By VCU News staff

What’s really inside those vapes that are marketed as safe and sold on every corner?

Michelle Peace, Ph.D., a forensic toxicologist at Virginia Commonwealth University, is exposing the dangerous chemicals that lurk in vaping and cannabis products — and the lack of oversight protecting the public. Her research has uncovered everything from deadly synthetic cannabinoids to brake cleaners, which are inhaled by teens and adults alike.

“It all started when a student walked into my office and said, ‘I think you need to look at these,’” Peace recalls.

It was 2013, and the student had just returned from studying abroad. During an advising session, she mentioned a strange new product that she’d noticed was gaining popularity in Europe: vapes.

For Peace, that moment launched a decade of research that now informs national policy and fuels grassroots efforts across the country. She has testified before lawmakers, advised the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and helped schools uncover what students are actually inhaling.

“There’s no such thing as a safe vape,” Peace says. “Consumers have no idea what they’re putting into their lungs.”

From classrooms to Congress — whether she is educating, advocating or consulting global public health officials in places as far away as New Zealand — Peace’s mission is clear: Arm communities with science, hold industries accountable, and protect the next generation.

The video below shares the story of an uncommon hero working to expose the real ingredients in the thousands of unregulated vapes and cannabis products, so that consumers, particularly youths, can make informed decisions.

“Be savvy about what you put in your body,” Peace says. “It’s the only one you get.”