Vapes have been found to be 3,000 times more filthy than the average toilet seat, and a staggering number of Americans use one every single day.
This information comes from a new study, and it might just put you off that next puff.
New study reveals just how many germs vapes are harboring
According to these experiments, vapes are seriously gross.
It seems as if the warm, wet environment that you put your mouth around is also a breeding ground for a load of nasty bacteria and even some fungi if you aren’t cleaning it properly.
Be honest - are you cleaning it properly?
The UK-based scientists pointed out that ‘every touch and puff’ makes a different to just how filthy your vape will be.
Reynold Mpofu, a microbiologist from BioTest Labs in England, said: “This evidence highlights the critical importance of regular cleaning and exceptional hygiene for vape devices.”
Many people vape because it’s a bit better than smoking actual tobacco cigarettes, but it also presents a number of problems that you might not get from a traditional disposable cigarette.
Not that you should smoke those, preferably neither would be the ideal scenario.
It is less harmful than smoking, but there are also longer term issues that could appear as more information becomes available.
Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty
How did the experiment work?
Well, they took a vape and swabbed it after first opening, then again after 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, a week, then a fortnight.
By just that third day there were 150,000 colony forming units (CFUs) found on the mouthpiece.
That’s bacteria and fungi, and - for reference - a typical public toilet has 50 CFUs per square inch.
3,000 times dirtier than a public toilet.
Great.
Mpofu explained: “Laboratory analysis revealed that the mouthpiece is the dirtiest component of the vape,
“This isn’t surprising given that the human mouth, largely considered to be one of the dirtiest parts of the body, harbours approximately 700 species of bacteria.”
Credit: Getty
It’s not just the mouthpiece, either
The increased levels of bacteria were found on the main body as well.
Many of the microorganisms they discovered were ones that can usually be found on human skin, but - of course - there were a few nasty ones on there too, as well as biofilms that formed.
Mpofu said: The findings confirmed the presence of bacteria, including E. coli and Enterococcus, on the vape body, likely arising from inadequate hand hygiene or the transfer of microorganisms from bathroom environments or other contaminated surfaces.
“Paired with routine contact with faces, mouths, toilets, door handles, other people and even floors, this provides the perfect opportunity for microbes to transfer to the vape.”
So, it’s vitally important that you wipe the vape down before and after putting it to your mouth.
Take it apart and clean it as well - take it seriously, as you are going to be putting it in your mouth.
However, you could also just stop using it - there’s that option as well.