A new study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found that some e-cigarettes produce high amounts of toxic metals that endanger that lives of those who use it.
According to the study published in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives, some brands of e-cigarettes produce a significant level of toxic metals from their heating coils.
The research conducted with 56 random participants reveal that majority of the users' devices produce fumes that consist of toxic metals such as lead, chromium, nickel, and manganese -- exposure to these metals has been linked to many ailments such as cancer of the brain, heart, liver, and lungs.
Scientists pinpoint that the primary source of the toxic metals is the e-cigarettes' heating coils that heat the liquid flavoring or cartridge into a vaporous state. However, they have yet to test whether the liquid formula for the e-cigarettes also plays an integral role in the production of such toxic metal fumes.
According to Medical Xpress, the United States' Food and Drug Administration has the authority to regulate e-cigarettes in the market, but they have yet to think of an effective way to do so.
In a statement released by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, pioneer author Ana María Rule, PhD, MHS, an assistant scientist in the Bloomberg School's Department of Environmental Health and Engineering said that users and e-cigarette companies, alike, know that the current heating coils installed inside various brands of e-cigarettes produce these toxic fumes.
"It's important for the FDA, the e-cigarette companies and vapers themselves to know that these heating coils, as currently made, seem to be leaking toxic metals -- which then get into the aerosols that vapers inhale," Rule explained.
Rule suggests that the FDA should regulate the production of e-cigarettes and liquid formulas that come along with it. She says that the varying degrees produced by this partnership should be something that the health organization should consider.
In recent years, e-cigarettes have been seeing a rise in popularity. It has been dubbed as a "healthier" alternative to tobacco; however, studies have shown that more than good, the use of e-cigarettes results to health risks.
