Unsavory Toxins In Electronic Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes sound alluring. They seem to offer a way to satisfy a cigarette habit without the tobacco. But researchers have found toxins in electronic cigarette smoke that make them very nervous about the dangers of these seemingly innocuous indulgences.

An examination of electronic cigarette “vapor” by researchers at the University of California Riverside found that it contains small, inhalable particles of tin, silver, iron, nickel, aluminum and silicate. It also includes nanoparticles of tin, chromium and nickel.

The researchers warn: “Many of the elements identified in EC (electronic cigarette) aerosol are known to cause respiratory distress and disease.”

The Guardian reports that the Food and Drug Administration “… also found diethylene glycol, a component of antifreeze and brake fluids. Classed as a poison by the World Health Organization, at high enough quantities it can cause kidney damage, nerve dysfunction and respiratory failure.”

Even though electronic cigarettes appear to offer smokers a safer alternative to cigarettes, nicotine addicts who use these products may well be making themselves vulnerable to a whole new set of health problems. The secondhand smoke from electronic cigarettes cannot be considered safe either.