The terrifying cocktail of chemicals in your flavored vape: Scientists use AI to simulate reactions inside e-cigarettes, revealing 127 ‘acutely toxic’ compounds

Vaping users are inhaling “acutely toxic” compounds that could cause “a new wave of chronic diseases” over the next two decades, a new study warns.

Irish researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate the chemical reactions that take place inside flavored vaporizers, also known as e-cigarettes.

They discovered that e-liquids (the liquid inside that flavors electronic cigarettes) contain a “cocktail” of chemicals that produce “toxic” compounds when heated.

Vaping has a “significantly different chemical hazard profile” compared to smoking traditional tobacco,” the study authors report.

While they don’t say vaping is more harmful than smoking tobacco, they worry that the vaping craze will create new health problems.

Based on the chemical compounds predicted by the AI, these could include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

Research has already linked vaping to heart failure, lung disease and gum disease, although according to NHS and health experts, evidence shows vaping is far less harmful than smoking.

Vaping has been widely adopted as an alternative to traditional smoking, with around 4.5 million people in the UK regularly using e-cigarettes.

The new study has been published by the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI), based in Dublin.

“We wanted to understand, before it’s too late, the potential impact of flavored vaporizers,” said lead author Professor Donal O’Shea from the RCSI.

“Our findings indicate a significantly different chemical hazard profile compared to what we know from traditional smoking.

“We may be on the cusp of a new wave of chronic diseases that will emerge within 15 to 20 years due to this exposure.”

From menthol to vanilla cream to sour strawberry, there are an estimated 40,000 vape flavors on the market worldwide today.

But according to researchers, there are only 180 known e-liquid flavoring chemicals from which these flavors are derived, mixed in various amounts.

This liquid flavoring in e-cigarettes is heated to high temperatures, forming vapor that is then inhaled.

The original source of the flavorings comes from the food industry, where they have a good safety record for specific uses in flavored drinks, cakes and candy.

However, the researchers caution that they were not intended to be heated to high temperatures or inhaled.

Experts used an artificial intelligence neural network model (a method that teaches computers to process data similarly to the human brain) to simulate the effects of heating the flavoring chemicals in e-liquids found in vaporizers.

By examining all 180 known e-liquid flavoring chemicals, the AI ​​was able to predict what new compounds form when these substances are heated.

Worryingly, the results showed the formation of many hazardous chemicals, including 127 classified as “acute toxic,” 153 as “health hazards,” and 225 as “irritants.”

Among these, volatile carbonyls (VCs), chemicals known for their negative health effects, were predicted to form in fruit-flavored products, candy and desserts, which tend to be more popular among younger vapers.

These CVs were found in all three classifications: acute toxics, health risks and irritants.

“Our findings indicate a significantly different chemical hazard profile compared to traditional smoking,” Professor O’Shea said in an article for The conversation.

“The huge variety of flavors available in vaping products (made up of more than 180 different chemicals mixed in varying amounts) is what makes their chemistry so challenging compared to traditional cigarette smoke.”

He added that the problems are found in all vaping flavors, meaning there is no “safe” option that vapers can opt for.

Earlier this year, the UK government introduced the Tobacco and Vaping Bill, which would give ministers the power to restrict the flavors and promotion of vapes to reduce their appeal to children.

However, according to Professor O’Shea, their findings indicate that there is a “need for even stricter and faster regulation.”

“Our study has uncovered something that, until now, has received limited attention: the potentially harmful substances produced when e-liquids in vaping devices are heated for inhalation,” he said.

Experts believe vaping is attracting younger generations who have never smoked tobacco before, largely due to colorful packaging and low awareness of the health risks of vaping.

Flavored vaporizers are an “attractive and common entry point” and may even lead to a transition to tobacco smoking, research suggests.

Jacob George, professor of cardiovascular medicine and therapeutics at the University of Dundee, who was not involved in the study, welcomed the use of AI in this way.

“Today there are around 40,000 different flavors on the market around the world and understanding their effects will require a combination of techniques including automated mapping algorithms and the creation of neural networks like this,” Professor George said.

“While this study cannot give us definitive answers about the risks of flavored vaporizers to human health, this study may be a useful first step in identifying signals that could then lead to further investigation into the heat-induced breakdown of the chemicals used in aromas.

‘This study has combined artificial intelligence with previously known published information to predict that heating a combination of chemicals in flavored vaporizers could produce a harmful toxic substance, and these predictions can then be tested with additional studies.

“So far, there is very little good-quality evidence on the safety or harm of these scents, so I welcome the new strategies employed by these researchers.”

The new study has been published in the journal. Scientific Reports.