Popular e-cigarette products contaminated with bacterial and fungal toxins, study finds

Human exposure to the toxins has previously been associated with lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and COPD.

“Finding these toxins in e-cigarette products adds to the growing concerns that we have about the safety of e-cigarettes,” said Dr. David Christiani, study author and professor of environmental genetics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public in Boston.

The researchers examined 75 popular e-cigarette products — 37 single-use cartridges and 38 e-liquids from 10 top selling U.S. brands. The products were classified into four different flavor categories: tobacco, menthol, fruit, and other; and screened for the presence of endotoxin and glucan, toxic inflammatory substances that damage the lungs.

They found that 17 of 75 products, 23%, contained traces of endotoxin, a potent inflammatory molecule found in bacteria, and 61 of 75 products, 81%, contained traces of glucan, a toxic substance found in the cell walls of most fungi. Exposure to these microbial toxins has been associated with a myriad of health problems, including asthma, reduced lung function, and inflammation.

Source: Popular e-cigarette products contaminated with bacterial and fungal toxins, study finds

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