Sweeteners added to the liquid nicotine vaporized in e-cigarettes may release levels of certain toxins that are as high as in smoke from traditional cigarettes, a recent study suggests.
Many sweetened e-cigarettes list ingredients such as sugar, caramel and honey in the liquid nicotine, researchers note in the journal Tobacco Control. And breaking down such sugars with heat can produce two toxic substances that are also found in tobacco smoke.
For the current study, researchers examined fumes released by e-cigarette liquids with different concentrations of three types of sugars, testing the vapor for levels of two toxins known as furans: 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (FA), which have been linked to an increased risk of respiratory tract damage in humans and tumors in mice.
