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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.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 29 2014, @05:55PM
The reason you don't see a push to ban* e-cigs in Europe is because you Europeans don't have a tobacco cartel that owns your governments.
The "problem" with vaping gear is that they are sold by any number of small and large e-cig vendors, not by big tobacco, nor by a single company that can be bought up. Big tobacco are of course releasing or planning their own e-cig lines, which will be at no great disadvantage, but they're accustomed to being a nice cartel, and aren't interested in anything like fair competition. So tobacco lobbyists try to get an e-cig ban, just like they recently got a ban on clove cigarettes (which are mainly imported) on the basis that they're "flavored" and thus designed to appeal to children.
*Actually, they don't want to "ban" e-cigs -- that would make them look like some sort of fascist jerkwads. They only want the perfectly reasonable measure of regulating them as medical devices instead of tobacco products.