Popular electronic cigarettes contaminated with poisonous bacteria and fungi

If harmful chemicals were not enough, new research indicates that many electronic cigarettes also contain unhealthy biological contaminants.

The good news is that cigarette consumption has declined among US adults, from 20.9% in 2005 to 14% in 2017. The bad news is that e-cigarettes are more popular than ever, especially among teens. ; it is estimated that more than three million high school students have used electronic cigarettes in 2018, up from 220,000 in 2011.

With their fruity aromas and their small puffs of steam, e-cigarettes may seem quite harmless, but according to the CDC, inhaled aerosols may contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including:

• nicotine
• Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
• Aromas such as diacetyl, a chemical substance associated with severe lung disease
• Volatile organic compounds
• carcinogenic chemicals
• Heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead.

And now, new research from Harvard T.H. Chan public health faculty has found other resources to add to the list: bacterial and fungal toxins.

The study looked at 75 popular electronic cigarette products, both cartridges (single-use) and e-liquids (refillable), and found that 23% contained traces of endotoxin, an agent microbial present on Gram-negative bacteria. At the same time, 81% of them contained traces of glucan, present in the cell walls of most fungi. Exposure to these toxins can lead to asthma, decreased lung function and inflammation.

"It has been shown that Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins in the air and mushroom-derived glucans have acute and chronic respiratory effects in the workplace and the environment," said David Christiani, professor of environmental genetics at Elkan Blout. "The discovery of these toxins in electronic cigarette products adds to growing concerns about the potential for unwanted respiratory effects in users."

The products tested included 37 electronic cigarette cartridges and 38 liquid products containing the 10 most popular brands in the country.

The place where contamination has occurred has not been determined; the researchers said it could happen at any time, from producing the ingredients to the finished product. But they found that endotoxin concentrations were higher in fruit flavored products, suggesting the possibility that the raw materials used to create the flavors could be a source of microbial contamination. They also suggested that the cotton wicks used in these products could be a potential source of contamination as endotoxins and glucans are known contaminants in cotton fibers.

"In addition to inhaling harmful chemicals, e-cig users could also be exposed to biological contaminants such as endotoxins and glucan," said Mi-Sun Lee, researcher and lead author of the document. "These new findings should be taken into account when developing regulatory policies for electronic cigarettes."

I would add that these new results should also be taken into account by consumers when they decide to use electronic cigarettes.

The research was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.