By In a study published in ACS Omega Last November, researchers discovered that the liquid in both legal and illegal vape pens contained metal nanoparticles, including copper, zinc, lead, nickel, and chromium.
This study was funded by Health Canada and conducted by the National Research Council of Canada. The researchers presented their findings at the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting, held March 17-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where approximately 12,000 presentations were made on a wide variety of topics. Ta.
Andrew Way, director of research programs at Health Canada's Cannabis Scientific Surveillance Unit, presented the findings at the conference. “Cannabis vapes are a newly regulated product in Canada, so there's not a lot of scientific data on them yet,” Wei said. press release. “This is an opportunity to consider some questions regarding the risks and unknowns of cannabis vaping.”
When you light a cigarette, the tobacco (fuel) and oxygen combine to begin combustion. combustion The process of burning tobacco. The vaping process does not utilize a combustion process, but instead heats the liquid until it becomes an inhalable vapor. E-cigarettes are considered safer when it comes to cigarettes and e-cigarettes, but researchers caution against this opinion, as metals may still be present in the inhaled vapor. It is emitting.
The study primarily focused on whether cannabis vapes contain nano-sized metals. Researchers used mass spectrometry to find various contaminants in 41 cannabis vape liquids (20 of which were legal products and 21 of which were illicit samples provided by Ontario Provincial Police). I analyzed it.
The researchers worked with Zuzana Gaidsechová, who works at the Metrology Research Center at the National Research Council of Canada, to analyze the samples to determine whether they contained any of 12 metals that can be seen with an electron microscope. . The press release states that metals such as arsenic, mercury, and cadmium are present but within acceptable limits. However, some illegal samples contained more lead than legally allowed. “The data presented from legally purchased cannabis vape devices and illegal cannabis vape devices reflects the current established tolerance limits for some of the vape liquids analyzed, particularly illicit samples that contained lead. showed a mass fraction of lead exceeding . [lead] Concentrations were up to 100 times the limit. ” the authors wrote. “Furthermore, measurements of the mass fraction of toxic metals such as Cr [chromium],copper [copper]d [nickel]and the code [cobalt]as well as the essential metal zinc [zinc] and Mn [manganese] The known inhalation toxicity adds to existing evidence that long-term e-cigarette use may pose health risks. ”
Samples were taken from e-cigarettes that were less than 6 months old and had never been opened or used. “Evidence strongly suggests that metal contamination may originate from the device during manufacture, rather than from heating the coil.” Guide Sechova said. “However, depending on the quality of the equipment, heating can increase contamination.”
According to this study, the most common heating elements typically include nichrome, copper-plated brass, and Kanthal, while the metal parts of atomizers (vape pen wicks and coils) are made of stainless steel and tin. Lead is used as a heat exchanger. Solder.
This prompted researchers to reconsider testing procedures in Canada. “If contamination occurs during device assembly, it should be tested at that stage rather than before.” Wei said..
Through single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, the research team also discovered that the metal particles were nanosized. “Some nano-sized metal particles are highly reactive and potentially harmful.” Guide Sechova said..
The next step is to analyze how much of these harmful nano-sized metals migrate into the vapor. This could shed more light on the potential harms of metals that enter the lungs when inhaled. “Different types of cannabis products have different risks.” Wei said.. “Our study does not answer whether vaping is more risky than smoking; it only highlights that the risks may be different. Previously uncharacterized cannabis The risks of e-cigarettes continue to be identified.”
A study conducted last year by Columbia University in New York found that cannabis and tobacco consumers had higher rates of lead and cadmium in their blood and urine than non-users of tobacco and cannabis. Scientists explained that long-term exposure to lead and cadmium can lead to health problems such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cognitive impairment, and increased risk of cancer. “Overall associations found between metal levels in the body and exclusive use of marijuana, highlighting the association between metal exposures and marijuana and the importance of follow-up studies to determine the long-term effects of these exposures.” ,” the researchers said in their paper. conclusion. They also called for further research to assess the presence and health effects of other contaminants to protect the general public.
