rare Cancer Diagnoses Surge Dramatically Among Millennials And Gen X Three heavy metals — lead, nickel and antimony — were detected in all heavily flavored and lightly flavored devices that were tested. These metals are classified as carcinogens, potentially leading to various types of cancers, such as skin, lung and kidney, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read On The Fox News App All vapors exceeded the cancer risk limits for nickel, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, asthma, lung fibrosis and respiratory tract cancer, per NIH. Brett Poulin, senior study author and assistant professor at the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology, told Fox News Digital that he was shocked at the levels of toxic metals. "When I analyzed the first samples, the lead concentrations were so high that I genuinely thought the instrument was broken," he said. "The levels far exceeded anything in our past data, or even the published literature." Your Favorite Alcoholic Beverage Could Be Linked To Deadly Form Of Cancer, Study Finds One of the brands tested exposes users to as much lead as smoking 19 packs of cigarettes, the researchers discovered. Additionally, most of the disposable e-cigarettes tested in the study were found to contain greater levels of metals and metalloids than older refillable vapes. At one point, Poulin said, he physically opened a device and discovered that it was using leaded copper alloys, which are metals made primarily of copper with small amounts of lead. "These materials leached dangerous levels of lead into the e-liquid, even without the device being used," Poulin told Fox News Digital. "It remains unclear whether this was an intentional design choice, a cost-cutting measure or a manufacturing oversight." There is no known safe level of lead exposure, according to Poulin. "This neurotoxin poses serious health risks, particularly to children and adolescents, who are especially vulnerable." Daniel Sterman, M.D., director of the Pulmonary Oncology Program at the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that the study "clearly" demonstrates high concentrations of metal. "There are several health risks of vaping that we enumerate for our patients and their family members, [such as] risks of various lung diseases, including asthma, COPD and lung cancer," said Sterman, who was not involved in the study. The doctor noted that while it is challenging to establish a direct link of causation between disposable vapes and cancer, he does see cancer patients who use the devices. "Disposable vapes should be highly regulated by local, state and federal agencies, and restricted to those individuals 21 years or older," Sterman recommends. The doctor also called for the packaging on disposable vapes to clearly outline the many health risks, "particularly to teenagers and young adults." One of the primary limitations of the study was that only three disposable e-cigarette brands were tested out of the hundreds currently on the market. There are distinct differences in the metal leaching and profiles across all three brands, Poulin shared. "We still know very little about the metal content in the vast majority of untested disposable e-cigarette products," he said. "This gap in knowledge poses a significant public health concern, especially given the popularity of these devices." A spokesperson for the China-based brand, ELFBAR, told Fox News Digital that they refute the results of the study, claiming that they stopped shipments in May 2023. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Due to ongoing trademark litigation, they are unable to market or sell products in the U.S., the company stated. "This market void has led to a surge in counterfeits, imitations and illicit variations misusing our brand name," the spokesperson said. "As such, we have every reason to believe the devices tested in this study are not genuine and were not manufactured by ELFBAR." The spokesperson acknowledged that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease worldwide, noting that the recent study "continues to undermine public understanding of smoking cessation." The other two brands tested in the study did not respond to requests for comment. Electronic cigarette use among adults increased from 4.5% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Men are more likely to vape than women, while 15.5% of young adults between the ages of 21 and 24 reported using e-cigarettes, the above source states. For more Health articles, visit The UC Davis study received support from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program Grant and the California Agricultural Experiment article source: Disposable vapes more toxic and carcinogenic than cigarettes, study shows
Fox News
a day ago
- Health
- Fox News
Disposable vapes more toxic and carcinogenic than cigarettes, study shows
Illegal disposable e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, may present a greater danger than traditional cigarettes, according to a study from the University of California (UC) Davis. The research, published in the journal ACS Central Science, found that hazardous levels of several toxic heavy metals in illegal vapes could present a high cancer risk. Researchers used a special instrument to test the puffs from three popular vape brands — ELF Bar, Flum Pebble and Esco — that are not FDA-authorized for use in the U.S., but are widely sold by retailers. Three heavy metals — lead, nickel and antimony — were detected in all heavily flavored and lightly flavored devices that were tested. These metals are classified as carcinogens, potentially leading to various types of cancers, such as skin, lung and kidney, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). All vapors exceeded the cancer risk limits for nickel, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, asthma, lung fibrosis and respiratory tract cancer, per NIH. Brett Poulin, senior study author and assistant professor at the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology, told Fox News Digital that he was shocked at the levels of toxic metals. "When I analyzed the first samples, the lead concentrations were so high that I genuinely thought the instrument was broken," he said. "The levels far exceeded anything in our past data, or even the published literature." One of the brands tested exposes users to as much lead as smoking 19 packs of cigarettes, the researchers discovered. Additionally, most of the disposable e-cigarettes tested in the study were found to contain greater levels of metals and metalloids than older refillable vapes. At one point, Poulin said, he physically opened a device and discovered that it was using leaded copper alloys, which are metals made primarily of copper with small amounts of lead. "These materials leached dangerous levels of lead into the e-liquid, even without the device being used," Poulin told Fox News Digital. "It remains unclear whether this was an intentional design choice, a cost-cutting measure or a manufacturing oversight." "This neurotoxin poses serious health risks, particularly to children and adolescents." There is no known safe level of lead exposure, according to Poulin. "This neurotoxin poses serious health risks, particularly to children and adolescents, who are especially vulnerable." Daniel Sterman, M.D., director of the Pulmonary Oncology Program at the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that the study "clearly" demonstrates high concentrations of metal. "There are several health risks of vaping that we enumerate for our patients and their family members, [such as] risks of various lung diseases, including asthma, COPD and lung cancer," said Sterman, who was not involved in the study. The doctor noted that while it is challenging to establish a direct link of causation between disposable vapes and cancer, he does see cancer patients who use the devices. "Disposable vapes should be highly regulated by local, state and federal agencies, and restricted to those individuals 21 years or older," Sterman recommends. The doctor also called for the packaging on disposable vapes to clearly outline the many health risks, "particularly to teenagers and young adults." One of the primary limitations of the study was that only three disposable e-cigarette brands were tested out of the hundreds currently on the market. There are distinct differences in the metal leaching and profiles across all three brands, Poulin shared. "We still know very little about the metal content in the vast majority of untested disposable e-cigarette products," he said. "This gap in knowledge poses a significant public health concern, especially given the popularity of these devices." A spokesperson for the China-based brand, ELFBAR, told Fox News Digital that they refute the results of the study, claiming that they stopped shipments in May 2023. Due to ongoing trademark litigation, they are unable to market or sell products in the U.S., the company stated. "This market void has led to a surge in counterfeits, imitations and illicit variations misusing our brand name," the spokesperson said. "As such, we have every reason to believe the devices tested in this study are not genuine and were not manufactured by ELFBAR." The spokesperson acknowledged that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease worldwide, noting that the recent study "continues to undermine public understanding of smoking cessation." The other two brands tested in the study did not respond to requests for comment. "Disposable vapes should be highly regulated by local, state and federal agencies and restricted to those individuals 21 years or older." Electronic cigarette use among adults increased from 4.5% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Men are more likely to vape than women, while 15.5% of young adults between the ages of 21 and 24 reported using e-cigarettes, the above source states. For more Health articles, visit The UC Davis study received support from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program Grant and the California Agricultural Experiment Station.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Illinois tax hike on tobacco and vape products set to take effect July 1
Some worry tax hike on vapes, other nicotine products in Illinois will keep people smoking Some worry tax hike on vapes, other nicotine products in Illinois will keep people smoking Some worry tax hike on vapes, other nicotine products in Illinois will keep people smoking Starting next week, it will cost people in Illinois a little more to feed their nicotine habit — whether they feed that habit through cigarettes or other means. Taxes on vapes, nicotine pouches, and other tobacco products will increase in Illinois July 1. Right now, it is not exactly clear how the tax will be passed onto the consumer. But vaping products and popular Zyn pouches will now be subject to a 45% tax — up from 15%. Nicotine pouches like Zyn are seen by some as a safer alternative to cigarettes. But while they run about $8 per tin at a Chicago Loop convenience store now, the new tax could make that figure jump effective July 1. "It's also going to generate $29.7 million worth of revenue for the State of Illinois," said Illinois state Sen. Javier Loera Cervantes (D-Chicago). Cervantes, a former cigarette smoker himself, sponsored the bill to raise taxes on everything from cigars and chewing tobacco to vapes and nicotine pouches to 45% — which is in line with cigarettes. Cigarette taxes in Illinois are going up too, by $1 per pack. "Nicotine is still negatively affecting the health of our residents," said Cervantes. "We're trying to hopefully get people away from tobacco products." But Dr. Brian Erkkila, director of regulatory science for Swedish Match, North America — the company that manufactures Zyn — said he is afraid the tax could have the opposite effect. "We're just worried this tax increase could keep people smoking," Erkkila said. "When you raise the price of these smoke-free options, these better alternatives, it's harder for them to get those — and they may just stick with their cigarettes." After a steady decline in cigarette smokers in America, tobacco giant Phillip Morris International bought the company that makes the extremely popular Zyn pouches. "There's a history of tobacco companies misleading the public about the health harms of their products," said Kristina Hamilton, Illinois advocacy director of the American Lung Association. Hamilton said there are seven FDA-approved products to help smokers quit, and nicotine pouches are not one of them. "There is no evidence that these newer smokeless products have had that impact of helping people overcome their addiction to tobacco products," said Hamilton. "These products still contain harmful chemicals." The Illinois Fuel & Retail Association, which represents gas stations in Illinois, is concerned that the vape, pouch, and tobacco tax could send some potential customers across state lines.
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
How Chinese vapes slip past US border checks to end up in kids' hands
Millions of unauthorised Chinese-made vapes are entering the US market, often disguised, creating a significant black market supply chain. US customs brokers and distributors are identified as key middlemen facilitating the import and distribution of these illegal e-cigarettes, with lax oversight from the FDA drawing criticism. The widespread availability of flavoured vapes, despite FDA efforts to ban them for appealing to children, contributes to concerns about youth addiction and poses a challenge for regulatory authorities. NEW YORK, June 24 — From an office a 15-minute drive from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, one small firm helped import millions of unauthorized Chinese-made vapes last year alone, forming a key link in the supply chain feeding US demand for illegal e-cigarettes. In a little over four years, the firm, a customs brokerage run by a man named Jay Kim, became a go-to broker for the Chinese vape industry. The firm worked on 60 per cent of all shipments of vapes and vape parts from China to the US in 2024 registered by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a Reuters analysis. 'A lot of them have FDA authorisation,' Kim said in an interview in his office in April, referring to the vape shipments his firm handled. However, FDA data on imports into the US of FDA-regulated goods such as tobacco products or medicines showed the products Kim's firm helped bring into the United States included unauthorised brands like Lost Mary and Geek Bar. The FDA has declared those brands illegal to import or sell, warning their array of fruit and candy flavours may appeal to children. The agency says nicotine can harm developing brains, and impact attention, learning and mood in young people, who can get hooked more easily on the addictive chemical. A Lost Mary spokesperson said it had no connection or contact with Kim's firm, and flavors play a key role in helping adult users quit smoking. The maker of Geek Bar did not respond to a request for comment. The Chinese city of Shenzhen is the biggest source of vapes, both legal and illegal, coming into the United States. In 2024, China exported more than 26 billion yuan (RM15 billion) in vapes to the US, according to Chinese customs data. But US customs figures show only US$333 million in Chinese vapes were officially received in the US that same year. Mismatches in custom data between the US and its trading partners are not uncommon, but a 90 per cent gap was unusual, two customs data specialists told Reuters. Unauthorised vapes often arrive in the US disguised as other items like shoes and toys, according to the FDA, which leads efforts to control the vape market. Reuters used FDA and US customs data, interviews with vape and tobacco industry insiders, and information from US regulators and law enforcement to build a picture of how unauthorized vapes make their way onto US shelves. It found a group of middlemen based on US soil – including some customs brokers and distributors – who played key roles in the vape supply chain, and sometimes take steps to avoid detection. Trump Administration officials have promised a crackdown; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has said the agency will stop illegal imports and distribution. 'Our borders have been far too porous when it comes to challenges like illegal e-cigarette products coming from other countries,' an FDA spokesperson said, adding that the agency is planning to use artificial intelligence to 'stem the flow of products that are appealing to our nation's children.' In May, the FDA and Customs and Border Protection announced a US$34 million seizure of unauthorized vapes in Chicago. Officials found many of the shipments in the seizure, which took place in February, contained vague product descriptions and incorrect values. As part of the operation, for the first time, the agency sent letters to 24 middlemen involved in the vape supply chain, including US importers and customs brokers. The letters warned the middlemen it was a crime to make false statements to the government, and asked them to explain how they ensured they followed tobacco laws, according to the FDA. Reuters was not able to establish whether Kim was among the customs brokers who received a letter from the FDA. He did not respond to detailed questions about Reuters' findings. Confiscated Chinese-made vapes seized are shown in this handout photo released on June 17, 2025. —Reuters pic Vape middlemen Customs brokers do not buy or sell goods themselves. Rather, they are paid by others, usually the importer, to help navigate the customs process by submitting documents and fielding enquiries from border officials, according to Lenny Feldman, a managing partner at the law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. Customs brokers may be breaking the law if they are found to have not conducted proper due diligence, said Feldman. Speaking briefly to Reuters at his office in April, Kim said his firm did not deal with vape shipments any more after exiting the business last year. He said that a former employee of his firm had gotten him into working with vape clients and took those customers with her when she left. However, the FDA data reviewed by Reuters showed that vape-related shipments handled by Kim have continued throughout 2025, including in June. The FDA, which was directed to fire 3,500 employees in March, works with CBP to catch unauthorised vape shipments at the border. A spokesperson for CBP told Reuters the agency seized over 3 million units of illegal vapes valued at US$76 million in 2024. 'CBP has encountered bad actors exploiting shipments to transit illicit goods, including illegal vapes, synthetic opioids, precursor chemicals and related paraphernalia,' the spokesperson said. The FDA said that over the past two years, efforts by FDA and CBP had led to the seizure of around 7.1 million e-cigarettes with an estimated retail value of over US$136 million. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the administration would 'wipe out' fruity and sweet flavored vapes from China that appeal to kids. 'We are going to get rid of all of them,' he told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in May. Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said middlemen like Kim bear some responsibility for the flood of vapes, but lays most of the blame with the FDA, which he accuses of sitting idle while illegal vapes flood into the country. 'The FDA is a disaster. It's asleep at the switch,' he said. 'You have illicit vapes all over the place.' Officials exhibit Chinese-made vapes seized in a raid outside of Chicago, Illinois, in this handout photo released on June 17, 2025. —Reuters pic In plain sight The Trump Administration's tariffs on China, as well as vape seizures, have already dented supply, Reuters reported this month. Vape shipments recorded by the FDA collapsed in May, with a shortage of popular brand Geek Bar in particular. The FDA has authorized 34 different vape products made by companies like British American Tobacco and Altria , but no fruity or sweet flavoured vapes that the FDA says could appeal to children. And yet executives at BAT estimate unauthorised devices make up 70 per cent of vape sales in the US, valuing their sales at US$8.14 billion last year. The supply chain ferrying illegal Chinese-made vapes into the US mostly operates in plain sight. It starts with a network of exporters based in China. After a vape shipment clears customs in the US, it is passed along to its US buyer – usually a distributor, which then sells them to smaller wholesalers and retailers nationwide. The FDA collects data on US-based recipients of vape shipments. The largest in 2024 was Reynolds American, the US subsidiary of BAT. But the top ten largest US vape recipients also included six obscure firms, opened in 2023 or 2024 and sometimes operating out of residential homes. The second-largest recipient of vape shipments in 2024 was a Chicago-based company called Somo Trade LLC, established in 2023, Reuters analysis of FDA data and state business filings show. A woman at the business' address, a residential home on Chicago's north side, told a Reuters reporter that the property was not involved in the vape business. Another recipient of vapes, Rongda Trade, is registered to a house on the same street as Somo Trade, opened the same month, and has already been shut down, its filings show. No one answered the door when Reuters visited the address. No one answered at a residential address linked to Lila Trade on Chicago's southwest side, either. The name of the registered agent, Xiaohong Dai, was not among those listed on four mailboxes out front. Reuters could not find websites for any of the firms, and their state business filings did not contain any contact information. Meanwhile, in February, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued 13 different companies which she said were major US vape distributors, accusing them of working closely with Chinese manufacturers to fuel the unauthorised vape industry. 'Together, Defendants have established an industry for flavoured e-cigarettes, particularly disposable vapes, and staked out their own lucrative shares in the soaring market,' the complaint states. 'All have engaged in reprehensible, illegal conduct and aim to addict youth to their products.' Mitch Zeller, former head of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, placed the blame on US-based distributors, such as those named in James' lawsuit, for feeding demand. 'There's only a handful of middlemen, middle companies, that are responsible for taking the illegal, imported stuff being misclassified and mislabelled and getting it into interstate commerce,' he said. — Reuters
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Vapes threaten to undo gains in tackling dangers of tobacco, health leaders warn
Aggressively marketed vapes threaten to undo progress made on smoking control, according to the World Health Organization. Officials, speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, said efforts were stalling when it came to helping tobacco users to quit, campaigning in the media on the dangers, and imposing higher taxes on tobacco products. Young people were particularly vulnerable, it added. Countries should consider extending the graphic health warnings already required on cigarette packets to vapes or e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches, the WHO said. In many countries, tobacco products had become more affordable in the past decade, the report said, despite a WHO recommendation that cigarettes should be taxed at 75%. While cigarettes became less affordable in 46 countries, they became more affordable in 42 others, including 23 low or middle-income countries. In 133 countries, vapes and similar devices are now regulated in some way – up from only eight in 2007. However, 62 countries apply no regulations at all. The extent of regulation varies, with almost 90% of wealthier countries either regulating or banning sales, compared with 66% of middle-income and only 27% of poor countries. In the UK, disposable vapes were banned this month in a bid to prevent young people using them and on environmental grounds. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said: 'Twenty years since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we have many successes to celebrate, but the tobacco industry continues to evolve and so must we.' The report highlights nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, as well as vapes, as examples of new products. Dr Rüdiger Krech, the WHO's director of health promotion, said they were 'aggressively marketed in ways that undermine hard-won public health gains'. He said national regulators could not be expected to deal with an onslaught of 'thousands' of new products, which represented an attempt by tobacco companies to focus attention away from their 'major business' of traditional tobacco. He added, however, that it was 'hugely important to regulate these new products, because they are attracting children and young people to actually use nicotine, and that's with the addiction that it brings', which he said would lead to tobacco use. Data is not available for all countries, but surveys suggest about 6% of children aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes. The WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic focuses on six tobacco control measures and rates countries on how far they have implemented them. These include taxation, introducing smoke-free air legislation, and offering smokers help to quit. Other measures include monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies, bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and warning people about the dangers via pack labels and information campaigns. Since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of the six measures at 'best-practice' level, the report found, with four countries – Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands and Turkey – implementing the full package. However, 40 countries have no measure at best-practice level, and more than 30 countries still allow cigarettes to be sold with no mandatory health warning. It means billions of people remain unprotected from the ill effects of tobacco, which claims kills more than 7 million people a year, the report warned. Alison Cox, director of policy and advocacy at the NCD [non-communicable disease] Alliance, said: 'It's clear that there is a long way to go if we are to reduce the many unnecessary tobacco related illnesses and premature deaths still occurring globally. 'Raising taxes is one of the most effective measures that offers governments a triple win of reducing tobacco consumption, saving lives and healthcare costs, while raising much-needed revenue.'
