E-cigarettes without carcinogens? Is this even possible? Apparently, it isn't, and a new study led by Japanese scientists has even found an extremely alarming truth behind the notion that e-cigarettes are better than regular tobacco.
A team of scientists from the Japanese Health Ministry has worked on proving whether e-cigarettes without carcinogens exist. But, turns out, they were headed for a different direction when the examined the vapour of this regular tobacco alternative, reports RT.com.
For the study, the researchers examined various types of e-cigarette fluids through special "puffing" machine that is designed to inhale 10 to 15 puffs of vapors and analyze their content.
The Japanese scientists said that e-cigarette smoke actually contains carcinogens such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde.
Comparing the quantities of these carcinogens from the ones found in regular tobacco even showed a more disturbing finding: the formaldehyde content in e-cigarettes is 10 times than that of traditional cigarettes. Yikes!
"In one brand of e-cigarette the team found more than 10 times the level of carcinogens contained in one regular cigarette," Naoki Kunugita, member of the research team, said.
The Japanese researchers claimed that the increased levels of carcinogens in electronic cigarettes is very evident when the devices start overheating, according to Metro.
"Especially when the... wire (which vaporizes the liquid) gets overheated, higher amounts of those harmful substances seemed to be produced," Kunugita said.
Kunugita also said that their study aims to raise awareness on how "some makers are selling such products for dual use (with tobacco) or as a gateway for young people" to start a smoking habit.
It can be noted that e-cigarettes are largely marketed as the healthier alternative in smoking, with manufacturers citing that it is not at all harmful to one's health.
However, given this finding that e-cigarettes without carcinogens do not exist and that their carcinogenic content is even 10 times than that of regular tobacco, it's plain to see which one is the riskier option.
The new study has already been submitted to the National Institute of Public Health, which is going to examine the findings of the tests conducted, as well as develop means of regulating e-cigarettes in the market.
In the recent years, e-cigarettes have become a trend among smokers and people who are starting to smoke.
This smoking alternative was invented by a Chinese pharmacist in 2003 and since then the sale of these devices has become very rampant that its market is now worth over $3 billion.
Some countries do not strictly regulate these electronic cigarettes; hence, people can just order them online.
On the other hand, the World Health Organization has announced in August that it is urging governments to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, noting that these smoking devices pose a "serious threat" to young people, including unborn babies.
WHO also suggested that smoking in indoor spaces using e-cigarettes should be banned, similar to how traditional cigarettes are being prohibited indoors.
In the U.S., statistics show that e-cigarette users among young people have tripled from 2011 to 2013. It isn't clear whether this is due to the common notion of people that e-cigarettes are without carcinogens.
Nonetheless, a Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY study has previously established that the manner on how the compounds present in electronic devices are broken down irritate the lungs and can cause disease.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
