We wanted to address the reports by media outlets worldwide that e-cigarettes were found by a team of Japanese researchers, funded by the Health Ministry of Japan, to contain up to 10 times the amount of formaldehyde as a combustion cigarette. These reports have spread through the media and have caused significant concern with many of our customers. Below are two links as examples:
http://lungcancernewstoday.com/2014/12/03/study-finds-10-times-more-carcinogens-in-e-cig-fluid/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/af...s-10-times-carcinogens-Japan-researchers.html
In these articles the authors do not appear to have done their homework very well, or perhaps they have an agenda they wish to push. Both articles, and the many others like them, reference a report from Professor Naoki Kunugita. The report was published on October 28, 2014 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and was titled “Carbonyl Compounds Generated from Electronic Cigarettes.”
The full report can be found at http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/11/11192/htm.
The chemists at Provape have evaluated this report and there is simply no data that supports the statement that any e-cigarette in the study had 10 times more carcinogens than a combustion cigarette. In fact, the study clearly indicates that even the worst of the 13 Japanese products that were tested averaged 6 times less formaldehyde than a typical combustion cigarette, with several products containing no detectable formaldehyde at all. Studying the statistical data even further indicates that the study had very poor reproducibility. The worst product they tested had a maximum amount of formaldehyde reported at 140 micrograms/10 puffs, but in 69% of the tests conducted on this same product they could not detect any formaldehyde at all!
To support Provape’s view I’d like to reference Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos who is listed as the External Editor on the report that was published by Kunugita. Dr. Farsalinos wrote an article explaining the results of the Kunugita report and how the media have distorted the findings. A copy of his article can be found at http://www.ecigarette-research.com/web/index.php/2013-04-07-09-50-07/2014/188-frm-jp. His views and our views at Provape are consistent. The study does not find that e-cigarettes contain 10 times the amount of formaldehyde compared to combustion cigarettes. That is a media generated myth and, according to Dr. Farsalinos, appears to be based on a single test that Kunugita claims happened but was never published.
That doesn’t appear to be science from Provape’s point of view, but it does raise suspicions about the legitimacy of the study as well as the media who sensationalize headlines not supported by the data.
We hope you take the time to follow the links I’ve provided and draw your own conclusions. Even with the flaws in this study, concerns around bias, and high levels of variability the results still support the conclusion that e-cigs produce less formaldehyde than combustion cigarettes. Hardly anyone in the media has acknowledged this fact, although the Daily Mail snuck in this small update at the very bottom of their article:
UPDATED: 12/5/2014 An earlier version of this article stated that Japanese research had found that e-cigarettes contain 10 times more carcinogens than tobacco cigarettes. While the research did find high levels of formaldehyde in one brand of electronic cigarette, we would like to clarify that not all e-cigarettes contain 10 times more carcinogens than tobacco cigarettes. The study supports existing evidence that e-cigarettes are much less dangerous than tobacco products.
http://lungcancernewstoday.com/2014/12/03/study-finds-10-times-more-carcinogens-in-e-cig-fluid/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/af...s-10-times-carcinogens-Japan-researchers.html
In these articles the authors do not appear to have done their homework very well, or perhaps they have an agenda they wish to push. Both articles, and the many others like them, reference a report from Professor Naoki Kunugita. The report was published on October 28, 2014 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and was titled “Carbonyl Compounds Generated from Electronic Cigarettes.”
The full report can be found at http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/11/11192/htm.
The chemists at Provape have evaluated this report and there is simply no data that supports the statement that any e-cigarette in the study had 10 times more carcinogens than a combustion cigarette. In fact, the study clearly indicates that even the worst of the 13 Japanese products that were tested averaged 6 times less formaldehyde than a typical combustion cigarette, with several products containing no detectable formaldehyde at all. Studying the statistical data even further indicates that the study had very poor reproducibility. The worst product they tested had a maximum amount of formaldehyde reported at 140 micrograms/10 puffs, but in 69% of the tests conducted on this same product they could not detect any formaldehyde at all!
To support Provape’s view I’d like to reference Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos who is listed as the External Editor on the report that was published by Kunugita. Dr. Farsalinos wrote an article explaining the results of the Kunugita report and how the media have distorted the findings. A copy of his article can be found at http://www.ecigarette-research.com/web/index.php/2013-04-07-09-50-07/2014/188-frm-jp. His views and our views at Provape are consistent. The study does not find that e-cigarettes contain 10 times the amount of formaldehyde compared to combustion cigarettes. That is a media generated myth and, according to Dr. Farsalinos, appears to be based on a single test that Kunugita claims happened but was never published.
That doesn’t appear to be science from Provape’s point of view, but it does raise suspicions about the legitimacy of the study as well as the media who sensationalize headlines not supported by the data.
We hope you take the time to follow the links I’ve provided and draw your own conclusions. Even with the flaws in this study, concerns around bias, and high levels of variability the results still support the conclusion that e-cigs produce less formaldehyde than combustion cigarettes. Hardly anyone in the media has acknowledged this fact, although the Daily Mail snuck in this small update at the very bottom of their article:
UPDATED: 12/5/2014 An earlier version of this article stated that Japanese research had found that e-cigarettes contain 10 times more carcinogens than tobacco cigarettes. While the research did find high levels of formaldehyde in one brand of electronic cigarette, we would like to clarify that not all e-cigarettes contain 10 times more carcinogens than tobacco cigarettes. The study supports existing evidence that e-cigarettes are much less dangerous than tobacco products.
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