AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY - Electronic cigarettes — or vapes — can release puffs of vapor in aromatic clouds. The health risks of breathing in this secondhand or passive vapor aren’t fully understood. So, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology conducted a preliminary study on lingering vape plumes in indoor environments. They found that aged vapor contained fine particles with several metals and highly reactive compounds, which together produce radicals that might damage lung tissue if inhaled.
“Our study reveals that the chemical cocktail of metal nanoparticles and reactive peroxides in aged e-cigarette aerosols creates a unique profile of respiratory health risks, highlighting that secondhand vapor is something by-standers shouldn't have to breathe,” says Ying-Hsuan Lin, the corresponding author of the study from the University of California, Riverside.