Chemicals in E-Cigarettes (Even Nicotine-Free Ones) Cause Cell Damage
E-cigarettes are not regulated to the same extent that cigarettes are by the US Food and Drug Administration, so their contents remain a bit of a mystery. A 2016 study by Vicky Yu and colleagues in Oral Oncology determined that even e-cigarettes without nicotine cause cell damage.
The researchers created an extract from two different brands of e-cigarettes. When they added the extract to human cells in a Petri dish, the cells showed signs of damage (including broken DNA strands) and death compared to untreated cells.
The researchers tested e-cigarettes both with and without nicotine, and those that contained nicotine showed even more signs of cell damage and death after exposure to the contents of the e-cigarette.
Other ingredients that have been identified in e-cigarettes include formaldehyde, which is known to be a carcinogen, and diacetyl, a flavoring agent.
Yu and colleagues suggest that e-cigarettes are not as safe as their marketing would suggest. The researchers hope to identify more of the ingredients in e-cigarettes.
