Electronic cigarettes, also known as vape pens, have become more and more popular in recent years. While the e-cigarettes were praised in the marketing used to sell them, researchers from Harvard have found that they pose adverse effects to those who use them. Many of the popular electronic cigarette brands have bacterial and fungal toxins contaminating them.
What does the research say?
The harmful chemicals that you ingest when smoking traditional cigarettes made of tobacco and paper are well-documented. Researchers found additional problems with e-cigarettes. The use of vape pens places the consumer at risk of exposure to contaminants such as endotoxin and glucan. Endotoxin is a gram-negative bacteria that is associated with both E. coli and chlamydia. Glucan is a polysaccharide present in the walls of fungi and can lead to asthma, inflammation and decreased lung function. Mi-Sun Lee researched 75 different types of e-cigarettes while at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Twenty three percent of the samples that were tested had at least traces of endotoxin, while an astonishing eighty-one percent had glucan. Additionally, fruit flavored products have higher concentrations of endotoxin and glucan, which led the research team to believe that the manufacturers failed to pasteurize the flavoring as they should have. The samples that were flavored as tobacco or menthol have higher rates of contamination, as do disposable cartridges instead of refillable samples.
How can you go forward if your health has been affected by these tested products?
No electronic cigarette is safe, but their manufacturers marked them to the public as though they were safe. There is a recall on various vape pens that have been found to have these contaminants. If you have health problems that were caused by the toxins found in the new research, the Sloan Firm is ready to help you find justice. The attorneys on the team have the experience to get to the bottom of your specific case, so you will get what you deserve from the companies who sold you these harmful products.