Disposable e-cigarettes are more toxic than traditional cigarettes

Some disposable e-cigarettes and cartridges release toxic metals that exceed those of old-fashioned e-cigarettes and even higher than traditional cigarettes. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, published a study in the latest issue of the journal ACS Central Science, saying that the highest lead level released by disposable e-cigarettes in one day's use is equivalent to smoking nearly 20 packs of traditional cigarettes.
The researchers stressed that although most disposable e-cigarettes are illegal products in the United States, they are still widely circulated on the market. Its main users are teenagers and young people, who are also the most sensitive to lead exposure. Inhaling certain metal elements significantly increases the risk of cancer, respiratory diseases and neurological damage.
The study analyzed seven disposable e-cigarettes from three major brands. The researchers used instruments to simulate 500 to 1,500 inhalations and detected the concentration of metals in the smoke. They found that as the number of inhalations increased, the concentrations of chromium, nickel and antimony in the smoke also increased.
In addition, the researchers disassembled these devices and found that some toxic metals came from the smoke oil itself, and many were leached from heating elements and alloy parts. Lead and nickel released from lead-copper alloy components, nickel released from heating coils, and high concentrations of antimony in raw e-liquid are all sources of contamination.
The researchers further evaluated the health risks and found that nickel exposure levels in three devices and antimony exposure levels in two devices exceeded the cancer risk limit; the release of nickel and lead in four devices also exceeded the health threshold for non-cancer diseases.