Microbial Contamination Concerns Linked With E-Cigarettes And Vaping Products

Electronic cigarettes (electronic nicotine delivery systems) and vaping products containing nicotine are showing ever increasing sales, since their debut in the USA in 2007. From one perspective, such products can provide a stepping stone for coming off traditional cigarettes and hence towards improved health outcomes; from another perspective, some people are taking up vaping having never taken traditional tobacco products; in-between this lies the concerns about respiratory damage from these types of products and a growing body of evidence linked to microbial contamination. In addition to this, users of liquid nicotine products may themselves be more prone to infection (and this is something that is of additional relevance during the time of the coronavirus pandemic).

E-cigarette fluids have been shown to contain at least seven groups of potentially toxic compounds: nicotine, carbonyls, volatile organic compounds (such as benzene and toluene), particles, trace metal elements according to flavor, bacterial endotoxins, and fungal glucans. It is the latter issues relating to microbial risk that this blog article is concerned with. These are important issues, given the promotion of vaping products on health grounds as a bridge to discontinued use of conventional tobacco products.

Tim Sandle has written a new article on the microbial risks assoicated with vape products. The reference is:

Sandle, T. (2020) Microbial Contamination Concerns Linked With E-Cigarettes And Vaping Products, IVT Network, at: https://www.ivtnetwork.com/article/microbial-contamination-concerns-linked-e-cigarettes-and-vaping-products

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)