So, the latest media hype concerning electronic cigarettes is all about metal particles. I’m sure you’ve seen it or been told about it, probably by a friendly smoker concerned about your health.
As with most sensational stories these days, the context is glaringly absent from most of these stories. There are two important points that should be addressed. First is that the study referenced by the articles was done on some of the cheapest disposable cartomizers on the market, so is hardly representative of what most vapers use on a daily basis.
The second point is what is most important, however, and it deals with the amounts of particles found in the electronic cigarette vapor. The amounts the study found were tiny and only a fraction of the amount allowed by USP guidelines. Those guidelines detail the amounts of metals that are deemed safe in medicines. To spin these trace concentrations as harmful is disingenuous. Dr. Siegel illustrates the fallacy quite well in this article.
Suffice it to say that the concentrations of metals found in electronic cigarette vapor are not something to get uptight about. As usual, there is a pretty big gap between the hype and the facts.
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