People's Daily: Are E-Cigarettes Safer Than Mushrooms? Many Mock the Claim

“Secondhand e-cigarettes” contain carcinogens, low-quality tobacco poses explosion risks, and the quality of e-liquids varies greatly… The e-cigarette industry has many chaotic phenomena. Industry insiders are calling for the rapid introduction of national standards and nationwide laws and regulations for e-cigarettes, and to continuously strengthen industry self-discipline.
  A certain online store claims that e-cigarette cartridges are safer than mushrooms. APP screenshot

“The advertisement says it’s safer than mushrooms, but the product description claims it may still be harmful to health. Isn’t that contradictory?”

“This complaint comes from a certain e-cigarette consumer, Ms. Wu. Recently, due to the inconsistency between the advertisement and the product description of the e-cigarette she purchased, she took the e-cigarette manufacturer and seller to court. Ms. Wu's agent, senior partner Zhong Lanan from the Beijing Shi Law Firm, stated that the e-cigarette product is suspected of false advertising and misleading consumers.

“Harmless vapor e-cigarettes” “no secondhand smoke” “does not affect others” and other promotional slogans are becoming standard in some e-cigarette advertisements. Meanwhile, these advertisements have also raised many questions: Is using e-cigarettes harmless? Does e-cigarette vapor affect the health of others?

“Secondhand e-cigarettes” contain carcinogens, low-quality tobacco poses explosion risks, and the quality of e-liquids varies greatly… Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that, like regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes can also impact public health. Experts are calling for regulatory oversight of e-cigarette product quality and usage in public spaces to be put on the agenda.

E-cigarette “vapor” is not harmless
  A certain e-cigarette store in Guangzhou has a sign reading “Healthy Smoking Experience Center.” Photo by Hu Weihang

Recently, People’s Daily visited several e-cigarette physical stores in Guangzhou and Shenzhen and found that many stores are using “harmless, healthy” as selling points for e-cigarettes. Among them, an e-cigarette store near Guangzhou East Station has a sign reading “Healthy Smoking Experience Center,” claiming, “One second to relieve cravings, healthy smoking.”

Some store owners also stated that the main components of e-liquid are glycerin and propylene glycol. Both of these substances are edible food additives, and the e-cigarette “vapor” produced by heating them does not harm the human body.

In online e-cigarette stores, there are also many advertisements claiming e-cigarettes are harmless. Dr. Xia Yinghua from the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Provincial Public Health Research Institute found that among 18 domestic websites and 14 types of advertisements from 12 e-cigarette manufacturers, 89% of products claimed to be “beneficial to health.”

Is this really the case?

“E-cigarettes are not as harmless as advertised by businesses; first, the nicotine in the e-liquid is harmful to the body.” Dr. Yang Xinyan, deputy chief physician of the Respiratory Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, pointed out that long-term inhalation of nicotine will damage the respiratory tract.

Zhang Jianshu, president of the Beijing Smoking Control Association, stated that heating glycerin and propylene glycol in e-liquids produces compounds such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which can irritate the respiratory system. “Although tar is absent, e-liquids introduce new chemical substances, posing new risks.”

Authorities have begun to pay attention to the potential harms of e-cigarettes. On July 22 of this year, personnel from the National Health Commission stated that the harm of e-cigarettes should be taken seriously. Currently, the National Health Commission is conducting research on e-cigarette regulation in collaboration with relevant departments, planning to regulate e-cigarettes through legislation.

On July 26 of this year, the World Health Organization released a report confirming that e-cigarettes are “undoubtedly harmful” and should be regulated. On August 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that it had received 127 cases of seizures after using e-cigarettes, and the agency is investigating whether e-cigarettes are the direct cause.

“Secondhand e-cigarettes” also harm health
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In a shopping mall in Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou, an e-cigarette experience store is located in the central hall of the mall without any partitions. The store owner told People’s Daily that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes is steam and does not harm the human body, so it can be used anytime in public places.
  A certain e-cigarette online store claims, “You no longer have to worry about your baby inhaling harmful secondhand smoke.” APP screenshot

In a certain e-commerce platform, an e-cigarette manufacturer posted a photo of an adult vaping while holding a baby, claiming, “You no longer have to worry about your baby inhaling harmful secondhand smoke.”

Is the secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes really harmless? Experts say this claim is inaccurate.

Researcher Wu Yiqun from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention explained that after heating the e-liquid, e-cigarettes produce aerosols through the atomizer, which are colloids formed by solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, with particle sizes ranging from 0.001 to 100 micrometers. This substance contains complex chemical components and is a new source of air pollution.

A smoking control organization conducted an experiment simulating a typical meeting environment, finding that in a 25-square-meter enclosed meeting room, after someone took two puffs from an e-cigarette, the PM2.5 level in the room surged from 5 micrograms per cubic meter to 1300 micrograms per cubic meter.

World Health Organization data also shows that secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes can cause PM1.0 levels to be 14 to 40 times higher and PM2.5 levels to be 6 to 86 times higher. The WHO warns that when the concentration of this aerosol reaches a sufficiently high level, it poses a serious threat to human health, especially for patients with respiratory diseases.

Moreover, Wu Yiqun stated that in experiments, nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other carcinogens have been detected in e-liquid or secondhand vapor. Additionally, the levels of heavy metals such as nickel and chromium released in secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes can even be higher than those found in secondhand smoke from traditional cigarettes.

Furthermore, research from the University of North Carolina in the U.S. has shown that vaporized e-liquid can inhibit the expression of immune genes.

The harm caused by “secondhand e-cigarettes” to public health has begun to attract attention, with cities starting to include e-cigarettes in new smoking regulations. Recently, cities like Shenzhen and Hangzhou have listed e-cigarettes on the smoking control “blacklist,” prohibiting their use in public places.

Low-quality devices and e-liquids pose safety risks

Device explosions, ruptures, and e-liquids containing unsafe ingredients… Currently, the e-cigarette market is filled with products of varying quality, and some e-cigarette devices and e-liquids also pose various safety risks.

In the lawsuit involving Ms. Wu, Zhong Lanan found a judgment from the Tianjin Hedong District Court from last year. The judgment showed that a young man in Tianjin purchased an e-cigarette worth 7800 yuan from a micro-business, and during use, the e-cigarette suddenly exploded, causing varying degrees of injury to his upper and lower lips and teeth.

People’s Daily found that the young man’s experience is not an isolated case.

In January of this year, a man in Texas, USA, experienced an explosion with his e-cigarette, with fragments piercing his carotid artery, ultimately leading to his unfortunate death. In May 2018, a 38-year-old man in Florida died after an e-cigarette explosion, suffering burns to 80% of his body.

According to reports from the U.S. Fire Administration, U.S. media reported 195 incidents of fires and explosions related to e-cigarettes from 2009 to 2016, resulting in 133 injuries, including 38 serious injuries. Reports of e-cigarettes exploding and causing injuries have also emerged in Australia, Russia, and the UK.

Compared to e-cigarette explosion incidents, complaints about e-liquid leakage, low-quality e-liquids, and unsafe ingredient additions are more common.
  Due to various quality issues, e-cigarette online stores have received numerous negative reviews. Webpage screenshot

Investigations have found that in some major e-cigarette stores on e-commerce platforms, negative reviews such as “e-cigarette leaking oil,” “device rupture,” “poor quality battery,” and “suspected counterfeit e-liquid” are not uncommon. Many e-liquids sold online and offline lack Chinese labels, and it is even possible to find 5-10 liter barrels of nicotine-containing e-liquid labeled as “various types, rich flavors, and available for mixed wholesale” being sold offline.

Industry insiders have revealed that e-liquids are the main profit point for e-cigarettes, and some e-liquids are blended and processed by small workshops with very poor sanitary conditions and no safety guarantees.

Additionally, e-liquids may also be mixed with more dangerous drug components. According to information released by customs and drug enforcement departments in cities like Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou, and Zhuhai, some criminals have sold e-liquids mixed with marijuana and other components or smuggled e-cigarette products containing drugs.

Ao Weinuo, secretary-general of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronic Commerce Association, admitted that there are still many chaotic phenomena in the e-cigarette industry. “We call for the rapid introduction of national standards and nationwide laws and regulations for e-cigarettes, and to continuously strengthen industry self-discipline, which will benefit the orderly development of the e-cigarette industry and the protection of public health.”