# Why Your Dinner Could Be More Toxic Than Your E-Cig



## Alex (17/9/14)

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*Published on* September 3rd, 2014 | _by Jimmy Hafrey_
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*Why Your Dinner Could Be More Toxic Than Your E-Cig*

This week, a new study from USC has started another round of controversy for electronic cigarettes. Scientists claimed that they found four toxic metals present in e-cigarette vapor and instantly, the media began using this as a battle cry to call for immediate regulations and even bans. However, this latest study on electronic cigarettes actually gave us a realistic look at the true toxicity of vaping and contrary to what the media wants you to think, it actually could be a positive step for ecigs. In fact, based on the data from USC, your spaghetti might be more toxic than your ecig. Let’s look at the actual numbers and break it down to understand what the study really revealed.

First and foremost, the USC research team concluded that ecigs are 10 times less toxic than tobacco cigarettes. Even better, they found “close-to-zero” cancer causing carcinogens in ecig vapor. This statistic is a major victory for the vaping industry, but it is being largely ignored in media headlines. Instead, everyone is worried about four toxic metals that were found in ecigs. The scientists found varied levels of chromium, nickel, lead, and zinc in electronic cigarette vapor.

Nickel and chromium seem to be causing the greatest concerns as both of these metals were found in amounts higher than traditional cigarettes. While it sounds awful, a look at the actual numbers helps us better understand what is going on. The researchers found that ecigs produced 0.175 micrograms (175 nanograms) of nickel. The “tolerable” upper limit for dietary nickel consumption is 1000 nanograms per day so the level found in ecig vapor is well below this threshold. In fact, the nickel levels are well below the amounts found in tomato sauce that is cooked in stainless steel pots. After 10 cooking cycles using a stainless steel pot, one serving of spaghetti sauce contains an average of 88 nanograms of nickel, so your evening plate of spaghetti could be far more toxic than the vapor from an e-cigarette.

But what about chromium? The USC researchers found 0.3 micrograms (300 nanograms) of chromium in e-cig vapor. However, you would need to consume 1900 to 3300 nanograms of chromium to reach damaging levels. In reality, chromium is found in many over-the-counter dietary supplements and even in our drinking water. While ecig vapor contains 0.3 micrograms of chromium, consuming ½ cup of broccoli provides 11 micrograms!
When you put all of this information together, it really tells a story that is quite different from what the mainstream media wants you to hear. If you inhale ecig vapor, you are exposed to 175 nanograms of nickel and 0.3 micrograms of chromium. But if you go eat a serving of spaghetti with tomato sauce cooked in stainless steel pots with ½ cup of broccoli on the side, you are exposed to 88 nanograms of nickel and 11 micrograms of chromium. So which is more toxic? It looks like you are better of to skip dinner and keep on inhaling that ecig vapor.

Ultimately, this is another example of really impressive ecig research that has been twisted to focus solely on negativity. The fact that objective researchers from USC found that ecigs are 10 times less toxic than traditional cigarettes is an exciting step for the vaping industry. It’s time to stop the misinformation and get the facts out about ecigs. Contrary to popular opinion, electronic cigarettes are not the enemy. In fact, they could be our best weapons to fight the true threat from big tobacco.


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