Toxic+metals+in+e-cig+vapors

[|Toxic metals in e-cigarette vapors] EurekAlert Accessed on 2/23/18

Large amounts of toxic metals leak from some e-cigarette heating coils. The metals are in aerosols inhaled by users. A study was taken on e-cig users, where a large number of them had devices that had unsafe levels of toxic metals (lead, etc.). The inhalation of such metals are linked to lung, liver, immune, cardiovascular, and brain damage. It is also linked to cancer.
 * Summary ** :

E-cigarettes typically use an electric current that uses the metal coil to heat nicotine containing e-liquids, creating an aerosol (mix of e-liquids and liquid droplets). It is popular due to the nicotine, look, and feel of tobacco smoking without the extreme health risks. However, there is growing evidence vaping is not completely safe.

Back to the study, their study is consistent with other studies, where there are metals in e-liquids exposed to the heating coils. There are smaller amount in just the refilling dispensers themselves, indicating the metals came from the coils. The study also showed the metal contamination carried into the aerosols. The biggest concerns where lead, chromium, nickle, and manganese. The lead has uncertain origins from where, as the other metals are what the coils are made of, as well as the arsenic. Newer coils were also noted to give off such metals more readily.

This is related to pollution, where it is something that harms the health, survival, or activities of organism, which are specifically humans in this case. Pollutants, which are the toxic metals, can be in any state of matter, specifically gaseous/liquid in the aerosol. The toxic metal pollutants are point sources, and as such are easier to identify where the pollution comes from and in stopping the pollution by some sort of incentive. (17) Pollutants cause various harms, which are to the life support systems of humans and damage to the environment. Pollution of the pollutants, or the toxic metals, can be dealt with by pollution prevent or pollution clean up. In pollution prevention, slowing or elimination of the pollution is the goal. It can be achieved by using substitutes that are less harmful. Pollution cleanup happens after pollution has already taken place, where cleaning up the pollutants occurs. (18) However, it can sometimes be to hard to remove from the environment, such as the pollutant being too dispersed to economically remove. (19)
 * How the article relates to the course: **

I thought e-cigarettes were safe, with only any serious risk being the nicotine addiction. However, the article has stated and done a study to back up the fact e-cigarettes are dangerous from toxic metals, which I agree with. Action should be done to either force manufacturers to make it safe or FDA remove the product if the product does not become non polluting and is not as harmful as it has been discovered now. This should be done soon, as well as making it known to the public.
 * Opinion: **

National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 - Requires comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impact of an activity before it is undertaken by a federal agency. Before a product hits the market, tests must be done to ensure safety, etc.. However, it is clear from the article the e-cigarette manufacturers have not tested the product enough to check the new harmful environmental harms. The toxic metals are in the aerosol, adding toxic metals to the air- this is air pollution that causes all kinds of illnesses in people who inhale the aerosols.
 * Environmental law: **

Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 - Congress declares that pollution should be prevented, products recycled, and if neither is feasible, it should be taken care of in an environmentally safe manner. In this case, the FDA has jurisdiction in whether to pull the product off the market. They have not decided yet. However, the manufacturers are supposed to solve such air polluting issues, which by law they must find some way to deal with the pollution. As can be seen in the article, the manufacturers weren't aware such pollution and thus do not have any measures to prevent the toxic metals from polluting the air (from the aerosols).

Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (p. 612) - Prevented the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated, misbranded, or poisonous foods, drugs, medicines, and liquors, and also to regulate traffic therein. In a sense, the e-cigarettes are misbranded as having significantly less harms that a regular tabacco cigarette, as well as exactly what harmful effects e-cigs have. The general impression of an e-cigarette to the public are that it doesn't have any actual serious health risks but the nicotine. However, this is untrue from the various organ and system damages, as well as the cancer that could come from the toxic metals made by the e-cigarette.