Dangerous Chemicals in E-Cigarettes

Last updated on July 30th, 2023

Are There Really Dangerous ECigarette Chemicals?

There’s a great deal of concern regarding the ingredients in e-cigarettes, especially since there are many conflicting reports flooding the media about the chemicals in e-liquids. 

If you smoke and are considering switching to electronic cigarettes you may be wondering if they’re even worth a try.

Many are asking,

Why Should I Experiment with Something That May Be Just as Dangerous as Tobacco?

This article will help to answer those questions!

There’s lots to say about electronic cigarette safety, but since you probably googled Chemicals or Ingredients in E-Cigarettes we’ll start by addressing that question.

Here Are Some Answers to Common Questions About E-Cigarette Chemicals 

What Are the Ingredients in An E-Cigarette?

Any respectable electronic cigarette company’s website will offer a page that lists their ingredients. Some include ingredient safety reports called Safety Data Sheets.

E-Liquids should only contain Vegetable Glycerin (USP Grade), food grade flavorings, Propylene Glycol (USP Grade) and Nicotine, (although you can buy e-liquids without nicotine from just about every seller of e-juice ). You can also buy e-liquids that are infused with CBD.

Propylene Glycol (PG) is an FDA approved food additive used in everything from cake mixes to asthma inhalers. It is also found in nasal sprays such as Afrin; oral, injectable and topical pharmaceuticals, and beauty products such as lipstick, creams and lubricants including baby wipes. PG is in candies such as Gummy Bears. It is sometimes used in non-toxic antifreeze. 

Note: Antifreeze, in an of itself, is not an ingredient in e-cigarette liquids.

Vegetable Glycerin is found in dairy and protein foods. Some dairy products include cheese, yogurt and powdered milk. VG can be found in processed meat, poultry and eggs.

E-Cigarettes come in many flavors, so of course there are other USP Grade ingredients which vary with the flavors. 

Some e-liquids, like those from Kind Juice are made of ingredients that are totally organic. They contain zero PG.

Read More About Organic ELiquids

What About the Diacetyl, Acetyl Propionyl and Acetoin Scare?

A 2015 study made sensational headlines when it was reported that some e-liquids contained diacetyl, a chemical that could cause bronchitis obliterans, or “popcorn lung”. Acetyl Propionyl and Acetoin were also cited.

The now notorious study did not find any of the above ingredients at harmful levels in e-cigarettes and the study has since been debunked by research scientists including one of the world’s most renowned researcher, Dr. Konstantinos E. Farsalinos. 

Source: http://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/whats-new/whatsnew-2015/236-da2

Read: Read More About Getting Too Much Nicotine

The Vapor Industry’s Response

There was an extremely fast reaction on the part of e-liquid companies when the issues with flavorings containing diacetyl came to light. All companies either pulled the line that had that flavoring or reformulated those e-liquids. 

The tests were NOT performed using standard e-cigarettes; they were using modified high wattage devices designed to be more like miniature stage-type fog machines. 

Diacetyl has been known to cause bronchitis obliterans (popcorn lung) in factory workers. Out of the thousands of factory workers who were tested, only a tiny fraction of 1% (eight people to be precise) are alleged to have come down with bronchitis obliterans.

In other words, even if you breathe massive amounts of airborne diacetyl (thousands of times more than any vapor product could expose you to), all day, every day for a decade or more, it’s still overwhelmingly unlikely you’re going to get “popcorn lung.”

The study never mentioned that tobacco has more than 100 times the diacetyl then the absolute worst e-cig (750 times the average one). Tobacco isn’t considered a risk factor for popcorn lung.

Here Are the Ingredients Typically Found in Tobacco-Flavored E-Cigarettes: 

• Ethyl Maltol- an organic compound that is common flavorant in some confectioneries.
• Beta-Damascenone- a food grade flavoring used in wines and other foods requiring a floral essence.
• Vanillin- Used in ice cream, baked goods, medicines and many other products that require a vanilla taste or aroma, it is an organic crystal that forms on the outside of the vanilla bean.
• Trimethylpyrazine- An FDA approved flavoring used in caramel chocolate cocoa and coffee

Menthol Flavored E-cigs Also Contain These Ingredients:

• Menthol- an organic compound that occurs naturally in mint and some other plants.
• Menthone- a naturally occurring organic compound and a constituent of the essential oils of pennyroyal, peppermint, Mentha arvensis, Pelargonium geraniums, and others.
• Cineole- is a natural substance found in eucalyptus and other essential oils. It has a pungent, spicy, cooling taste and is know to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Other flavored e-cigarettes use both natural and synthetic flavorings all of which are FDA approved and are used in food products.

But What About the “Chemicals? Why Are There Reports That E-Cigarettes Have Chemicals that Are Not Safe?

Keep in mind that every ingredient (even natural ingredients) in every product we use and consume has a chemical makeup, so all ingredients are, in fact “chemicals”. The media loves to twist things which is why the very word “chemical” has a negative connotation. 

UPDATE: In September of 2019 there were reports of respiratory failure which were presented as “vaping related”.

Many experts on vaping including the NY Dept. of Health and world renound expert on vaping, Dr. Farsalinos have issued statements indicating that current e-cigarette vapers, or those considering vaping to quit smoking should not be alarmed by these incidents as they only refer to black market vaping product.

Here is the FDA Statement:

Don’t E-Cigarettes Contain Formaldehyde?

 

Formaldehyde levels found in the New England Journal of Medicine study were associated with “dry puff conditions”, not normal vaping conditions. 

According to Dr. Farsalinos,

“The atomizer had a resistance of 2.1 Ohms. This means that at 3.3 volts, the energy delivery was about 5.5 watts and at 5 volts it was 12 watts. It is more than obvious that the findings of very high levels of formaldehyde are a result of overheating! Lack of experience on e-cigarettes and no contact with vapers can result in such erroneous and unrealistic results, which can create confusion and misinformation both in the scientific community and among users and potential users of e-cigarettes.“

Read more about formaldehyde in e-cigarettes

Are There Scientific Reports That Say E-Cigarettes Are Safer Than Cigarettes? 

Yes. The true science about e-cigarette safety is emerging, while the old junk science is being exposed and ridiculed for being fraudulent and politically motivated.

The now famous report from Public Health England confirmed that e-cigarettes are at least 95% safer than tobacco cigarettes. 

The Federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) now recognizes that vaping is an important part of tobacco harm reduction.

Health Impact of E-cigarettes

A 3.5-year study was conducted by Riccardo Polosa, Director of the Institute for Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology of the University of Catania, Italy. The study of regular daily e-cigarette users who have never smoked, “found no detectable changes in lung health in never smokers who have been regularly vaping for at least 4 years. This included “no significant changes in any of the health outcomes including measures of lung function and lung inflammation.” No significant structural abnormalities could be identified and no respiratory symptoms were reported.

Current FDA Commissioner, Ned Sharpless, M.D., issued a statement in September, 2019 updating the agency’s commitment to save vaping. Director Sharpless noted, “Any product that can diminish the use of combustible cigarettes substantially has to be considered of enormous potential value”…”There are some data, both epidemiological and from direct clinical trials, that some electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, which includes products known as “e-cigarettes”) can reduce the use of combustible cigarettes and may be less harmful than traditional cigarettes.”

The FDA requirements for all manufacturers of vaping products (including e-liquids and vaping hardware) became applicable in June 2019.

All Vape Products on the Market Must Meet These Standards and Requirements:

– Registering an establishment and submitting a lists of products, including labeling and advertisements.

– Submitting tobacco health documents. (FDA interprets “health, toxicological, behavioral, or physiologic” to include, for example, cell-based, tissue-based, animal, or human studies, computational toxicology models, information on addiction, intentions to use, cognition, emotion, motivation, and other behavioral effects at both the population-level (epidemiology) as well as the individual level (such as abuse liability).

– Submitting ingredient listings – These include: ingredients, components, and additives.

– Including a required warning statement on packages and advertisements for ENDS (including certain ENDS components, such as e-liquids) stating, “WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.”

SOURCE: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices-perspectives-fda-leadership-and-experts/how-fda-regulating-e-cigarettes

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb appeared in a Washington Post Live Interview expressing the agency’s new approach to tobacco regulations. 

On January 31st, 2019 Dr Gottlieb tweeted this.

But Isn’t Nicotine Toxic?

Nicotine vs Caffeine

No. Unless you consume huge amounts of nicotine, (and it’s unlikely you would do so), tests now show that nicotine is no more harmful to you than caffeine. An exhaustive study that overturned dubious experiments dating back to the 1850’s, was conducted by Dr. Jacques Le Houezec, Consultant in Public Health, Tobacco Dependence, Amzer Glas, Rennes, France. He concluded:

-Nicotine lethal dose has been overestimated. 
-Long-term use of pure nicotine has not been shown to pose health
problems in animals.
-The health risks from pure nicotine in humans appear to be small if any.
-Pure nicotine use, as with e-cigarettes, seems less addictive than when
smoked in tobacco, and is considerably less harmful.

Read More About Getting Too Much Nicotine 

Wasn’t There a Report That Found Trace Elements of Carcinogens in E-Cigarettes?

Professor Carl Phillips of CASAA.org was one of many medical professionals who exposed the now notorious FDA study as being pure junk science. He indicated that if that study was recognized…

“We’d have to ban half the foods that are available. I mean, the FDA study really didn’t find any cancer risk. That study was basically pure propaganda…..there’s no significance of those findings whatsoever from a scientific or health standpoint. From a political standpoint, the fact that they did that was quite significant.”

 

E-cigarettes have become the preferred smoking alternative for millions of smokers and have gained the support of prominent health organizations and scientists worldwide who recognize the product’s tremendous value as an effective way to save millions of lives.

Are e-cigarettes emphatically “safe”? The best answer is to say that it’s too early to tell. Are they “safer” than traditional cigarettes? Scientists and e-cigarette advocates say that they are emphatically safer than tobacco cigarettes and can reduce the harm caused by smoking tobacco.

The Future of Vaping

It is great to know that public health agencies (even the FDA) are changing their views on e-cigarette safety. Still, it will take time for the public to forget about the early junk science reports about dangerous chemicals in vapor products.

Most people trust public health agencies who tell us what not to eat and even what not to breathe. To cite and article published on vaping review site, CloudNineECigReviews.com,

“If you’re really worried about ingesting dangerous chemicals, don’t drink beer, wine or water; or eat tuna, sardines or brussels sprouts because they contain toxic amounts of arsenic,.. but that’s not the trending story.”

…..Or check out Tim Dowlings hilarious article in the Guardian, “Everything Gives You Cancer”

If you’re still worried about the chemicals in electronic cigarettes, or whether it’s safe to switch from smoking cigarettes to vaping e-cigarettes, have a look at some of the chemicals in a tobacco cigarette.