Cultex Laboratories—a leader in the research and development of cell-based exposure systems and cultivation technologies based in Hannover, Germany—has examined the cytotoxic effects of the vapor emitted by e-cigarettes. Using specially designed exposure models that made it possible to keep cells at an atmosphere that mimicked the real characteristics of a human lung, researchers conducting the in-vitro study exposed healthy human bronchial epithelial cells to e-cigarette vapor.
The study compared e-cigarette vapor containing 0.0 percent and 2.4 percent nicotine with the smoke emitted by combustible cigarettes, and results indicated that the toxicological effects of e-cigarette vapor were 4.5 to 8 times lower than those of tobacco smoke. No differences regarding the cytotoxicology were found between nicotine-free vapor versus the vapor that contained nicotine. Cultex Laboratories will continue its e-cigarette research and plans to analyze the possible long-term effects of e-cigarette use. The full study can be found at www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/4/3915.