New study of the Puc-Rio atmospheric chemistry laboratory has analyzed the disposable and rechargeable models of electronic cigarettes, which are increasingly popular, although the sale is prohibited. The result surprised the scientists.
Toxic metals present in the electrical circuit of the US versions, throw electronic cigarettes, also known as vapecontaminating the liquid inhaled by those who use these devices even before they are triggered.
This is what the preliminary results of a new study conducted by the atmospheric chemistry laboratory (LQA) of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), obtained exclusively by the BBC News Brazil.
Concentrations of copper, tin, nickel and zinc at the level “very above for any type of material that will be inhaled” have been detected in practically 15 vape Monological analyzed by Carlos Leonny Fragoso, a doctoral student in chemistry and his adviser, Professor Adriana Gioda.
Health experts have attracted attention to toxic substances for years that the steam of electronic cigarettes transports after the liquid is subjected to high temperatures.
The research deepens the notice, indicating that the presence of substances that can damage the body are present in some cases even before the battery starts to function.
In addition to metals, the analysis mapped also in the samples almost a dozen added compounds to leave the taste of vape Dolcati, refreshing and refreshing – tasting enhancers and even a compound usually used as aroma of candles – which can also be harmful to health when inhaled continuously.
The researchers say that they had to find toxic metals vape disposable. Since the liquid is in direct contact with the metals and circuits of the device, it was reasonable to assume that it could be contaminated by what would eventually be detached from these materials.
However, they were surprised by what they saw in the results.
“We expected me to find a greater amount of metal, but I didn’t expect it to be so much.”
In addition to the disposable ones, the study examined 14 liquids of vape Rechargeable, another mode in which electronic cigarettes are sold, where both the battery and the tank liquid can be recharged.
In this case, no toxic metals at quantifiable levels were found, probably because the liquid, since it was sold separately, did not contacted the electrical circuit of the device before being analyzed.
This does not mean, however, vape Reloadabiles cannot contain toxic metals after the load – the “judge“O” e-liquid “, as it is also called to be coupled to the device and then contact the circuits and heating systems, notify the strawberry.
The scientist also underlines that both liquids had “significant toxicity” in the tests with yeast and heart cells of the mice (cardiomioblasti) used in this type of research to evaluate the potential for damage to the substances.
All samples triggered the responses to cellular stress, a process that contributes to the occurrence of cellular damage and inflammation and is associated with various chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
The chemist stresses that the toxicity test is far from a clinical study, which can significantly report the impact of electronic cigarettes on human health.
But consider the results important because they reiterate the risks in the consumption of these products, especially when the studies are still missing to better understand the damage they can cause to the body.
Part of this is due to the fact that electronic cigarettes are relatively new. Initially they emerged in China in the early 2000s, with an aspect that emitted the form of traditional cigarettes.
Over time, they were gaining new formats: the appearance of a pen, a Pen drive And more recently, a small tank.
The devices, which can be disposable or rechargeable, have an internal battery that warms the liquid to the temperatures that can reach 350 ° C, transforming it into aerosol, which is inhaled by users.
The sale of electronic cigarettes has been prohibited in Brazil since 2009: all the products sold here are marked.
You vape They are, however, widely consumed in the country, especially by young people.
There are no precise statistics on the volume of electronic cigarettes circulating in the national territory, but a recent balance of the IRS created by the port of Santos gives an idea of the size: over 1.5 million units only between October and December last year.
Poster of flavor and even aroma of candles
The package of vape They usually list only four ingredients: nicotine, aromas and propylent glycol and vegetable glycerin, which already arouse concerns in health professionals, since the dependence on nicotine and that the two solvents, if subject to high temperatures, produce toxic substances such as acrolein and formaldehyde.
The experts have warned, however, that many may include other harmful substances for the body.
A preliminary study conducted by the toxicological research laboratory of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in collaboration with the Scientific Police in 2024 found OcTodrin in ten seized champions, a substance with an anpatamin similar structure, a synthetic drug.
Fragoso and Gioda have detected the presence of over 20 substances in the set of samples analyzed in the Puc-Rio atmospheric chemistry laboratory (LQA), of which about 10.
Many of them have the function of flavoring the vape – They are composed extracted from essential oils which, if for a lay one may seem harmless, can damage health when inhaled.
Depending on the temperature in which they are heated, some of them can form acrolein, a strawberry example, which is found a lot in fried foods. It does not cause problems when ingested, but it can be harmful to the body if you breathe continuously.
The analysis detected a series of substances traditionally used by the food industry such as flavor or flavor enhancers.
Among these was Vanilina, widely used to giving vanilla aroma to various products. The mixture appeared practically in all samples, giving a sweeter taste and improving the taste of vape.
Another virtually omnipresent compound was menthol, which the food industry uses mint flavors in products. It is another powerful flavor enhancer in the universe of electronic cigarettes, added to refresh – and which can irritate the airways.
The researchers were surprised by the quantity of substances used to make the flavor of the electronic cigarette more fun. Attention draws a compound traditionally used by industry as aroma of candles and another with banana aroma.
“No cigarette sample had a banana flavor, it was probably added to give sweetness,” says Fragoso.
‘Worse of the conventional cigarette’
For Fiocruz’s researcher and a full member of the National Academy of Medicine Margareth Dalcolmo, the study reiterates the set of tests on the risks that electronic cigarettes represent health.
The pulmonologist considers vapi even worse than traditional cigarettes.
“They generate addiction faster and generate a heavier addiction,” he says. Dallacolmo refers to the research that underlines that the concentration of nicotine of vape It can reach one hundred times that of the conventional cigarette and that dependence can occur in just five days.
“I participated in the teenagers who tell me: ‘Doctor, I sleep with the vape On the side of my bed and, before getting up to wash my teeth, I already use it.
The consumption of electronic cigarettes, complete, is linked to the increase in the risk of development of diseases such as pulmonary emphysema, chronic obstructive lung problems and even lung cancer.
There is even a specific pulmonary disease associated with them already recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), known as you avoid, acronym for “lung lesions associated with the use of the product” or of vapors “(” pulmonary lesion associated with the use of electronic cigarettes “, in the translation literally).
Brazil has, however, a record for monitoring the number of cases and deaths caused by Evali.
The doctor is one of the voices that have been constantly positioned against the Senate bill currently (PL 5008/2023) who discuss the regulation of electronic cigarettes.
“Those who defend the regulation by claiming that they will increase the collection of taxes ignore that the amount would be much lower than what it would have been spent because of the health problems of the affected people,” says Dallacolmo.
The Brazilian Smoke Industry Association (Abiffumo) is one of the groups that defended the regulation of vape in the country. For the report, Lauro Anhezini, an entity consultant, claims that part of the problems identified on the devices that circulate in Brazil are the result of the lack of rules for the sale of these products.
“You will have to have an adequate measure of which emissions are, for example, you will have to have a heating temperature control at liquid level and nicotine”, exemplifies.
The consultant, who refused to comment on the results of the study because he did not have access to them, states that the vape “They are not free from the risk”, citing the presence of nicotine, which can cause addiction and “chemicals that can be dangerous for health”. It claims, however, that they are less harmful to the health of conventional cigarettes.
Anhezini, who is also director of the regulatory and scientific affairs of Bat Brasil (ex Souza Cruz), says that companies such as Bat Brasil and Philip Morris “have public objectives, including listed in the scholarship, to stop marketing cigarettes [convencionais]”.
Bat, exemplifies, has set up up to 2035 half of the revenues come from “lower risk alternatives”, including electronic cigarettes.
“This passes through the massive migration of consumers of conventional cigarettes to reduce alternatives at risk”.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
