Toxic substances detected in the body of adolescent e-cigarette users

Even liquids without nicotine contain toxic compounds

Researchers have now found that adolescents are exposed to a significant amount of toxic compounds in normal cigarettes through the use of e-cigarettes. This is independent of whether the so-called liquids of e-cigarettes contain nicotine or not.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found in their study that using e-cigarettes releases large amounts of toxic compounds, regardless of whether the liquid contains nicotine. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Pediatrics".

Physicians examined the urine samples of adolescent subjects

For their study, the experts analyzed the urine samples of a group of children who were on average 16, 4 years old. Sixty-seven of the children used only e-cigarettes, while 17 subjects used both e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco cigarettes. The researchers then compared their findings with those of 20 adolescents who did not smoke.

What were the investigations?

The results showed that users of e-cigarettes had three times as many toxic organic compounds as those found in nonsmokers. The teens, who used both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes, had three times as many toxic compounds in their bodies as those who had used only e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes release no harmless water vapor

Adolescents should be warned that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes is not a harmless vapor but actually contains some of the same toxic chemicals found in the smoke of traditional cigarettes, says study author Mark Rubinstein of the University of California, San Francisco.

Which toxic compounds were detected

Among the compounds, the researchers found, for example, acrolein, acrylonitrile, crotonaldehyde, propylene oxide and acrylamide. These substances all belong to the class of so-called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Toxic volatile organic compounds are also known to exist in traditional tobacco products, explain the physicians.

Liquids with fruit taste especially dangerous for teenagers

Some of these toxic substances were also found in adolescents using flavored cigarettes without nicotine. In particular, fruit flavored e-cigarettes produce higher levels of acrylonitrile. This is a cause for concern as fruit flavors are the most popular among teenagers. An earlier study also showed that cinnamon and vanilla e-cigarette flavors can cause lung damage, whether or not they contain nicotine.

Carcinogenic substances are produced by heating

Glycerol and propylene glycol can be considered safe at room temperature, say the scientists. Unfortunately, they can produce toxic and potentially carcinogenic substances when heated to high temperatures needed for vaporization. Although e-cigarette vapors are less dangerous than tobacco smoke, recent findings reiterate that e-cigarette vapor is also very unhealthy because many of the identified volatile organic compounds are carcinogenic. (As)