Electronic Cigarette May Be 5 to 15 Times More Carcinogenic

Warmed to the fullest and deeply aspirated, nicotine vapor from e-cigarettes can produce formaldehyde, a substance that makes it five to fifteen times more carcinogenic than a regular cigarette, according to a study published on Wednesday.

"We found that formaldehyde can form during the vaporization process of electronic cigarettes, " researchers at the University of Portland (Oregon) report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The researchers used a machine to "inhale" the steam from low and high voltage electronic cigarettes to determine how formaldehyde - a known carcinogen - forms from the liquid that these devices use.

During the experiment, the researchers found that when electronic cigarettes heat the liquid at high voltage (5 volts), a higher formaldehyde rate is produced than that of ordinary cigarettes.

Thus, the electronic cigarette user who inhales the equivalent of three milliliters of this maximum-heated vaporized liquid daily absorbs about 14 mg of formaldehyde, against 3 mg for those who smoke a pack of ordinary cigarettes.

In the long run, inhaling 14 mg of this harmful substance per day can increase the risk of cancer by 5 to 15 times, the study highlights.

For the director of the London Medical School's smoking division, Peter Hajek, the study does not reflect the reality, since "when electronic cigarettes get too hot, the liquid produces an unpleasant acrid taste" for the smoker.

Washington, United States

Via InAbstract