E-cigarettes contain heavy metals, can cause cancer, serious lung diseases and more: Study
The Indian government a few months ago passed the 'Prohibition of E-cigarettes Ordinance 2019' that seeks to ban the consumption, production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes. With innumerable debates on the safety of vaping going around the world, a recent study has revealed more problems associated with the device.
In a latest study published in journal Scientific Studies last week, researchers from the College of California, Riverside, have discovered the presence of eleven heavy metals including aluminum, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, nickel, silicon, tin, and zinc — within the vapors produced by six standard, tank-style e-cigarettes.
The study says that people smoking e-cigarettes risk inhaling a chemistry lab's value of heavy metals and are prone to most cancers, lung problems and gastrointestinal troubles.“The more metal parts in the e-cigarette, the more heavy metals were found in the vapors it produced," the study said.
An electronic cigarette is a handheld battery-powered vaporizer that simulates smoking and imitates the behavioral aspects of smoking, without burning tobacco. The smoking device uses an aerosol liquid instead of tobacco and has a heating element called the juice that contains nicotine. These include all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), Heat Not Burn Products, e-Hookah and the like devices.
Anatomy of an e-cigarette
The lack of awareness around e-cigarettes has often led to their marketing as a safer alternative to cigarettes as they do not contain tobacco and instead use combustible nicotine.
PM Modi has also spoken about the consequences of e-cigarettes quite a few times. Highlighting the issue, PM in the fourth edition of his radio talk show 'Mann Ki Baat' had said,“It is a myth that e-cigarettes pose no danger and like a conventional cigarette, it does not spread odour as fragrant chemicals are added to it. A cigarette only causes harm and this even its seller knows. The smoker also knows this fact and so do people around. But the case of e-cigarettes is quite different".
