{"id":12272,"date":"2026-05-29T10:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T00:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/?p=12272"},"modified":"2026-05-29T10:29:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T00:29:32","slug":"vaping-devices-found-to-deliver-toxic-metals-directly-into-the-lungs-new-research-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/vaping-devices-found-to-deliver-toxic-metals-directly-into-the-lungs-new-research-reveals\/","title":{"rendered":"Vaping Devices Found to Deliver Toxic Metals Directly Into the Lungs, New Research Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\"\"Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have raised serious concerns about the vaping effects on young people after a new study found that e-cigarettes pump toxic metals directly into the lungs. Published in the journal\u00a0Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry<\/em>, the findings show this happens even after brief use, at levels well below what most people vape in a typical day.<\/p>

Researchers detected lead, copper, and nickel building up in lung tissue. They also found organometallic compounds linked to tin and mercury. These forms are more bioavailable than standard inorganic metals, meaning the body absorbs and reacts to them more quickly.<\/p>

The Device, Not Just the Liquid, Is to Blame<\/strong><\/p>

Lead researcher Dr Dayanne Bordin, a lecturer in analytical chemistry at UTS, said the device itself drives much of this exposure.<\/p>

\u201cThe metal profiles are consistent with emissions from heating coils and electrical components,\u201d she said. \u201cUnlike cigarettes, which are relatively consistent products, manufacturers often produce e-cigarettes with poor quality control. The materials and components carry unknown toxicological risks.\u201d<\/p>

Most safety assessments focus on e-liquid ingredients. But this research shows the hardware generates its own harmful emissions. Regulators have largely ignored this side of the problem.<\/p>

Users Cannot See or Smell What They Are Inhaling<\/strong><\/p>

This is what makes e-cigarette risks for youth so difficult to address. No visible smoke. No obvious warning sign. People have no way of knowing they inhale trace metals with every puff.<\/p>

\u201cVaping can deliver toxic metals directly into the lungs, even after short-term use,\u201d said Dr Bordin. \u201cThese metal exposures are largely invisible and rarely discussed, which makes them especially important to flag for young people.\u201d<\/p>

The study found that even sub-daily exposure levels produced measurable metal accumulation in lung tissue. The harm threshold appears lower than researchers previously thought.<\/p>

Youth Vaping Rates Keep Climbing<\/strong><\/p>

Understanding the vaping effects on young people matters now more than ever. In Australia, e-cigarette use among young adults jumped from 5.3% in 2019 to over 21% in 2023. Adolescent rates followed a similar trajectory. Globally, aggressive marketing has normalised vaping as a low-risk activity. Millions of young people now vape without understanding what they actually inhale.<\/p>

The appeal is not hard to understand. Vaping looks cleaner and carries fewer obvious signals of harm than tobacco. Yet the science keeps building a more troubling picture, one that goes well beyond nicotine dependence or throat irritation.<\/p>

Researchers Push for New Regulations<\/strong><\/p>

Dr Bordin and her team want regulators to act. Current frameworks require no routine testing of metal or organometallic emissions from heating coils or device components. That needs to change.<\/p>

\u201cThere is a need for standards and routine testing of metal and organometallic emissions from e-cigarettes, particularly from heating coils and internal components,\u201d she said. \u201cRisk assessment frameworks and public health guidance must incorporate metal exposure and bioaccumulation.\u201d<\/p>

The researchers also want manufacturers to meet higher material standards. Right now, companies can sell devices built from components with no formal safety review for inhalation risks.<\/p>

What Parents and Young People Need to Know<\/strong><\/p>

The e-cigarette risks for youth extend well beyond what most people associate with vaping. Metal accumulation in lung tissue at a young age carries consequences researchers are only beginning to map. Young people start earlier, vape more frequently, and face decades of potential exposure ahead.<\/p>

The belief that vaping is safer than smoking has never had solid scientific grounding. Studies like this one keep adding new weight to that concern. Regulatory bodies, manufacturers, and the public all need to take the evidence seriously.<\/p>

For young people especially, the message from this research is clear. What you cannot see can still cause serious harm.<\/p>

Source:\u00a0technology<\/em><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have raised serious concerns about the vaping effects on young people after a new study found that e-cigarettes pump toxic metals directly into the lungs. Published in the journal\u00a0Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, the findings show this happens even after brief use, at levels well below what most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drug-info-sheets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12272"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12276,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12272\/revisions\/12276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}