Despite a 10-fold decrease in overall exposure to carcinogenic particulate matter, researchers find increased levels of certain toxic metals in second-hand smoke from e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes may not be quite as bad for your neighbors as traditional cigarettes, but they still release toxins into the air, according to a new study from USC.
Scientists studying secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes discovered an overall 10-fold decrease in exposure to harmful particles, with close-to-zero exposure to organic carcinogens. However, levels of exposure to some harmful metals in second-hand e-cigarette smoke were found to be significantly higher.
While tobacco smoke contains high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — cancer-causing organic compounds — the level of exposure to these substances was reduced to almost zero in second-hand e-cigarette smoke, due to the fact that they do not burn organic material the way traditional cigarettes do.
However, despite the lack of harmful organic material and a decrease in the majority of toxic metals emissions, e-cigarette smoke contains the toxic element chromium, absent from traditional cigarettes, as well as nickel at levels four times higher than normal cigarettes, the researchers found. In addition, several other toxic metals such as lead and zinc were also found in second-hand e-cigarette smoke — though in concentrations similar to or lower than for normal cigarettes.
“Our results demonstrate that overall electronic cigarettes seem to be less harmful than regular cigarettes, but their elevated content of toxic metals such as nickel and chromium do raise concerns,” said Dr. Constantinos Sioutas, professor at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and senior researcher on the study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Science, Processes and Impacts.
Dr. Sioutas and his colleagues at Fondazione IRCCS Instituto Nazionale dei Tumori (National Institute of Cancer Research) in Milan, Italy, began this study with the goal of quantifying the level of exposure to harmful organics and metals in second-hand e-cigarette smoke, in hopes of providing insight for the regulatory authorities.
“The metal particles likely come from the cartridge of the e-cigarette devices themselves — which opens up the possibility that better manufacturing standards for the devices could reduce the quantity of metals in the smoke,” said Arian Saffari, a PhD student at USC Viterbi and lead author of the paper. “Studies of this kind are necessary for implementing effective regulatory measures. E-cigarettes are so new, there just isn’t much research available on them yet.”
For this study, the researchers conducted all of the experiments in offices and rooms. While volunteer subjects were smoking regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, the researchers collected particles in the indoor air and studied the chemical content and sources of the samples.
“Offices and rooms- not laboratories — are the environments where you’re likely to be exposed to second-hand e-cigarette smoke, so we did our testing there to better simulate real-life exposure conditions,” Saffari said.
Dr. Sioutas and Saffari compared the smoke from a common traditional cigarette brand with smoke from an Elips Serie C e-cigarette, one of the most popular European brands. The results could vary based on which type of cigarettes and e-cigarettes are tested, the researchers noted.
The increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people, is a major concern among public health professionals. As Saffari noted, there is very little evidence regarding the safety of the product, and in many countries — including the US — regulation of e-cigarettes remains lax.
However, just last week one of the nation’s leading medical organizations called for stricter regulations on the products, including a total ban on flavored vapors amid concerns that they make the devices appealing to youth. In April of this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposal to extend current tobacco regulation to include e-cigarettes. But in the new policy statement, the American Heart Association (AHA) said the Food and Drug Administration needs to move faster and do more to prevent the tobacco industry from addicting another generation to their products.
“We fear that any additional delay of these new regulations will have real, continuing public health consequences,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the AHA. “Hence, we urge the agency to release the tobacco deeming rule by the end of this year.”