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This e-cigarette on which you shoot could be contaminated, according to a study recently published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study titled "Endotoxin Contamination and (1®3) -b-D-Glucan in Electronic Cigarette Products Sold in the United States" was published Wednesday in Environmental Health Perspectives,
The study "examined 75 popular products of the electronic cigarette – cartridges (for single use) and e-liquids (rechargeable material) – [and] found that 27% contained traces of endotoxin, a microbial agent found on gram-negative bacteria, and that 81% contained traces of glucan, present in the cell walls of most fungi, "said Chan School in a statement.
The school said that exposure "to these microbial toxins has been associated with a myriad of human health problems, including asthma, reduced lung function and inflammation. "
David Christiani, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics at Chan Faculty and lead author of the study, said in a statement that the findings are worrisome.
"Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins in air and mushroom-derived glucans have been shown to have acute and chronic respiratory effects in the workplace and in the environment," said Christiani. "The discovery of these toxins in electronic cigarette products adds to growing concerns about the potential for unwanted respiratory effects in users."
Mi-Sun Lee, researcher at Chan School and lead author of the newspaper, echoed her remarks.
"In addition to inhaling harmful chemicals, e-cig users could also be exposed to biological contaminants such as endotoxins and glucan," Lee said in his release. "These new findings should be taken into account when developing regulatory policies for electronic cigarettes."
The dark results of the study go against the claims of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, an industry advocacy group.
"The e-cig is simply a battery and five main ingredients (propylene glycol, glycerol, nicotine, water and aromas) that work in harmony to provide adults with the desired nicotine in a hand-to-mouth ritual that traditional replacement to Nicotine can not imitate. therapies such as gums, patches and lozenges that have a failure rate of up to 92%, "says the association on its website.
The site describes the electronic cigarette as a "wonderful technology that, after its introduction to the United States in early 2007, has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people."
So why the alarm of the Harvard team?
According to the Chan school, his previous research had shown "that chemicals associated with serious respiratory diseases are found in the common flavors of the electronic cigarette. In addition, research conducted by researchers over several decades has shown chronic pulmonary insufficiency in populations exposed to biological contaminants suspended in the air. However, according to the authors, no research has been conducted on the potential contamination of electronic cigarettes by microbes or microbial toxins. "
For the study released Wednesday, researchers have selected 37 cartons of electronic cigarettes, sometimes called "cigalikes," and 38 e-liquid products that can be used to refill some of the top 10 US brands. The products have been classified into four categories of flavors: tobacco, menthol, fruit and others. All products were then screened for the presence of endotoxins and glucans. "
The results, according to Chan faculty, "showed that 17 of the 75 products (23%) contained detectable concentrations of endotoxin and that 61 of the 75 products (81%) contained detectable concentrations of glucan".
The statement continued: "Further analysis showed that the cartridge samples had glucan concentrations 3.2 times higher than those of the liquid samples. Glucan concentrations were also significantly higher in tobacco and menthol flavored products than in fruit flavored products. The study also found that endotoxin concentrations were higher in fruit flavored products, indicating that raw materials used in flavor production could be a source of microbial contamination. "
The Chan School stated that "the researchers noted that the contamination of the products may have occurred at any time during the production of the ingredients or finished product of the electronic cigarette. They hypothesized that the cotton wicks used in electronic cigarette cartridges could be a potential source of contamination because endotoxins and glucans are known contaminants in cotton fibers. "
The findings came after the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association in October 2018 misleadingly reported a CDC study that the industry group said: "Claims finally demystified, Vape contains toxic formaldehyde."
This CDC study, titled "Assessing Chemical Exposures in a Vape Treatment Workshop," said researchers visited a vape treatment workshop in January 2016.
"The results of the air samples from the areas we collected using thermal desorption tubes showed very low concentrations of 102 chemicals," said the CDC study. "These include chemicals found in cleaning products used in stores (limonene, isopropanol), chemicals commonly used in personal care products (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane) and other chemicals that can be classified as flavoring products. Background concentrations of nicotine, propylene glycol and VOCs in the atmosphere were also very low in the atmosphere. "
According to the CDC study, "the health effects associated with vaping inhalation are not well understood. Flavoring chemicals such as diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione have been associated with serious respiratory diseases. One way to reduce exposure to these chemicals is to not use products containing them. Studies have shown that even aromas declared free of diacetyl can still contain them. "
You can contact Travis Andersen at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.
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