In addition to vaping’s toxic effect on one’s social standing (#douchechill), it has unsurprisingly been revealed that dragging away on an e-cigarette is also straight up detrimental to your health.
A study conducted by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) purports to have found one million times more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in electronic cigarettes than in Hong Kong air, SCMP reports.
PAHs – a carcinogenic by-product of burning petroleum – are usually found in roadside air, but were detected in quantities ranging from 2.9 to 504.5 nanograms per millilitre in 13 e-cigarettes currently on the market.
Researchers also found e-cigarettes to contain polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – a carcinogenic flame retardant which stunts reproductive development. PBDEs, which are extensively used in furniture and electronic products, had reportedly never been found in e-cigarettes before, but were found in quantities ranging from 1.7 to 1,490ng/ml in the devices analysed.
In comparison, the level of PBDEs found in conventional cigarettes was found to range from 5.6 to 6.3ng/ml.
In addition, while the e-cigarettes were either advertised to contain no nicotine, or made no mention of nicotine on their packaging, they were found to contain between 3.5 to 28.5ng/ml of nicotine.
Following the results’ publication, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (which commissioned the study) urged for e-cigarettes to be banned in order to nip their growing popularity in the bud.
Photo: Vaping360
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