Higher levels of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde found in e-cigarettes
Formaldehyde is found in building materials and embalming fluids
Acetaldehyde is used in industrial plants to make acids and chemicals
Research was commissioned by Japan's health ministry
Government said they are exploring whether product should be regulated
World Health Organisation has called for e-cigarettes t
E-cigarettes contain 10 times the level of cancer-causing agents as regular tobacco.
Health experts in Japan discovered high levels of chemicals including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the vapour produced by several types of e-cigarette liquid.
The latest findings will come as a blow to those in favour of the electronic devices, heralded as safer than regular cigarettes.
The devices, which are becoming increasingly popular around the world, particularly among young people, function by heating flavoured liquid, which often contains nicotine, into a vapour that is inhaled, much like traditional cigarettes but without the smoke.
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E-cigarettes contain 10 times the level of cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and acetaldehyde than normal cigarettes, according to Japanese research
Researchers commissioned by Japan's health ministry found carcinogens such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in their vapour.
Formaldehyde - a substance found in building materials and embalming fluids - was present at much higher levels than carcinogens found in the smoke from regular cigarettes, a health official said.
Acetaldehyde, which occurs naturally in small quantities but is mainly used in industrial plants to make acids and other chemicals, was also found in higher levels than in normal tobacco.
In one brand of e-cigarette the team found more than 10 times the level of carcinogens contained in one regular cigarette,' said Dr Naoki Kunugita, of the National Institute of Public Health, Japan.
When the wire which vaporises the liquid gets overheated, higher amounts of those