Electronic cigarettes may not have the same harmful particles as traditional cigarettes do — but they might have worse ingredients.
Researchers from the University of Southern California found higher levels of harmful metals in secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes, according to a report in the Journal of Environmental Science, Processes and Impact.
Electronic cigarettes emit chromium — which isn’t in regular cigarettes — and four times the amount of nickel as regular cigarettes. The researchers also found other toxic metals in the e-cigarette smoke, like lead and zinc, but the amounts were smaller than those in regular cigarettes.
There were, however, 10 times fewer harmful particles and almost no cancer-causing organic compounds in secondhand e-cigarette smoke, because electronic cigarettes don’t burn organic material like traditional cigarettes do. Read more.