There is already a long
thread about this story (it's been reproduced in many different publications but it all has the same source) -
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...rstuff-than-analog-says-japan-researcher.html
You are absolutely right to be sceptical about it.
Here is a response to it from Dr Farsalinos (the website is under a lot of strain at the moment due to high traffic generated by this story, so be patient). As a leading e-cig researcher his opinion carries weight.
The main point is that published research by the Japanese group does not show "ten times the carcinogens" created by e-cigarettes. It shows that under some circumstances, some products do output chemicals called carbonyls, which include formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, but at lower levels than cigarettes. The highest example in the published study output approximately one sixth of the level of a cigarette, and at the other end of the scale there were a number of products that did not emit any detectable level of carbonyls at all.
Where the story apparently has come from, is that in separate research that has not been published, there was a test carried out on one product that apparently emitted very high levels of formaldehyde. What is not known is the circumstances of the test, what the device was, whether it was malfunctioning, running empty, or anything else. It could simply be a faulty device or an error on the part of the researchers in setting it up. So it is IMO grossly irresponsible to issue a press release with a sensationalist (and wholly inaccurate) headline, that could have dire consequences for the health of millions based on what appears to be a single unusual test result.
Carbonyls are I believe produced when PG and possibly other ingredients are overheated. They are a product of burning. This is what I suspect is responsible for the "dry hit" effect where the coil has overheated (due to lack of liquid, too much power or whatever) and a vile taste is released that makes you cough. Do you continue vaping if that occurs? I would suggest most people in their right mind wouldn't. However a "smoking machine" will continue to pull regardless of the content of what is coming out.
Whether you should stop vaping is a personal decision for you. I think you should make it based on facts though, and not insane, inaccurate scaremongering stories like this. If you returned to smoking having been abstaining for years just because of this BS story, I think it would be a shame. Unfortunately, that is no doubt the effect stories like this are having though amongst people who don't bother to question them and take them at face value.
PS You should edit your post to break the link to the story as per the forum rules
