Vapers have been left reeling this week by news that e-cigarette smoke contains toxic metals like arsenic that can cause brain cancer or death. The information comes from a recently released study by a Johns Hopkins doctor from the University of Baltimore, Maryland, who is known to be a strong opponent of vaping.
Professor Konstantinos Farsalinos of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, Greece, knew the study was flawed and immediately spoke out to refute it.
The Johns Hopkins study, titled, Metal Concentrations in E-Cigarette E-Liquids and Smoke Samples, was published on the Environmental Health Perspectives website before being widely reported by the media. The entire study pointed to the results, which showed that large amounts of toxic metals were found in e-cigarette smoke.
It was these superficial statements and rumors that angered Professor Farsalinos and millions of vapers. After carefully reading the entire study, Professor Farsalinos immediately posted a rebuttal to Johns Hopkins on Facebook and publicly denied the study's conclusions.
According to a study by Dr. Johns Hopkins, researchers were helped by 56 vapers using the same type of e-liquid. After analyzing the substances in the smoke, they recorded some metal components such as arsenic, chromium, manganese, nickel and lead. From there, they confirmed that the continuous absorption of toxic metals can cause people to develop dangerous cancers.
Professor Farsalinos's Achievements in Anti-Vape Research
However, Professor Farsalinos, who has conducted studies on e-cigarette smoke since 2011, firmly rejected the other side's conclusions. He agreed that small amounts of lead and chromium could appear in vape smoke when inhaled at extremely high temperatures, but he also asserted that the "relatively large proportions" described by Johns Hopkins were completely false.
“For those still wondering about the study of metals in e-cigarettes, I have a word: the “large amounts” of metals mentioned in the study are measured in ug/kg. The chromium and lead components are so small that, according to my calculations, a person would have to vape over 100ml per day to exceed the FDA standard for a smoked dose.”
“It appears that the author has mistakenly applied the safe limit for exposure to the environment through breathing into a vape. However, a person takes about 17,000 breaths a day, but only takes 400-600 puffs from an e-cigarette.”
This is not the first time Professor Farsalinos has spoken out against inaccurate studies and denied their conclusions. When the AUA (American Urological Association) released a study claiming that vaping causes bladder cancer, he responded and pointed out the unclear evidence used by the author.
Meanwhile, Professor Farsalinos also explained that some vape studies claim that e-cigarette smoke causes popcorn lung or contains high levels of formaldehyde. In all cases, he asserted that the authors of anti-vaping studies have deliberately manipulated the data to reach negative conclusions.
Source: Matt Rowland - vapes.com
Translated by: The Vape Club
