Chemicals used in flavouring e-cigarettes can be as harmful as cigarettes

A new study has examined that the components of electronic cigarettes are not regulated and standardized as compared to standard cigarettes and this is why they vary widely between products.

The study conducted at American Thoracic Society suggested that the characteristics of these e-cigarette elements, including their delivery systems, combustion apparatuses, and the composition of the nicotine solutions they contain may affect the levels of potentially hazardous substances in the vapor they produce.

Lead author Daniel Sullivan, MD, of the University of Alabama School of Medicine, said that while the chemical compositions and negative health effects of tobacco smoke have been well studied, e-cigarettes have yet to undergo the same level of scrutiny and in their study they found that differences in the mechanical and chemical makeup of e-cigarettes affected their generation of combustion products known to have adverse effects on human health.

In addition, the researchers found that e-cigarette condensate inhibited the enzymatic activity ofLTA4H, an enzyme involved in the resolution of pulmonary inflammation, in a dose dependent manner similar to that observed with tobacco smoke.

The study is presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.