Yeah, yeah, we get it—cigarettes are bad. But the more we find out about the absurd chemical concoctions that people are vaping, the more we might start thinking they’re no better than cigarettes.That’s the conclusion reached by a new UC Davis study published in ACS Central Science. Researchers looked into three popular disposable vapes: ELF Bar, Esco Bar, and Flum Pebble, and what they found was a series of highly toxic chemical horrors.

After simulating up to 1,500 puffs per device and running the numbers, the scientists discovered high levels of toxic metals. One researcher, Mark Salazar, said the lead levels were so outrageous he assumed their equipment was broken.

It wasn’t. Vapes are just so toxic that they made a trained scientific researcher tap the meter on his equipment to make sure it wasn’t busted.

Are Disposable Vapes Bad For You? The Answer is Yes.

Among the murderers’ row of metals detected Nickel, chromium, antimony, and, of course, lead. Two Esco Bars had enough lead in just 200 puffs to exceed what you’d get from twenty packs of cigarettes. I reiterate—FROM 20 PACKS OF CIGARETTES!

As for all of these metals are coming from, the study’s authors blame both the nicotine juice and the vape’s hardware. Either the liquid is pre-contaminated, or it’s soaking up metal toxins from the device’s internal parts like a sponge. Then you inhale it. Repeatedly.

Researchers warned that some devices had enough nickel and antimony to increase cancer risk, while others crossed the threshold for neurological damage and respiratory disease.

And that’s just three brands. There are hundreds of others, often imported with zero regulation, circulating freely, especially among teens. The world of blissfully thinking that vaping was a safer, healthier alternative to cigarettes is dead and buried.

If you’re inhaling a tropical mango mist from something that looks like a McDonald’s toy, you’re also mainlining lead and a variety of other metal and carcinogens straight into your brain and lungs.