Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by LaminatorX on Friday August 29 2014, @02:09PM   Printer-friendly
from the vape-culture dept.

Research into second hand emissions from cigarettes and e-cigarettes (Abstract) has found that while there is a tenfold decrease in overall exposure to carcinogenic particulate matter from e-cigarettes compared to cigarettes, there were increased levels of certain toxic metals. The researchers noted that more of this came from the device itself as opposed to the liquid used in the device.

In recent years, electronic cigarettes have gained increasing popularity as alternatives to normal (tobacco-containing) cigarettes. In the present study, particles generated by e-cigarettes and normal cigarettes have been analyzed and the degree of exposure to different chemical agents and their emission rates were quantified. Despite the 10-fold decrease in the total exposure to particulate elements in e-cigarettes compared to normal cigarettes, specific metals (e.g. Ni and Ag) still displayed a higher emission rate from e-cigarettes. Further analysis indicated that the contribution of e-liquid to the emission of these metals is rather minimal, implying that they likely originate from other components of the e-cigarette device or other indoor sources. Organic species had lower emission rates during e-cigarette consumption compared to normal cigarettes. Of particular note was the non-detectable emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from e-cigarettes, while substantial emission of these species was observed from normal cigarettes. Overall, with the exception of Ni, Zn, and Ag, the consumption of e-cigarettes resulted in a remarkable decrease in secondhand exposure to all metals and organic compounds. Implementing quality control protocols on the manufacture of e-cigarettes would further minimize the emission of metals from these devices and improve their safety and associated health effects.

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by zocalo on Friday August 29 2014, @04:17PM

    by zocalo (302) on Friday August 29 2014, @04:17PM (#87265)
    It's pretty strong in the UK, and runs the gamut from "treat the same as regular cigarettes" to "outright ban". The nay-sayers are a pretty broad spectrum from the hardcore anti-smoking crowd through to a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that they have not been thoroughly tested yet, and potential health dangers are not really understood, that there are a lot of cheap dealers of both the hardware and refills of dubious quality, and (of course) that it might be encouraging kids to smoke. I suspect that the EU will be putting some minimum standards and legislation to restrict access in place over the next few years - it's already been tabled [telegraph.co.uk], but that was overtuned - my guess being that they will end up being treated just like regular cigarettes are.
    --
    UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday August 29 2014, @04:25PM

    by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Friday August 29 2014, @04:25PM (#87270) Journal

    > ubious quality, and (of course) that it might be encouraging kids to smoke.

    Anecdote =/= data I know, but had a conversation with a relative the other day... apparently she has recently discovered that not only were here teenage (underage) kids using e-cigs, but that they've now graduated from e-cigs to the proper, good old-fashioned cancer sticks.

    • (Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Friday August 29 2014, @04:28PM

      by opinionated_science (4031) on Friday August 29 2014, @04:28PM (#87275)

      "bloke down pub said...". Probably in the OED by now...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 29 2014, @08:44PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 29 2014, @08:44PM (#87364)

      For kids smoking is about rebelling against adult society and joining a community of peers.

      It is easy to blame the cigarettes because that's the most visible characteristic, but it is primarily the psychology of being a teenager that is at the root. Even if we are able to make smoking as bland and meaningless as white bread, teens will just fine some other officially discouraged activity to participate in. The best we can hope for is harm reduction, but it is a catch-22 - reduce the danger enough and adult society will no longer disapprove enough to make it useful as a form of rebellion.

      • (Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Monday September 01 2014, @10:43AM

        by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Monday September 01 2014, @10:43AM (#88063) Journal

        > Even if we are able to make smoking as bland and meaningless as white bread, teens will just fine some other officially discouraged activity to participate in.

        As one as the alternative is something less addictive and harmful than smoking then I say great, that would be a major win. Maybe we should campaign to outlaw cranberries for user-16s...

  • (Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Friday August 29 2014, @08:55PM

    by q.kontinuum (532) on Friday August 29 2014, @08:55PM (#87369) Journal

    To treat them like normal cigarettes does not sound too bad for me, at least with those loads containing nicotine or any other potential harmful substances. In our office, luckily no-one started yet to smoke these things (most smokers use them, but outside, like they used to with the normal cigarettes). A general age-restriction also seems reasonable to me, although I could imagine trying one without nicotine myself one day. Maybe one day we come to the point where THC-loads are legalized :-)

    --
    Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
    • (Score: 2) by zocalo on Saturday August 30 2014, @03:55PM

      by zocalo (302) on Saturday August 30 2014, @03:55PM (#87575)
      That's pretty much the way I'm leaning (a lifelong non-smoker, in the interests of full disclosure), at least until any potentially harmful aspects can be better determined - for both the user and those in the vicinity. That's possibly because I tend to view these more as an alternative to nicotine gum and other substitution methods of stopping smoking rather than a direct replacement - make the switch, then slowly dial back the dose and frequency until it's possible to either stop altogether or at least break the addictive element and regain control over usage. There's also the age issue; it's a fact that kids are more impressionable than adults and also very curious about new experiences, so it's not much of a stretch to see that starting with a "harmless" e-cig behind the bikesheds could then go in the opposite direction to actual cigarettes and possibly even to harder drugs. You'll never stop it short of an outright ban of course, and even that is really just raising the bar to entry even higher, but at least it puts a line in the sand that might give more people reason to pause and think.
      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!