Dangerous metals found in batch of illegal vapes

Scientists say they found "alarming levels" of dangerous metals in a batch of illegal vapes seized during a raid in Derby.

The results are from a joint study into the dangers of unregulated e-cigarettes, carried out by the University of Derby, and public health and trading standards officers at the city council.

Toxicologists tested a batch of 10 illegal products as part of an 18-month investigation.

The chemicals discovered during scientific testing concluded that using the unregulated vapes could lead to severe long-term health conditions.

The vapes tested by scientists were seized in a raid by trading standards officers in Derby in 2023.

The study into the effects of using illegal e-cigarettes was led by Dr Ali Kermanizadeh, a senior lecturer in toxicology at the University of Derby.

His team found "huge and often alarming levels of dangerous metals", including cadmium, copper, nickel and lead in 10 unregulated vape products.

"Lead is harmful to everyone and every organ. It's a neurotoxin. It can cause anaemia and it can cause severe conditions such as heart disease and strokes," Dr Kermanizadeh said.

Dangerously high levels of nicotine were also found in the vapes tested by the scientists.

Dr Kermanizadeh said: "In some of the products, we found the nicotine content equivalent to smoking 200 traditional cigarettes.

"The toxicity varies from product to product. We've found these products cause cell death, they cause huge amounts of inflammation, they can change normal cell function and they can also cause DNA damage, long-term they can result in the development of cancers."

Donna Dowse, service manager at Derby trading standards, said: "The market is flooded with illegal vapes.

"It's important to get the message out that illegal vapes contain high levels of toxic chemicals, which are extremely harmful."

Disposing of unregulated products safely can be complicated, according to trading standards.

"The plastics, the batteries, the chemicals. It all has to be disposed of in a responsible manner. There's an environmental impact and costs we have to consider," Mrs Dowse added.

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