Scientists from the United States have found more than two thousand chemicals in e-cigarette liquids.
Researchers from the United States have found thousands of unknown substances in aerosols of electronic cigarettes, as well as compounds whose presence is not declared by manufacturers. The article of scientists was published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.
Previous research on e-smoking tobacco products has focused on the toxic substances found in “regular” cigarettes. However, researchers from Johns Hopkins University decided to establish the full range of chemicals found in both liquids and aerosols of e-cigarettes. The scientists used high-resolution liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, previously only used to analyze organic matter in wastewater, food and blood.
The researchers analyzed tobacco-flavored liquids from four well-known e-cigarette brands – Mi-Salt, Vuse, Juul and Blu. More than two thousand compounds were found in them, most of which are unknown. Of those the teams were able to identify, six were potentially dangerous. Three of this number have never been found in e-cigarettes before. Caffeine was found in two products, which the researchers believe may further stimulate users. In addition, the researchers found two industrial chemicals and a pesticide.
The researchers also discovered hydrocarbon-like compounds associated with the combustion process, which, according to the manufacturers, does not occur during the vaping process.
American doctors drew attention to the deadly danger of vaping and electronic cigarettes. This is reported by the MedicalXpress edition with reference to the statements of doctors.
Many e-cigarette consumers who sought help have been diagnosed with EVALI (lung damage associated with e-cigarette or vaping), the researchers said. The symptoms of EVALI are high body temperature, cough, vomiting and diarrhea. Many patients with a similar diagnosis ended up in intensive care units, as they had severe lung damage.
In most cases studied by specialists, respiratory damage was caused by the use of non-standard vapor mixtures that contained tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and psychoactive compounds found in marijuana. The difficulty in diagnosing the disease stems from the fact that e-cigarettes and vaping products – unlike regular cigarettes – differ greatly from brand to brand. EVALI is closely related to vitamin E acetate, which is added to vaping liquids as a condensing component.
Scientists noted that the peak of EVALI diagnosis came in September 2019. By that time, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recorded more than 2.8 thousand cases and 68 deaths. When measures were taken to regulate the electronic vaporizer market, the number of EVALI cases reported dropped dramatically. However, public attention to the problem, according to doctors, disappeared immediately after the outbreak of COVID-19. Doctors cite a study according to which young e-cigarette users are five times more likely to contract the coronavirus than non-smoking peers.
According to the CDC, 3.6 million middle and high school students in US schools use e-cigarettes – as do 8.1 million US adults. Doctors recommended educational work with children, in particular, talking with adolescents over 12 years old about the dangers of smoking both conventional and electronic cigarettes.
