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| Fig. 1: Electronic Cigarette. (Courtesy of US Department of Transportation. Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Based on CDC research, there has been a steadily large increase of electronic cigarette use in the United States. [1] Many people are making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, an electronic device that is perceived to be cleaner and reusable. E-cigarettes are devices that operate by heating a liquid solution to a high enough temperature so it produces an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. [1] Using an e-cigarette, or vaping, released the substance in gas form. The aerosol from an e-cigarette can contain tiny chemical particles from both the liquid solution and the device. [1] Although e-cigarettes contain fewer toxins than combustible cigarettes, they are not free of toxins and still deliver harmful chemicals. Initially, there is a presumption that only cigarette filters create litter and environmental harm; cigarette butts account for 38% of litter items worldwide, and up to 21% of coastal waste. [1] However, many fail to realize that electronic cigarettes have an impact on the public health through consequences of the air quality, the energy and materials used, and issues related to responsible disposal and land use decisions. [2]
A 2010 survey of six e-cigarette models found that none of the products provided disposal instructions for spent cartridges containing nicotine. [2] Essentially, there is no easy way to recycle e-cigarettes. Some studies claim that unless all e-smokers recycle their parts, the environmental damage could be worse and longer lasting than cigarette paper and filters. [2] More specifically, the wadding inside the cartridges are the same as cigarettes, and the outside of the device is metal or plastic instead of paper. [2] There are also the additional metal parts of dead rechargeable batteries and the metal atomizers. Therefore, the recyclable pile grows larger along with having a longer degradation time. [2] A study found that the amount of nicotine left in the spent cartridges of six e-cigarette brands varied from 19% to 90%. [2] However, the disposal of e-cigarettes is not regulated under any program, and the unused the used cartridges containing residual nicotine can be disposed without treatment to remove nicotine. This nicotine liquid has potential to pollute the ground and water around disposal areas. [2]
An e-cigarette usually contains a battery, an these e-cigarette parts requires a heavy use of energy and materials. The necessity of metals and heavy metals require an energy-consuming process for the metals to be obtained/reclaimed. [2] Additionally, because of the recent high demand of this product, they are manufactured in assembly lines on a larger scale. As this demand increases, larger factories will replace the small ones, generating greater emissions to the environment, and will therefore have a more environmental effect. [2]
Because e-cigarettes are a relatively new product, there are on-going studies about its impact on the environment. However, this information of the amount of nicotine, lead, ammonia, and other pollutant emissions to the water, land, and air from this new form of cigarettes could potentially be kept private. Many e-cigarette manufactures do not meet Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) criteria, and is therefore not required to annually report this information to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). [1] Some e-cigarette manufactures use marketing strategies, promoting their product to be eco-friendly or green, without any supporting data of environmental impact studies. [2] As vaping becomes more prevalent in our society, its harm on the environment cannot be overlooked by their false claims, as there is still a necessary room for improvement for further research regarding this growing issue.
© Melissa Lord. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] S. T. Bean and M. J. Smith, "Victimless Vapour? Health Care Organizations Should Restrict the Use of E-Cigarettes," C. J. Public Health 106, e467 (2015).
[2] H. Chang, "Research Gaps Related to the Environmental Impacts of Electronic Cigarettes," Tob. Control 23, ii54 (2014).
