Take note if you're fond of a vape.
A study published this week claims that dozens of popular e-cigarette products are contaminated with bacterial and fungal toxins that cause lung disease.
According to
NBC News, the impurities found in the e-cigarettes are associated with asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease.
The study was conducted by a team at the Harvard School of Public Health, and it found that 23% of products examined contained traces of endotoxin, a potent inflammatory molecule found in bacteria, and 61 of 75 products (81%), contained traces of glucan, a toxic substance found in the cell walls of most fungi.
The researchers noted that they did not know where the impurities came from and that the contamination of the products could have occurred at any point during or after the production of the ingredients.
The vaping device is often used as a stepping stone to giving up smoking, but one of the authors of the report, Mi-Sun Lee, has said that these findings only strengthen the argument for stronger e-cigarette regulation.
Lee said: "In addition to inhaling harmful chemicals, e-cig users could also be exposed to biological contaminants like endotoxin and glucan.
"These new findings should be considered when developing regulatory policies for e-cigarettes."
