People smoking e-cigarettes could be inhaling dangerous substances contained in anti-freeze, it has been claimed.

The latest research by the US Food and Drug Administration concluded that the cartridges used contain glycol ethylene, which is also contained in anti-freeze, said Bahrain Anti Smoking Society chairman Dr Kadhem Al Halwachi.

'This is a highly toxic substance and can cause poisoning and increase the risk of cancer, among other illnesses,' he told our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN).

The society has been pressing Bahrain to ban the import and sale of e-cigarettes on the grounds it is dangerous to users, causing more harm than a traditional cigarette.

Steps are already under way at the government level to outlaw the sale of e-cigarettes in the country with one senior official saying earlier all kinds of cigarettes should be banned.

Dr Al Halwachi said the message officials wanted to give was that all kinds of smoking are harmful.

He said in the latest FDA research, 19 brands of e-cigarettes analysed were found to have levels of nicotine that did not always correspond with the amount of nicotine they claim existed.

'They also found traces of nicotine in some of the e-cigarettes, which were claimed to be free of the substance,' added Dr Al Halwachi.

The e-cigarette takes the form of a tiny rod, slightly longer than a normal cigarette.

The mouthpiece contains a replaceable cartridge filled with liquid and the main substances contained in the liquid are nicotine and propylene glycol.

When the user inhales through the device, the airflow is detected by a sensor.

A microprocessor then injects tiny droplets of the liquid into the flowing air and vapourises the nicotine.

This produces a vapour mist, which is inhaled by the user.

The addition of propylene glycol to the liquid makes the mist resemble normal cigarette smoke and the microprocessor also activates an orange led at the tip to simulate real smoking.-TradeArabia News Service