Vapes seized from school pupils contain high levels of lead, nickel, chromium and other ‘harmful’ chemicals

Vapes confiscated from school pupils contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium, BBC News has reported. The used vapes were gathered from Baxter College in Kidderminster which later were tested in a laboratory.

The results showed children using them could be inhaling more than twice the daily safe amount of lead, and nine times the safe amount of nickel. Some vapes also contained harmful chemicals like those in cigarette smoke.

High levels of lead exposure in children can affect the central nervous system and brain development, according to the World Health Organization. The Inter Scientific laboratory, in Liverpool, which works with vape manufacturers to ensure regulatory standards are met, analysed 18 vapes and found most were illegal and had not gone through any testing.

Lab co-founder David Lawson said: "In 15 years of testing, I have never seen lead in a device. None of these should be on the market - they break all the rules on permitted levels of metal. They are the worst set of results I’ve ever seen."

In "highlighter vapes" - designed with bright colours to look like highlighter pens - the amounts of the metals found were lead (12 micrograms per gram, 2.4 times the stipulated safe exposure level), nickel (9.6 times safe levels) and chromium (6.6 times safe levels).