Most people won't dispute the claim that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional smokes, but evidence is rapidly mounting that vaping isn't exactly good for you, either. Numerous studies
have found toxic chemicals and carcinogens in e-cigarette vapor -- but a
new study shows that the age, type and temperature of the vaporizer can
effect just how toxic its emissions are
. Researchers have also identified two previously unreported cancer-causing chemicals present in most e-cigarette liquid.
According to researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
most of the toxic chemicals found in vaporizer smoke comes from the
thermal decomposition of glycol and glycerin -- two food-safe solvents
commonly used in e-cigarette liquid. When vaporized, however,
researchers found that the liquid emits toxic chemicals. Among them are
propylene oxide and glycidol, two probable carcinogens.
That said,
not all e-cigarettes are equal: researchers found that when it tested
the emissions from a vaporizer with two heating elements, it had a lower
concentration of harmful chemicals than the output of a single-coil
model. The team also found that vaporizers
that ran at a higher voltage tended to make smoke with more toxins, as
did units that weren't cleaned on a regular basis. This doesn't mean
that lower-temperature vaporizers are healthier, though -- all
e-cigarettes emit toxic chemicals.
The uptick of the research
mostly lies with what it means for the future. Understanding where the
toxins in e-cigarettes come from will allow regulators and manufacturers
to create less harmful vaporizers -- and provide a less dangerous
alternative to cigarettes. Even so, the study co-author Hugo Destaillats
is careful to avoid calling e-cigarettes 'healthy.' "Regular cigarettes
are super unhealthy," he says. "E-cigarettes are just unhealthy."
