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Gizmodo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
Some Disposable E-Cigarettes Are More Toxic Than Traditional Cigarettes, Study Finds
E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular over the last two decades, especially among young people. These sleek, deliciously flavored smoking devices are often marketed as a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes, but alarming new research challenges that assumption. In a study published June 25 in the journal ACS Central Science, researchers tested three popular disposable vape brands for hazardous metals and metalloids such as lead, chromium, antimony, and nickel. Inhaling these toxins can increase the risk of cancer, respiratory disease, and nerve damage. The findings show that e-cigarettes emit dangerously high levels of toxic metals—orders of magnitude higher than levels emitted by traditional cigarettes and other e-cigarettes. One brand released more lead during a day's use than nearly 20 packs of cigarettes. Given the widespread underage use of vapes, the findings underscore an urgent need for regulatory action, the researchers conclude. 'Our study highlights the hidden risk of these new and popular disposable electronic cigarettes—with hazardous levels of neurotoxic lead and carcinogenic nickel and antimony—which stresses the need for urgency in enforcement,' co-author Brett Poulin, an assistant professor of environmental toxicology at the University of California, Davis, said in a statement. 'These risks are not just worse than other e-cigarettes but worse in some cases than traditional cigarettes.' The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cracked down on brands selling flavored, disposable vapes in the U.S. due to concerns about youth access, health risks, and unauthorized sales. Despite issuing warning letters to popular brands, slapping retailers with civil penalties, and blocking e-cigarette imports from other countries such as China, the agency has failed to keep these devices out of the U.S. market. In the past few years, sales of disposable vapes have overtaken sales of older, refillable vapes. According to the FDA's Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey for 2025, disposable e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among young people. The survey found that 5.9% of middle and high school students (1.63 million) reported current use of e-cigarettes, and of those students, 55.6% use disposable vapes. Previous studies have investigated the elemental composition of refillable e-cigarettes, but few have looked into these newer devices. To fill that gap, Poulin and his colleagues analyzed the metals and metalloids inside seven disposable vapes made by three brands, including flavored and unflavored liquids. They selected the brands based on popularity and purchased the e-cigarettes from online vendors based in the U.S. All the devices they tested contained nicotine except one, which allowed the researchers to test if nicotine influences the metal concentrations of e-liquids (commonly known as 'vape juice'). The key components of any vape are a battery, e-liquid (commonly known as 'vape juice' or 'e-juice), and a heating coil. When the user presses a button on the device or—in some cases—simply inhales, the battery heats the coil and turns the e-liquid into an aerosol. These metal components can leach into the e-liquid and thus work their way into the lungs. The researchers tested the metal concentrations of unused e-liquids and aerosols, using a special instrument to activate the e-cigarettes and generate between 500 and 1,500 puffs per device. They found that 'these disposable devices have toxins already present in the e-liquid, or they're leaching quite extensively from their components into e-liquids and ultimately transferred to the smoke,' lead author Mark Salazar, a PhD candidate in Poulin's lab, said in the statement. Some unused e-liquids contained high levels of antimony, a toxic metalloid. Heating coils leached nickel into the e-liquid, while leaded bronze alloy components in some devices leached nickel and lead. The vapors of some devices contained surprisingly high metal levels, including antimony and lead. Interestingly, the metal concentrations of the aerosols increased as the number of puffs increased, suggesting that exposure worsens as the device ages. Overall, the researchers determined that disposable e-cigarette users are exposed to markedly higher levels of toxic metals and metalloids than those who use refillable vapes, which may lead to increased health risks. Three of the tested vapes produced vapors that contained nickel levels that exceeded cancer risk thresholds, and two emitted potentially cancerous amounts of antimony. Four devices had nickel and lead emissions that surpassed risk thresholds for illnesses besides cancer, such as neurological damage and respiratory disease. Of the nearly 100 disposable e-cigarette brands available in the U.S., this study tested only three. Despite regulatory efforts, these devices remain wildly popular among adolescents. The researchers hope that their work inspires others to investigate the health risks associated with disposable e-cigarettes, as it would appear they won't be going away anytime soon.
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
New, urgent warning about the ‘hidden risk' of e-cigarettes and vapes issued by scientists
E‑cigarettes were initially marketed as a sleek way to help people quit traditional cigarettes — but that promise has largely gone up in smoke. Research shows that most adult smokers who try vaping end up using both, while many teens who never smoked are getting hooked on nicotine through vaping. Roughly 11 million Americans vape regularly, and though vapes are still considered less harmful than cigarettes because they don't burn tobacco — the source of tar and many carcinogens — mounting evidence shows they're far from safe. A new study — published in the journal ACS Central Science — revealed that e-cigarettes release a shocking amount of toxic metals. Andrey Popov – A new study — published Wednesday in the journal ACS Central Science — revealed that e-cigarettes release a shocking amount of toxic metals, with some producing more lead in a day's use than nearly 20 packs of traditional cigarettes. 'Our study highlights the hidden risk of these new and popular disposable electronic cigarettes — with hazardous levels of neurotoxic lead and carcinogenic nickel and antimony — which stresses the need for urgency in enforcement,' senior author Brett Poulin, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology, said in a statement. 'These risks are not just worse than other e-cigarettes but worse in some cases than traditional cigarettes,' Poulin added. The research was led by Mark Salazar, a PhD candidate in Poulin's lab, who wanted to know more about what his friend — a vaper — was putting into his body. When he tested the disposable vape pod in the lab, he was stunned by the results. 'When I first saw the lead concentrations, they were so high I thought our instrument was broken,' Salazar said. 'That sparked us into looking further into these disposables.' 'When I first saw the lead concentrations, they were so high I thought our instrument was broken,' one researcher said. fotofabrika – Researchers took a good, hard look into seven types of disposable devices from three of the most popular brands — Esco Bar, Flum Pebble and ELF Bar. They discovered 'these disposable devices have toxins already present in the e-liquid, or they're leaching quite extensively from their components into e-liquids and ultimately transferred to the smoke,' Salazar said. Some of the devices contained nickel and antimony levels that could increase the risk of cancer, as well as lead and nickel emissions that could lead to brain and lung damage. Equally worrying is that the newer, disposable vapes seemed to emit more toxic metals than earlier, refillable vapes. The researchers urged more research and regulation around e-cigarettes, especially because the market is outpacing the science. While New York and the federal government restricted the sale of flavored e-cigarettes or vapes in 2020, the ban has not really been enforced — and new e-cigarette products are continuously emerging.
