A BBC News investigation has found that confiscated vapes from students containing high levels of lead, nickel and chromium.
The vapes were collected from Baxter College in Kidderminster and were tested in a laboratory.
The results showed that users could be inhaling “more than twice the daily safe amount of lead and nine times the safe amount of nickel.”
John Britton, a epidemiology professor at the University of Nottingham and part of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Group, explained the risks. He said, “Lead is a neurotoxin and impairs brain development, chrome and nickel are allergens and metal particles in general in the bloodstream can trigger blood clotting and can exacerbate cardiovascular disease.”
The Inter Scientific Laboratory, a Liverpool-based lab, works with vape manufacturers to ensure regulatory requirements are being met. They were sent a selection of 18 vapes to test.
It discovered that most of the vapes were illegal and had not received testing before sale.
David Lawson, the co-founder of The Inter Scientific Laboratory, commented to BBC News, “In 15 years of testing, I have never seen lead in a device.
"None of these should be on the market - they break all the rules on permitted levels of metal.
"They are the worst set of results I've ever seen."
Brightly coloured ‘highlighter vapes’ were among those tested. The results showed they contained:
- “Lead - 12 micrograms per gram, 2.4 times the stipulated safe exposure level.
- “Nickel - 9.6 times safe levels.
- “Chromium - 6.6 times safe levels.”
John Britton said, "The carbonyls are mildly carcinogenic and so with sustained use will increase the risk of cancer - but in legal products, the levels of all of these things is extremely low so the lifetime risk to the individual is extremely small.”
It is thought that the metals come from the heating element, however, “the tests showed they were in the e-liquid itself.”
Amongst the substances found in the tests were carbonyls. As the e-liquid heats, carbonyls break down into chemicals such as “formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, also found in cigarette smoke”. The data showed that it the vapes contained at least 10 times the legal level and “Some even had more than cigarettes.”
Manufacturers must follow regulations for “ingredients, packaging and marketing” and must be registered with the Medicine and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). However, the regulator is “not required to check the claims made in paperwork and has no power to investigate unregistered products.”
Craig Copland, MHRA head of e-cigarettes, said, “the results would be reviewed to assess whether the vapes posed a health risk.”
Prof Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said, “Unregulated products need to be taken off our streets, out of our shops, and our young people need to be protected.
"Vaping is something we should be avoiding if we can, albeit better than smoking. If you have any suspicion that your child is using an illicit vape, this is dangerous for their health. Please intervene.”