62 million smokers and vaping enthusiasts reached since 2015!
February 28, 2018

Are Vapers At Risk From Hazardous Metals?

A group of researchers from Johns Hopkins and other universities are getting a lot of attention with a study that claims to show dangerous levels of various metals in e-cigarette vapor.

The press release was in newsrooms before the study had even been published, and the researchers were on the phone with reporters before the ink on the press release was dry. And the story is still spreading. Unfortunately, most reporters simply repeat the authors’ version of what the results mean, and don’t bother seeking out experts who might challenge the paper’s conclusions. And they definitely need challenging.

“Toxic metals linked with brain damage are ‘leaking from e-cigarettes into vapour’, experts have found,” said The Mirror. “Oh good, e-cigarette vapor contains toxic metals, too,” shouted the sarcastic Mashable banner. And those weren’t even the worst headlines.

Do the headlines match the study’s findings? And, for that matter, do the researchers’ own conclusions even describe the findings of the research?

What did they find? And what did they say they found?

Danger-Contains-lead

The authors were aware of previous studies that measured metals in closed system, cigalike-style products, and wanted to instead test for metals in vape tanks, which are the most common products used by regular vapers. So they asked the vapers they had recruited to participate in the study to bring their own vape gear and refill e-liquid to the interview.

They then tested the e-liquid in the refill bottles and the tanks that had been exposed to the metal atomizer coils for 15 different metals. They also tested the vapor itself.

“Of the metals significantly present in the aerosols, lead, chromium, nickel and manganese were the ones of most concern, as all are toxic when inhaled,” says the Johns Hopkins press release. “The median lead concentration in the aerosols, for example, was about 15 μg/kg, or more than 25 times greater than the median level in the refill dispensers. Almost 50 percent of aerosol samples had lead concentrations higher than health-based limits defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Similarly, median aerosol concentrations of nickel, chromium and manganese approached or exceeded safe limits.”

Pretty frightening, right? There’s just one problem: the researchers judged the results by EPA limits, which measure safe concentrations in the air we breathe all day long. But vapers don’t breathe vapor constantly all day long. Environmental standards are the wrong way to measure something that is only inhaled occasionally.

Unfortunately, vaping researchers willing to twist their results to shape regulations are all too common.

Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a medical doctor and research fellow at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, Greece, caught the error (or deception) right away. Dr. Farsalinos has made a career of doing fair research on vapor products, and he’s done more than anyone to call out other scientists with lower standards.

In a Facebook post, Farsalinos quickly deflated the conclusions of the Johns Hopkins study.

“The ‘significant amount’ of metals the authors reported they found were measured in μg/kg,” wrote Farsalinos. “In fact they are so low that for some cases (chromium and lead) I calculated that you need to vape more than 100 ml per day in order to exceed the FDA limits for daily intake from [inhaled] medications. The authors once again confuse themselves and everyone else by using environmental safety limits related to exposure with every single breath, and apply them to vaping. However, humans take more than 17,000 (thousand) breaths per day but only 400-600 puffs per day from an e-cigarette.”

In other words, the Johns Hopkins researchers found nothing unusual — nothing that should alarm vapers or regulators — but they translated their results into terms that would create maximum panic. There’s nothing new about scientific results being turned into anti-vaping propaganda.

But sadly, in this case vapers helped them do it.

Why would vapers help with this study?

Gas-mask

How did they find vapers willing to help with their research? Simple. They “recruited 58 participants using tank-style devices through vaping conventions and flyers posted in e-cigarette shops.” Why would vape shops help any American vaping researcher, knowing that their grants are usually based on the understanding that they will produce evidence the FDA can use to regulate vapes? That’s a good question.

The researchers asked vapers to bring in their own devices to be tested, and all but two of them did. Those two were excluded from the results. All of the participating vapers gave consent to Johns Hopkins.

We previously covered another group of Johns Hopkins researchers who recruited vapers to help participate in a study. They found subjects in much the same way, but went a step further and also advertised on Reddit. That article contained several good suggestions for vapers considering participation in any vaping study, like checking the researchers’ previous statements about vaping, searching for the grant proposal to see what they expect the study to show, and asking who is funding their research.

Every time researchers like these cry wolf, they make vapers less likely to trust future research that may raise truly serious risks.

Unfortunately, vaping researchers willing to twist their results to shape regulations are all too common. The results seem clearly misinterpreted to create fear, and it’s difficult to believe that the authors didn’t do that deliberately. Naturally, the press release was available before the study was even published, and the authors eagerly participated in the gleefully scary coverage.

The authors misrepresented their results to imply that the vapers’ exposure to dangerous metals was more dangerous than it actually was. And they decided that assuring sensational press coverage by exaggerating their results was more important than offering honest information.

The truth of the study is that there are metals in e-liquid vapor — just not in high enough concentrations to be especially concerning. But vapers should be aware of it, and it’s probably something manufacturers should try to reduce as much as possible. That’s the story here.

But it’s not the story the Johns Hopkins scientists wanted to tell. They wanted a scary story, so they took their data and made the results seem worse than they really were with reporting tricks. They’re not interested in trying to solve a real problem. Every time researchers like these cry wolf, they make vapers less likely to trust future research that might actually raise serious risks.

Smokers created vaping without help from the tobacco industry or anti-smoking crusaders, and I believe vapers have the right to continue innovating to help themselves. My goal is to provide clear, honest information about the challenges vaping faces from lawmakers, regulators, and brokers of disinformation. I’m a member of the CASAA board, but my opinions aren’t necessarily CASAA’s, and vice versa. You can find me on Twitter @whycherrywhy
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
19 Comments
most voted
newest oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
MIke Williams
MIke Williams
5 years ago

Well said. I honestly do want to know any real risks involved in vaping. I know it’s not completely safe but it is harm reduction. You said it well, all the studies so far have been so exaggerated that I tend to go into it assuming it is at least 80% pure BS. I’m not so clouded (pun intended) to assume that some day they may actually find a real risk, but I’m so distrustful at this point that I honestly might disregard it as typical BS.

Moloc
Moloc
5 years ago

There is 1 common denominator which no one chooses to announce regarding heavy metals within these devices to begin with.

Made in China.

It is that simple. The fermaldahyde can be a by product from using coils past their expiration/too aggressively.

If tanks & coils were made in USA under guidelines which are for food grade devices. The problem would entirely disappear.

Why are tanks not made in USA? Because China will make 100 for the cost of a dozen here.

john
john
5 years ago

My only metal problem is sometimes the coils have little flakes of metal from machining i always blow mine out with a air hose quick before i use them i would like a coil less vape but most on the market are sub par and i dont really like ceramic now the U sonic seems good but alot of people say they flood easy and i just used a pod device and i swear i inhaled a metal flake all in all i am very happy i switched from cigarettes to vaping i feel 100 times better but i wish… Read more »

john
john
5 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

Surprisingly alot of brands do next time you get a coil out put a cushy amount of paper towels out and lightly hit the top of the coil down on to the towel maybe a dozen times they are very small pieces and you need good light but i bet out of a pack of 5 you will find some i have talked with a few people on IG that noticed the same thing. Mostly i just MTL vape so i am not at as much risk of inhaling it but the DTL guys should really check out the coils… Read more »

john
john
5 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

Yeah i noticed same thing. It makes me cringe when the youtube guys review a tank and just take it right out of the box fill it with juice and start vaping like dude clean that 1st!!! haha

Lina
Lina
5 years ago

Where do you guys think the heavy metals go when you exhale? Into the environmental air around you, especially if you are enclosed in your home or a business. Cadmium and lead are no joke. Your body, your choice, but don’t invalidate a study as conspiracy just because it implies long term consequences to your actions. Your heating metals and then breathing it. Of course you are going to get heavy metal exposure. We already know of heavy metal exposure through food via cookware. This is just even more direct. These studies are done to protect people and especially children.… Read more »

Jeremy Mann
Staff
Jeremy Mann
5 years ago
Reply to  Lina

Hi Lina. A few points to consider: 1. What’s being exhaled is not vapor from hot metal. The constituents of e-juice (similar to what makes “theater smoke”) is what produces the vapor when heated. Yes, the coil does heat the liquid, but it’s drenched in liquid. No one is intentionally inhaling the fumes from a hot coil. That’s not how vaping works. 2. The mere presence of something is not what determines toxicity. Fish is a part of a healthy diet, yet nearly all fish have some detectable level of mercury. The amount matters! 3. The CDC has already tested… Read more »

Gabe
Gabe
5 years ago

I can buy the main thrust of this article but it didn’t seem to offer an alternative view. Like, how much lead in e-cigarettes would be a major issue? Lead is concerning to me in any quantity, it takes 40 days to completely leave the body and it accumulates in the meantime. Lead paint in delapidated houses has caused lead poisioning in a huge number of people. And that’s just from children chipping and eating paint chips. I can’t imagine they were doing that all day either. Furthermore lead is neurotoxic and it’s effects on the brain are devastating. I… Read more »

Gabe
Gabe
5 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

No I’m not really considering switching to smoking. I was trying to impart a sense of urgency. I did read the section on Dr. Farsalino, can you link me to his calculations if available? From what I can find (and I’m not familiar with ug/kg.) It seems that 10 micrograms per decilitre is safe according to Health Canada. And the vape seems to contain 15 ug/kg. Could you translate that for me? I don’t know the conversion method or how to translate that. And does the accumulating effect add any complication? I’m studying to be a neuroscientist and neurotoxicity is… Read more »

Mike
Mike
4 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

Hi Jim,

You seem to be pretty defensive. I understand why. However, Gabe’s questions seem reasonable if you view them in a less aggressive lens. I think we should always give people the benefit that they are asking to attain more knowledge. If we get defensive, no one will ever have a Frank and honest discussion.

Gabe
Gabe
5 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

Well I’m very early on in that process. (I just started school.) My point in saying that is down the line I don’t want to be a neuroscientist who has regurlarly been ingesting neurotoxic metals. I really appreciate your responses and I’ll try to figure out how to convert these measurements. If you can link me to any additional sources it would be greatly appreciated. Vaping has helped me in so many other ways but you must understand the concern.