Disposable vapes pose hidden environmental threat, researchers warn

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Vaping isn't just annoying to passersby who have to walk through clouds of vapor but may be actively harmful to the environment, a new study says. Discarded nicotine vapes contain extremely high levels of lead and other heavy metals in their remaining cache of e-liquid, researchers report in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

The disposable devices also contain batteries, circuitry and plastics in a compact package that's hard to disassemble and recycle, researchers said. "Vaping is a twofold problem," researcher John Scott said in a news release. He's a pollution prevention scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"No. 1, it's a solid-waste problem—a major solid-waste problem. And No. 2, it's a health issue," Scott said. "People say it's a better alternative to cigarettes.

It's just as bad, if not worse." For the study, researchers collected discarded devices at vape shops in the UK and United States. Many of these shops stockpile used devices because there's no clear system for proper disposal, researchers noted. Analysis showed that liquid drawn from some used vapes contained extremely high levels of lead, among the highest ever reported in an e-cigarette.

Lead did not appear in the device's hardware, like solder joints or heating elements, at levels that could explain the contamination, researchers said. The liquid itself appeared to be the source of the lead. Following up, the team bought a small number of unused vapes and tested them as well.

The results matched those from the discarded vapes, suggesting the heavy metals are present from the start, researchers said. However, researchers did not directly test whether metals in e-liquid transfer into the vapor that people inhale or whether any of that metal reaches the lungs during normal use. The brands Pastel Cartel and Posh Plus in particular contained high levels of lead and other metals, results showed.