This month (February 2018) Olmedo, Goessler et al. published their findings of a study in the Environmental Health Perspectives database.
The study was looking into the metals found in e-liquid in the tank and vaporized in the air.
The researchers claim that e-cigarettes expose the user to toxic metals such as chromium, nickel and lead. And when inhaling, the metals manganese and zinc become toxic for humans.
Naturally, history repeats itself and the media and certain anti-vaping groups have amplified the results of this study. Even researchers that were involved claim "significant amounts" of these toxic metals can be found in the vaporized e-liquid as well as in residue left in the tank.
One finding that could prove useful to vapers is that the highest concentrations were found in devices where the coils were replaced more frequently. Could that mean the toxic metals were simply on the coil from manufacturing?
If that is the case, maybe it's in vapers' best interest to actually wash the coils rather than simply dry-firing them.
Farsalinos, a vaping advocate in Athens - who is also a researcher at the cardiac surgery center there - posted on his Facebook page that the authors had used safety limits (for inhalation of toxins) with exposure every time a person breathes. But as Faralinos further explains: "...Humans take more that 17,000 breaths per day but only 400-600 puffs per day from an e-cigarette."
He states that it is another case of misinterpreted data and that the researchers have taken it out of context for vaping for measurements and limits but then linked it back to vaping for the final conclusion.
To put you at ease, here is something else Farsalinos said:
"The significant amount of metals the authors reported they foudn were measured in ug/kg. In fact, they are so low that for some cases (chromium and lead) I calculated that you need to vape more than 100ml per day in order to exceed the FDA limits for daily intake from inhalational medications."