TL;DR: Small study of only 3 out of 100 brands on the market, so limited inference can be drawn but cheap construction leaches toxic substances into the liquid in ways that older non-disposable vapes don't. In terms of health risk non-disposable vapes are best followed by a tie between traditional cigarettes and disposable vapes.
this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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Most of the disposable e-cigarettes tested released markedly higher amounts of metals and metalloids into vapors than earlier, refillable vapes.
Yeah, seems to be an issue with a lack of commercial regulation than with the inherent technology itself. I am usually skeptical of any study toting cigarettes as the "safer" option, however this kinda keeps in pace with our society's rapid devolution back to industrial age regulatory standards.
Industry's regulatory and judicial capture seems to rear it ugly head once again at the expense of the public's health.
Pretty sure all three of those brands are owned by the same company too.
Also they might leach more metals, but they still don't produce the other known carcinogens in cigarettes.
And those three "brands" are all from the same company, who most certainly just gets them from SE Asia, they probably all come out of the exact same sweatshop.
The particular brands are Elf Bar, Flum, and EscoBar
Edit addendum: heavy metals supposedly came from non heating elements
In terms of health risk, not intentionally putting chemicals into your lungs that haven't been prescribed by a doctor is best, but non-disposable vapes are a good harm reduction strategy for those who can't get out of the compulsive habit.
The American mind yearns for the lead.
The scientists analyzed the metal and metalloids inside seven types of disposable devices from three of the most popular brands. Using an instrument to activate the disposable e-cigarettes and heat the internal liquid, they created between 500 and 1,500 puffs for each device. They found:
- Some devices emitted surprisingly high concentrations of elements in the vapor, including antimony and lead.
- Levels of chromium, nickel and antimony increased as the number of puffs increased.
- Most of the disposable e-cigarettes tested released markedly higher amounts of metals and metalloids into vapors than earlier, refillable vapes.
The scientists then took apart the devices to trace the sources of the metals.
“We found that these disposable devices have toxins already present in the e-liquid, or they’re leaching quite extensively from their components into e-liquids and ultimately transferred to the smoke,” Salazar said.