New study highlights hazards of second-hand e-cigarette smoke

A new study has suggested that potential health risks could be associated with inhaling second-hand smoke from electronic cigarettes.

Carried out by the University of Southern California (USC), the study revealed that exposure to second-hand e-cigarette smoke was associated with a tenfold decrease in absorption of harmful particles compared to regular cigarettes, with close to zero exposure to organic carcinogens.

Despite this, e-cigarette smoke was found to contain the toxic element chromium – which is absent from traditional cigarettes – as well as levels of nickel that were four times higher than normal cigarettes.

Additionally, several other toxic metals such as lead and zinc were also found in second-hand e-cigarette smoke, though they were at lower concentrations than normal cigarettes.

Constantinos Sioutas, professor at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, said: "Our results demonstrate that overall, electronic cigarettes seem to be less harmful than regular cigarettes, but their elevated content of toxic metals such as nickel and chromium do raise concerns."

This comes after a recent review from the Queen Mary University of London suggested that the benefits of e-cigarettes outweigh their potential for harm.