New York: Researchers have found that the vapours which are produced after e-liquid flavourings are heated inside e-cigarettes, are toxic.
According to a study, reported in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology, when e-liquid flavourings are heated inside electronic nicotine-delivery systems, the flavourings break down into toxic compounds at levels that exceed occupational safety standards.
The researchers analysed vapours created from both unflavoured and flavoured e-liquids loaded into three popular types of e-cigarettes.
The results showed that in general, one puff of flavoured vapour contained levels of aldehydes exceeding the safe thresholds for occupational exposure — set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists — by factors of 1.5 to 270. Vapours from unflavoured e-liquids contained aldehydes at significantly lower levels.
Electronic cigarettes were first introduced to the market in 2003 and health officials have been tracking usage and studying potential health effects.
A 2015 survey by the National Centre for Health Statistics reported that 3.7 per cent of adults used the devices regularly and 12.6 per cent had tried them at least once.
IANS