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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.

 
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  • (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.
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