this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025

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472

Disposable E-Cigarettes More Toxic Than Traditional Cigarettes: High Levels of Lead, Other Hazardous Metals Found in E-Cigarettes Popular with Teens (www.ucdavis.edu)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

158 comments fedilink hide all child comments

They may look like travel shampoo bottles and smell like bubblegum, but after a few hundred puffs, some disposable, electronic cigarettes and vape pods release higher amounts of toxic metals than older e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. For example, one of the disposable e-cigarettes studied released more lead during a day’s use than nearly 20 packs of traditional cigarettes.

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[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago

YOU HEARD'EM FOLKS! GO GET YOUR CIGARETTES!

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 8 points 18 hours ago

All they had to do was keep it quiet for 15 years until the new generation was addicted.

Remember when e-cigarettes looked like cigarettes, and were for a brief time allowed to be smoked indoors in public? That's how it started, we were told they were completely healthy, and a way to "kick the habit", because it's "just a habit", not one of the strongest addictions you'll ever encounter, according to the people who make millions off of it.

[–] elfin8er@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

Esco Bar, Flum Pebble, and ELF Bar for anyone curious.

[–] TheLunatickle@lemmy.zip 21 points 1 day ago

I wonder if this is part of why gen Z is turning conservative.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Guess I'm gonna be ultra fucked. I'm not going back to cigarettes. And I already quit nicotine once for seven and a half years. Starting again was the biggest mistake of my life cause I don't wanna go through that again. Oh well, it's not like we have much chance at a future anyway.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

Dude, I hope you try to quit those too. If you've ever met someone who can't breathe from COPD, it's a tough time for them.

[+] anarchy79@lemmy.world -7 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Hey GPT! List a bunch of chemicals they put in our air, water, and food that we breathe, drink, and eat every day!

"""

Sure, buddy!

Sodium nitrite – processed meats (bacon, ham, hot dogs) – forms nitrosamines → DNA damage, colon cancer BHA – cereals, chips, preserved fats – endocrine disruption, liver and stomach tumors BHT – gum, snacks, butter – weak estrogen mimic, promotes lung and bladder tumors Propyl gallate – oils, meats, soup base – oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, tumor growth Red 3 (Erythrosine) – candy, cherries, cake decor – thyroid tumors, DNA strand breaks Potassium bromate – white bread, rolls – kidney tumors, oxidative DNA damage Titanium dioxide – candy, gum, supplements – genotoxicity, gut inflammation, colon cancer Aspartame – diet soda, sugar-free gum – linked to blood cancers in rodents, metabolic disruption Carrageenan – non-dairy milk, ice cream, deli meat – chronic gut inflammation, promotes tumors Polysorbate 80 – ice cream, dressings – gut permeability, inflammation, tumor promotion Carboxymethylcellulose – frozen foods, sauces – microbiome disruption, chronic inflammation TBHQ – chips, fast food, frozen meals – immune suppression, cell mutation, liver tumors Bisphenol A (BPA) – canned food linings, water bottles – hormone mimic, breast/prostate cancer Bisphenol S (BPS) – BPA-free plastics, receipts – endocrine disruptor, reproductive harm Phthalates – food packaging, gloves – testosterone suppression, breast cancer, birth defects PFOA – Teflon pans, food wrappers – thyroid disruption, kidney/testicular cancer PFOS – stain-resistant wrappers – immune suppression, liver tumors Trihalomethanes – chlorinated tap water – bladder cancer, reproductive toxicity Haloacetic acids – tap water disinfection byproducts – DNA damage, liver tumors Formaldehyde – air fresheners, glues – nasopharyngeal cancer, leukemia Benzene – car exhaust, cleaning products – blood cancers, bone marrow suppression Toluene – paints, nail polish – neurotoxin, possible liver cancer link Xylene – solvents, adhesives – respiratory inflammation, CNS toxicity Vinyl chloride – PVC plastics – liver cancer, angiosarcoma 1,3-butadiene – air pollution, rubber manufacturing – leukemia, lymphomas

"""

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world -5 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh shit! So, how many of the chemicals in our immediate environment haven't been tested for the effects they have on humans at all?

Over 350,000 chemicals are in global use. Fewer than 1% have been thoroughly safety tested. Most are unvetted, unregulated, or shielded by trade secrecy.

Holy shit! What can we do about that?

¯\(ツ)/¯

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world -4 points 18 hours ago

OMG! What about compound effects, like what happens when you mix all of them randomly??

Chemicals are tested alone, but we’re exposed to hundreds at once. Combined, they can amplify toxicity, disrupt hormones, damage DNA, overwhelm detox systems, and trigger chronic disease. The mix is far deadlier than any single part.

Holy shit, no way!

[–] Emerald@lemmy.world 74 points 1 day ago (3 children)

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

IT'S A NATURAL PLANT

lol

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[–] Grizzlyboy@lemmy.zip 58 points 1 day ago (5 children)

I can’t fathom how they’re legal. Disposable e cigarettes? The waste is insane, and the people using then aren’t properly disposing of them either..

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There needs to be a $20 deposit on them that you get back when you turn in the empty vape.

Or, hot take, make vapes you can refill.

[–] UnfortunateShort@lemmy.world 8 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

There are ones you can refill, the disposable ones should just be banned altogether.

[–] cmbabul@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

The ones you could refill were the only game in town at the beginning, only thing I ever used. Need to get back on flower for weed but the cartridges are super convenient, at least they don’t have batteries(I know there are disposable weed vapes, not the same as the cartridges)

[–] only_in_ohio@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

This. So much effort being put into regulating zero-waste bags and attached bottle cups yet those vapes fly under the radar

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago

Because the Trump and Biden FDA banned everything else already. Now they want to ban whats left in order to push people back toward cigarettes which can still be purchased at every gas station, grocery or convenience store in the country.

[–] Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They aren’t in the UK, technically, but manufacturers get around it by making them rechargeable.

I’ve read about people that don’t bother recharging them, though.

[–] Grizzlyboy@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Have you seen the Brit who made a bicycle battery from disposable ecigs?

He’s the one who made me aware of it, and made me contact political parties about their stance on them.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VcVp9T8f_W4&pp=ygUgRGlzcG9zYWJsZSBlIGNpZ2dhcmV0dGVzIGJpY3ljbGU%3D

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[–] Eww@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Nice try Marlboro Man!

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 3 points 18 hours ago

It's so fucked that every single actor in the Marlboro commercials died of lung cancer. All of them.

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

I swapped off vapes back to American Spirits after finding this study lol.

Marlboro reds are really tasty, but i know they're horrible for you as far as cigarettes go.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 101 points 2 days ago (36 children)

The three "brands" they tested are all from the same outfit, who most certainly sources them all from the same sweatshop in China. This does not apply to all disposables by any stretch. There's plenty of better reasons to dunk on disposables.

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[–] Squiddork@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (5 children)

If you read the paper, it assumes a 100% absorption rate of the heavy metals emitted.

I'm not here to defend vapes but I think that is a seriously overlooked flaw in this study. Most people don't puff a cigarette/vape and hold it in their lungs until it's completely absorbed.

Couldn't see anything about the bioavailability of these carcinogens via lungs factored into the absorption rate either.

Ontop of that the sample size from this study is abysmal and from the same manufacturer and there is also a declared conflict of interest.

IMO more studies need to be done before we can conclusively determine the damage and risks of disposable vapes.

[–] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

Some of the studies on smoking I've seen were less about understanding how and why people consume tobacco and recommend alternatives, and more like echoing the old practices and beliefs of the temperance movement, which considers tobacco and alcohol as archenemies of humanity. That anytime there's someone publicly declaring they quit smoking, it's followed with praises which at times reminiscent of a tent revival.

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