OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) - Most of the 97 e-cigarette and vaping products it tested produce high-levels of carcinogenic formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health said in a new report.
The Center for Environmental Health tested 97 products from 24 major manufacturers of vaping products for its Sept. 2 report: "A Smoking Gun : Cancer-Causing Chemicals in E-cigarettes."
The center sued 38 vape manufacturers and retailers this summer, in two complaints in Alameda County Court: 13 of them on May 19 and 25 more on June 22. It claimed that the companies failed to inform consumers that their e-cigarettes, devices and liquids contain nicotine. California's Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, requires vendors to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
The center said in a statement Wednesday that its report "outlines the first-ever large sampling of actual e-cigarettes and vaping products tested simulating real-world use of the products."
The report found that 90 percent of the companies distributing the 97 vaping products produced high levels of formaldehyde or acetaldehyde or both - more than permitted by California safety rules.
"For decades, the tobacco industry mounted a campaign of lies about cigarettes, and now these same companies claim that their e-cigarettes are harmless," the center's executive director Michael Green said in a statement.
"This is especially troubling given the reckless marketing practices of the e-cigarette industry, which targets teens and young people, and deceives the public with unfounded health and safety claims."
Attorney General Kamala Harris said last week that she supports state Senate Bill SBX 5, to protect children from harmful effects of electronic cigarettes.
State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced the bill on Aug. 26. It also requires child-resistant packaging for vaping products.
In its report, the center calls on vape makers and sellers to stop their "deceptive and dangerous marketing practices," particularly those aimed at children.
"(H)undreds of e-cigarettes are sold in candy and dessert flavors and/or bright colors that appeal to teens and children. This has resulted in a major increase in nicotine poisoning incidents, especially among young children. CEH is calling on e-cigarette companies to end these deceitful and dangerous practices," the center says in its executive summary.
The Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health was established in 1996. It aims particularly at informing and protecting people from chemicals commonly found in homes, gardens, schools and elsewhere.