The study, which examined 75 popular e-cigarette products—cartridges (single use) and e-liquids (refillable material)—found that 23%
contained traces of endotoxin, a microbial agent found on Gram-negative
bacteria, voopoo vape and that 81% contained traces of glucan, which is found in the cell
walls of most fungi. Exposure to these microbial toxins has been
associated with myriad health problems in humans, including asthma,
reduced lung function, and inflammation.
“Airborne Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin and fungal-derived glucans have been shown to cause acute and chronic respiratory effects
in occupational and environmental settings,” said David Christiani,
Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics and senior author of the
study. “Finding these toxins in e-cigarette products adds to the
growing concerns about the potential for adverse respiratory effects in
users.”
The use of e-cigarettes has been steadily climbing in recent years, especially among high school and middle school students. It’s estimated
that more than three million high school students used e-cigarettes in
2018, up from 220,000 in 2011. Previous research from Harvard Chan
School has shown that chemicals linked with severe respiratory disease
are found in common e-cigarette flavors. Moreover, research by HSPH
investigators conducted over many decades has shown chronic lung
impairment in populations exposed to airborne biological contaminants.
Yet, according to the authors, no research exists on the potential
contamination of e-cigarettes with microbes or microbial toxins.
For this study, the researchers selected 37 e-cigarette cartridges, sometimes referred to as “cigalikes,” and 38 e-liquid products, which
can be used to refill certain cartridges, from the ten top-selling U.S.
brands. The products were classified into four different flavor
categories: tobacco, menthol, fruit, and other. All of the products were
then screened for the presence of endotoxin and glucan.
The findings showed that 17 of 75 products (23%) contained detectable concentrations of endotoxin and that 61 of 75 products (81%)
contained detectable concentrations of glucan. Further analysis showed
that cartridge samples had 3.2 times higher concentrations of glucan
than the e-liquid samples. Glucan concentrations were also significantly
higher in tobacco- and menthol-flavored products than in fruit-flavored
products. The study also found that endotoxin concentrations were
higher in fruit-flavored products, indicating that raw materials used in
the production of flavors might be a source of microbial
contamination.u2022eney7485yyWEEEEDD
