Scientists found fecal contamination in vape products, but context is crucial

Claim:

A study published in October 2025 found that vaping products contained bacteria that indicated fecal contamination.

Rating:

Context

The study looked into a specific sample of vaping products in Virginia schools during the 2024-25 school year. It found some of the devices contained traces of coliform – a bacteria that indicates fecal matter contamination. However, these were devices “that had been confiscated or found on school premises,” not new, unopened vapes. This indicated that contamination was due to the product’s handling and storage. The researchers behind the study confirmed via email that no contamination was found in the unopened products they tested.

In fall 2025, a rumor circulated online that scientists found fecal contamination in vaping products during a study published in October.

Grossed-out social media users on X (archived), Facebook (archived) and Instagram (archived) shared the alleged revelation, with one saying: “In other words, vape users are literally inhaling toilet microbes — plus nicotine and drug-like additives.” The X user added:

Scientists found fecal contamination and E. coli in vapes.

American researchers examined nearly 1,300 vapes taken from school students in Virginia. Their goal was to show young people what they are actually inhaling.

Most devices contained nicotine, and some had cannabinoids, often a mix of synthetic and plant-based compounds.

But the most disgusting and dangerous part: several vapes contained bacteria, yeast, and E. coli, indicating fecal contamination. In some cases, the levels exceeded safe limits.

While it was true that scientists found fecal contamination in vapes, some of the social media users omitted critical context, such as how many devices were contaminated and whether the products were used or unused.

Below we outline the study and provide the crucial details about the fecal findings:

On Oct. 30, 2025, Virginia Commonwealth University published an article saying its forensic toxicology research lab carried out the study in question. It analyzed a specific sample of “nearly 1,300 products [collected] from K-12 schools in Virginia” during the 2024-25 school year “as part of a project that exposes the ingredients in thousands of unregulated vapes and cannabis products.”

The team found that “microbiologicals, such as bacteria, yeast” and coliform — a bacteria that indicates fecal matter contamination — were present in some of the devices tested, many of which exceeded “the exposure threshold — meaning that they rise above the level of exposure at which health effects are likely to occur, raising significant concerns about the potential side effects from vaping on user health.”

Professor Michelle Peace, one of the VCU researchers who conducted the study, echoed this via email, adding: “Coliform is a large class of bacteria known to be present in the small intestines of mammals.” She said its presence “is used to indicate some contamination with fecal matter and the risk that a more serious bacterial pathogen, such as E.coli, could be present. Inhaling coliform and other bacteria can lead to inflamed lung tissue and pneumonia.”

However, Peace said the devices tested “had been confiscated or found on school premises” and therefore were not new, unopened vaping products. While vapes can contain other unhealthy chemicals like nicotine, she noted: “When we assessed a small number of products we purchased ourselves and sampled immediately after opening, no vapes were contaminated.”

This indicated that contamination was due to the products’ handling and storage. According to Peace, given that some of the devices were contaminated, “consumers need to be thoughtful about where and how they store/keep their devices and washing their hands after using the bathroom.”

“The reason is that people do not wash their hands or wash them well before they handle something else,” she continued. “Additionally, vapes are carried in back pockets, where they may remain while someone uses the bathroom. Many vapes we have received from school systems are also found in the bathrooms, behind and in toilets, in the toilet paper dispenser, in garbage cans, above the ceiling panels.”

“These locations are going to be full of coliform, which can potentially transfer to the vaping device, which is, itself, sticky,” Peace added, before saying that “any count of coliform colonies in an inhaled product is considered a failed test. The U.S. Pharmacopeia, General Chapter <1111>, requires an absence of bile-tolerant, gram negative bacteria, which includes coliform. No amount of coliform is allowed in inhaled products.”

So while it was true that contaminants indicating the presence of fecal matter were found in some vaping products during the research, the study itself highlighted the contaminants that were present due to the handling of the products, rather than those present at the time of purchase. 

For further reading on finding bacteria in unexpected places, Snopes previously investigated the claim that cellphones are dirtier than toilet seats. In sum, wash your hands and do not take products you put in or near your mouth into the bathroom.