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Harvard Chan School researchers found chemicals linked with severe respiratory disease in common e-cigarette flavors.
Why it Matters: Diacetyl, a flavoring chemical linked to cases of severe respiratory disease, was found in more than 75% of flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids tested by researchers at Harvard Chan School. Two other potentially harmful related compounds were also found in many of the tested flavors, which included varieties with potential appeal to young people such as Cotton Candy, Fruit Squirts, and Cupcake.
The Background: There are currently more than 7,000 varieties of flavored e-cigarettes and e-juice (liquid containing nicotine that is used in refillable devices) on the market. Although the popularity and use of e-cigarettes continues to increase, there is a lack of data on their potential health effects. E-cigarettes are not currently regulated, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule to include e-cigarettes under its authority to regulate certain tobacco and nicotine-containing products.
The Research: Joseph Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard Chan School, and his colleagues tested 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes and liquids sold by leading brands for the presence of diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione, two related flavoring compounds that are listed as “high priority.” In other words, they may pose a respiratory hazard to smokers and others around them.
- At least one of the three chemicals was detected in 47 of the 51 flavors tested.
- Diacetyl was detected above the laboratory limit of detection in 39 of the flavors tested. Acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione were detected in 46 and 23 and of the flavors, respectively.
“Since most of the health concerns about e-cigarettes have focused on nicotine, there is still much we do not know about e-cigarettes. In addition to containing varying levels of the addictive substance nicotine, they also contain other cancer-causing chemicals, such as formaldehyde, and as our study shows, flavoring chemicals that can cause lung damage,” said study co-author David Christiani, Professor of Environmental Genetics at Harvard Chan.”
Resources:
- Flavoring Chemicals and Aldehydes in E-Cigarette Emissions
- E-Cigarettes and Lung Disease
- Chemicals linked with severe respiratory disease found in common e-cigarette flavors
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