Teenage vapers are exposing their bodies to a host of toxic metals, say researchers, who found that regular vapers aged 13 to 17, and who use an e-cigarette at least eight times a day, have 30% more lead and twice as much uranium in their urine as their peers who only occasionally vape.
The study, led by a team from the University of Nebraska, also found that biomarkers of uranium were especially high among those who preferred sweet flavours, as opposed to menthol or mint ones.
The research lacks a control group of teens who did not vape at all, but the pattern evident within a US sample of 200 e-cigarette users who avoided cigarettes is still concerning, the researchers said, urging further investigation into the potential toxicity of e-cigarettes, for the sake of public health.
The results of this small study, which was published in The BMJ’s Tobacco Control, do not prove that vaping causes toxic metal accumulation in the body, but previous analyses have consistently found signs of toxic metals in e-cigarette aerosol samples and in the bodily fluid of vapers.
At times, the blood and urine samples of vapers rival even those of cigarette smokers.
Such findings are deeply concerning because compounds like lead and uranium are known to be harmful to human development.
While e-cigarettes are often marketed as a way for adults to quit nicotine, a whole new generation of non-smokers is now taking to the habit in young adulthood, reports Science Alert.
A US National Youth Tobacco Survey in 2023 found that 10% of high school students currently used e-cigarettes, with nearly 40% of those reporting vaping on at least 20 days in the previous month. A total of 90% of e-cigarette users said they used flavoured products.
The word “vapour” might sound like a harmless cloud of water, but e-cigarette liquid – even when nicotine-free – is full of chemicals, often including toxic metals like arsenic, chromium, nickel, lead and uranium.
Very little research has evaluated the potential of metal exposure from vaping or the effect of certain flavours, making the long-term outcomes an even bigger mystery.
Part of the problem is that each brand and type of vaporiser on the market varies significantly in its unlabelled contents.
Today, experts admit they still don’t fully know what e-cigarette vapour actually contains. Previous laboratory studies have, for instance, found that tobacco or mint flavours contain more toxic metals than sweet ones.
“Increased uranium biomarkers found within the sweet flavour category are particularly concerning, because candy-flavoured e-cigarette products make up a substantial proportion of adolescent vapers,” the authors of the current study warn, “and sweet taste in e-cigarettes can suppress the harsh effects of nicotine and enhance its reinforcing effects, resulting in heightened brain cue-reactivity.”
The current study leaves many questions unanswered, but it joins a wave of concern over e-cigarette use among teens, which the US Surgeon-General described in 2018 as an epidemic.
“Nicotine exposure during adolescence can impact learning, memory, and attention,” the Surgeon-General's Advisory reported at the time.
“In addition to nicotine, the aerosol that users inhale and exhale from e-cigarettes can potentially expose both themselves and bystanders to other harmful substances, including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deeply into the lungs.”
Study details
Biomarkers of metal exposure in adolescent e-cigarette users: correlations with vaping frequency and flavouring
Andrew Kochvar, Gary Hao, Hongying Daisy Dai.
Published in Tobacco Control on 28 April 2024
Abstract
Background
Youth vaping poses a significant public health concern as metals have been detected in e-cigarette aerosols and liquids. This study investigated factors associated with biomarkers of metal exposure.
Methods
Data were drawn from Wave 5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Youth Panel, a nationally representative sample of US adolescents aged 13–17 years. Urinary biomarkers of exposure to cadmium, lead, and uranium were assessed by vaping frequency (occasional (1–5 days), intermittent (6–19 days), and frequent (20+ days)) in the past 30 days and flavour type (menthol/mint, fruit, and sweet).
Results
Among 200 exclusive e-cigarette users (median age 15.9 years, 62.9% female), 65 reported occasional use, 45 reported intermittent use, and 81 reported frequent use. The average number of recent puffs per day increased exponentially by vaping frequency (occasional: 0.9 puffs, intermittent: 7.9 puffs, frequent: 27.0 puffs; p=0.001). Both intermittent (0.21 ng/mg creatinine) and frequent users (0.20 ng/mg creatinine) had higher urine lead levels than occasional users (0.16 ng/mg creatinine). Frequent users also had higher urine uranium levels compared with occasional users (0.009 vs 0.005 ng/mg creatinine, p=0.0004). Overall, 33.0% of users preferred using menthol/mint flavours, 49.8% fruit flavours, and 15.3% sweet flavours. Sweet flavour users had higher uranium levels compared with menthol/mint users (0.009 vs 0.005 ng/mg creatinine, p=0.02).
Conclusions
Vaping in early life could increase the risk of exposure to metals, potentially harming brain and organ development. Regulations on vaping should safeguard the youth population against addiction and exposure to metals.
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