• Researchers found seeing someone yawn makes people more vigilant to threats 
• Previous study found seeing yawns increased people’s ability to detect snakes

By Sophie Freeman

Published: 17:41 EDT, 19 September 2023 | Updated: 19:34 EDT, 19 September 2023

The reason we yawn has long been something of a mystery.

But it might be because it helps us avoid harm, a study suggests.

Researchers found that seeing someone yawn makes people more vigilant to threats.

It’s thought that yawning evolved as a signal to the group that one of them is tired. An onlooker’s brain becomes more alert to threats in order to cover for the tired – and therefore more vulnerable – member of the group.

‘The group vigilance hypothesis proposes that seeing someone yawn should trigger neurocognitive changes to enhance the vigilance of the observer as a means of compensating for the reduced alertness of the yawner,’ the researchers from SUNY Polytechnic Institute said.

It’s thought that yawning evolved as a signal to the group that one of them is tired, making other people alert 

‘The tendency to be attuned to, and affected by, the yawns of others may have evolved due to the outcome this had on enhancing survival within groups.’

For the study, they investigated whether seeing others yawn improved the detection of lions – which were likely to have been a recurrent survival threat to humans during evolutionary history – compared to impalas, a type of antelope, which would not have posed a danger to our ancestors.

The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences, tested 27 people.

First, they showed them videos of people either yawning or with neutral expressions. Then, in random order, they repeatedly showed them pictures of either a lion or an impala in a matrix of other distractor images and asked them to find the target animal.

‘Following exposure to people yawning, participants were faster at detecting lions and slower in their search of impala,’ said the researchers.

A previous study by the same university found that seeing people yawn increased people’s ability to detect snakes.

By replicating the study with a different animal, the team were able to show that the effect was not just specific to snakes, but across different contexts.

A previous study by the same university found that seeing people yawn increased people’s ability to detect snakes (Stock Image)

Dr Andrew Gallup, who was involved in both studies, said: ‘Replications are important to ensure that the original findings were not spurious or due to some chance events or statistical anomalies.

‘When we are able to replicate previous experiments, as we have done here, we gain confidence that the findings represent true effects.

‘In this case, we also wanted to replicate the previous study to ensure that the effects observed in the original study were not due to the specific type of stimulus used (i.e., snakes).

‘By performing a conceptual replication, we show that seeing other people yawn enhances threat detection, i.e., it improves vigilance, across different contexts.’

Senior NHS doctors have demanded an 11 per cent pay rise as they take to picket lines for the third time this year.

Junior doctors will then stage a joint walkout with the senior medics tomorrow and continue their own action until 7am on Saturday.

While sick Brits have been told to use emergency care as normal, health chiefs have warned patients face ‘the highest level of risk in living memory’.

But Dr Vishal Sharma, chair of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) consultants’ committee, which is coordinating the action, this morning claimed a ‘save level of service’ would be provided.

Consultants walked out of hospitals at 7am this morning as part of a 48-hour strike and are providing a ‘ Christmas Day’ level of service – meaning routine appointments and operations set to be significantly disrupted. Pictured, consultant members of the BMA on the picket line outside University College London hospital in August

The BMA also said it had written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Steve Barclay outlining the ‘key asks’ needed to end the pay dispute.

In the letter sent to Mr Sunak yesterday, Dr Sharma said the BMA has always been clear that ‘strikes could be avoided if the Government was to present us with a credible offer that we could put to our members.’

He added: ‘We are willing to negotiate with Government at any stage, but for strike action to be stood down we need to be able to present our members with an offer and cannot cancel strikes simply to enter talks.’ 

The BMA says consultants pay has been cut in real-terms since 2008 and is calling for pay restoration and reform of the pay review body that advises ministers on salary increases.

It claims their income has increased by 14 per cent over this period. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, he also said: ‘This has happened because the NHS staff across across the whole sector are really demoralised, they’re really burnt out and they’ve been forced into taking strike action.’

He said consultants wanted an above-inflation pay award for this year, which in April was running about 11 per cent.

‘That’s a very similar amount to what was offered to doctors in Scotland and it shows it’s absolutely possible to actually do that, if there’s the right political will,’ he added.

Last month, BMA members in Scotland accepted the SNP Government’s offer of a 14.5 per cent pay increase for junior doctors and doctors in training over two years. 

Consultants in England have already  staged four days of strike action, while junior doctors have taken to the picket lines on 19 separate days. 

But last week NHS bosses blamed medic strikes for heaping extra pressure onto already struggling hospitals — with 400,000 appointments rescheduled this summer due to walkouts. 

Some 885,154 appointments have been postponed since NHS industrial action — which has involved staff including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics — kicked-off in December.

If all community and mental health figures are included, the total rises to more than 940,000 — though this will not reflect the overall number of actual cancellations, due to some duplication of data.

NHS leaders also said the real impact of strikes is masked by the data, as many hospitals have stopped booking in surgeries and other appointments on announced strike days. 

Fresh NHS data last week also showed around 7.68million patients in England — or one in seven people — were in the queue in July for procedures such hip and knee replacements. 

The toll marks the highest figures logged since NHS records began in August 2007.

For comparison, around 4.4million were stuck in the system when the pandemic reached the UK. 

But this morning Dr Sharma said the growing NHS waiting lists ‘have not been caused by the strikes’ and ‘were going up well before the pandemic’.

England’s backlog, for procedures like hip and knee replacements, now stands at 7.6million, official figures revealed last week. It means roughly one in seven people across the country are currently stuck in the system awaiting care. More than 380,000 patients have gone a year without being treated, often in agony

He said this had led to ‘huge pressure on the whole NHS workforce’, adding that ‘the consultant workforce is absolutely burnt out’ and struggling to recruit.

The NHS Confederation however, which represents all NHS organisations, said increasing numbers of patients, including cancer patients, are seeing their appointments rescheduled more than once due to strikes.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the organisation, said: ‘This is likely to be the biggest walkout the NHS has ever seen, will cause serious disruption, and put patients at the highest level of risk in living memory.

‘Leaders are concerned that this dangerous situation is being underestimated by the Government, telling us that this feels much different and more complex than previous strikes.’

Many are reporting ‘greater difficulties in rota planning and having to cancel huge numbers of elective operations and appointments in advance’, he added. 

‘This is much worse than before as we’re now seeing patients who have already had an operation cancelled due to industrial action be hit again with a cancellation to their rescheduled appointment,’ he said.

‘Leaders have also told us that this time round a higher number of operations and appointments for cancer patients are being cancelled, meaning that some of the very sickest patients may be suffering the most.’

In July consultants and junior doctors were given a six per cent pay rise under No. 10’s pay offer.

At the time, Rishi Sunak said the deal, announced in July for 2023/24, was the Government’s ‘final offer’. 

Nurses, paramedics and other NHS staff received a five per cent rise and ‘NHS backlog bonus’.

The BMA however immediately rejected the rise, vowing to crack on with strike action. 

The action today also comes as the Government this week outlined plans to extend strike laws to ensure more healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover.

The regulations, which could come into force next year, would mean doctors and nurses would have to provide a certain level of cover after being issued with a ‘work notice’ by employers on what is needed to maintain ‘necessary and safe levels of service’.

In July, the new strike law was granted Royal Assent, allowing ministers to impose minimum levels of service during industrial action by ambulance staff, firefighters, railway workers and those in other sectors deemed essential. 

Currently life-and-limb cover has to be provided in hospitals during strike action, but the extent of that is negotiated locally. 

Steve Barclay told Sky News this morning: ‘What we’re announcing today is how we protect time-critical hospital services, so things like chemotherapy, things like dialysis, because we recognise the right to strike is important, but we’ve got to balance that with also the right of patients to key treatments.’

He claimed France and Italy already had such measures in place.

Consultants in England have already staged four days of strike action, while junior doctors have taken to the picket lines on 19 separate days. Last week NHS bosses blamed medic strikes for heaping extra pressure onto already struggling hospitals — with 400,000 appointments rescheduled this summer due to walkouts. But this morning Dr Sharma said the growing NHS waiting lists ‘have not been caused by the strikes’ and ‘were going up well before the pandemic’. Pictured BMA consultant members on the picket line outside Leeds General Infirmary in July 

The action today also comes as the Government this week outlined plans to extend strike laws to ensure more healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover. Steve Barclay told Sky News this morning: ‘What we’re announcing today is how we protect time-critical hospital services, so things like chemotherapy, things like dialysis, because we recognise the right to strike is important, but we’ve got to balance that with also the right of patients to key treatments’

But Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said the Government’s proposed minimum service levels risk ‘worsening industrial relations at a time when we need Government and unions to get around the table and enter into talks to avert further escalation and disruption to patient care.’

She said: ‘Strike action in the NHS over the past ten months has undoubtedly been disruptive for patients and staff.

‘This legislation – as well as the consultation announced today- doesn’t address any of the issues underlying current strike action, including dissatisfaction with pay and working conditions.

‘With unprecedented joint action by consultants and junior doctors just days away, we need government and unions to sit down and talk urgently.’

Last week however, Mr Barclay said there would be no more talks about pay with the BMA, claiming, ‘we made a fair and final settlement in terms of pay’. 

Yesterday, NHS national medical director professor Sir Stephen Powis said: ‘The NHS has simply never seen this kind of industrial action in its history. 

‘This week’s first ever joint action means almost all planned care will come to a stop, and hundreds of thousands of appointments will be postponed, which is incredibly difficult for patients and their families, and poses an enormous challenge for colleagues across the NHS.’  

Emergency care – through A&E departments and 999 – is still available but patients have been told to contact NHS 111 or their local pharmacy for minor health worries. 

Hospital patients who have an appointment and ‘who haven’t been contacted should attend as normal’, Sir Stephen added. 

• Consultation considers minimum service levels that covering urgent care 
• Junior doctors have so far held 19 days of industrial action in hospitals this year 

By Shaun Wooler Health Editor

Published: 19:01 EDT, 18 September 2023 | Updated: 02:34 EDT, 19 September 2023

Doctors could be forced to work on strike days under government plans to introduce minimum safe staffing levels in hospitals.

The Department of Health is launching a consultation on extending recent legislation to cover more healthcare workers as consultants begin a two-day strike today.

Consultants have so far this year held four days of industrial action and junior doctors 19 days.

Junior doctors will start their next three-day strike tomorrow, meaning they will walk out at the same time as consultants for the first time.

Health leaders have expressed concerns about the ‘nightmare scenario’ and revealed some patients are now having operations postponed two or more times due to industrial action, including growing numbers with cancer.

Junior doctors hold placards during a strike, amid a dispute with the government over pay, in London on April 11 (file photo)

File photo dated from January 18 this years, of a general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward

Strikes have so far cost the NHS around £1billion and the number of cancelled appointments and operations is expected to hit one million by the end of this week.

The consultation considers introducing minimum service levels that would cover ‘urgent, emergency and time-critical hospital-based health services’.

It follows a consultation earlier this year on introducing minimum service levels in ambulance services, and would bring the UK in line with countries such as France and Italy whose services continue in times of industrial action. 

Ministers believe minimum service levels will provide a better balance between supporting the ability of workers to strike with the safety of the public.

Consultants and junior doctors will walk out together again on October 2, 3 and 4, which coincides with the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.

The NHS is expected to see a ‘Christmas Day’ level of staffing when both groups are off, with emergency care as priority.

The Government has given a 6 per cent pay rise to consultants and the same plus a lump sum of £1,250 for junior doctors, and has said there will be no further offers. 

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: ‘Strikes can’t become the status quo. Only the Government sitting down with the unions can end this disruption.’

• People who felt safe were 10% less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases
• The study showed people who felt safe were 9% less like to die from all causes

By Louis Goss

Updated: 21:03 EDT, 24 August 2023

People who feel safe from crime in their communities are less likely to die from heart attacks, a new study suggests.

Researchers wanted to see whether living in neighbourhoods with certain characteristics could have an impact on death rates and the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Academics examined data on almost 36,000 adults from China aged 35 to 70.

People filled out questionnaires about the environment in their neighbourhood, including information on how safe they felt from crime; community satisfaction; the aesthetics of their neighbourhoods including trees, litter and pavements; ease of access to shops and other factors.

Academics also looked at the medical records of people involved with the study.

(Stock Photo) People who feel safe from crime in their communities are less likely to die from heart attacks, a new study suggests

(Stock Photo) People who reported living in areas where they felt safe from crime were 10% less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases

After an average of almost 12 years there were just over 2,000 deaths, including 765 deaths from cardiovascular disease.

There were also 3,000 ‘cardiovascular disease events’ – which includes incidents of heart attacks and strokes.

They found that people who reported living in areas where they felt safe from crime were 9% less likely to die during the follow-up period.

And they were 10% less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases, according to a paper, which has been presented at the ESC Congress in Amsterdam.

A higher neighbourhood environment score was associated with a 6% lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, they said.

‘There is increasing evidence that the neighbourhood we live in affects our health,’ study author Dr Mengya Li, of the National Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing, said.

‘This study highlights the importance of many aspects of our surroundings for heart health and longevity, including feeling safe, having shops, transport and parks close by, cleanliness, and feeling that our neighbourhood is a good place to live and to raise children.’

An ex-cybercriminal has warned of the dangers children face online after getting tangled up in scams himself at the age of 12. 

The man in his 20s, referred to only as ‘Harry’, has expressed regrets over previous offences, having tricked computer gamers out of thousands during his younger years.

These harmful scams took off at a time when Harry was keen to make pocket money, with no option to get a job of his own.  

But with children now increasingly fixated on the virtual world, he says that protections are vital to ensure they are sheltered from dark practices.

‘As a kid, I didn’t feel anything about it at all. I’d get big scams and take my friends to McDonald’s and pay for it. Things like that,’ Harry told MailOnline.

‘Harry’ was just 12 years old when he scammed another gamer for the first time online

‘But after it was all over, it really got to me that it was other kids that I had scammed. I started thinking about how it was received from their end. 

‘It’s probably a little harder to do what I did now, but it is fairly easy. That’s a huge risk to kids. You can just download DarkComet RATS (Remote Access Trojans) and you’re ready to go.’

Harry’s first scam took place out of anger when a player of the first-person shooter game, Counter-Strike (CS: GO), tricked him.

This player stole a virtual weapon, known as a Huntsman Knife Crimson Web, which currently sells for more than £1,000 ($1,278) on trading sites such as CSGOSkins.gg.

But this is by no means the most expensive, with other in-game weapons selling for £19,500 ($25,000) in some cases.

These are obtained through a lucky-dip style function, with players spending £5 ($6.39) for ‘cases’ that may have one inside.

‘Someone messaged me saying “I’ll buy your knife and I’ll send you money for it”,’ Harry continued.

‘After a bit of convincing I sent them the knife and of course they didn’t send me any money.

‘Out of anger, I just repeated what the guy did on me to someone else. I didn’t have much success at first, but enough to remain interested. The more time I spent on it, the more convincing I made my scam.’

Harry’s first scam took place out of anger when a player of the first-person shooter game, Counter-Strike (CS: GO) (pictured), tricked him

The Huntsman Knife Crimson Web currently sells for more than £1,000 on trading sites

Harry believes he scammed more than 100 people over the course of his early-teens, with £700 ($895) being the most he earned at one time. 

Screenshots of fake PayPal transactions and encouraging friends to vouch for his trustworthiness initially made this very easy. 

He said: ‘There was a bit of a trading scene at the time. So, you could join a trade server and there’d be people looking for items, swap things around – stuff like that. 

‘I’d look at profiles of people that were trusted and respected on there and make my profile look trusted and respectable.

‘I remember one time I went to a friend and we wanted to play GTA (Grand Theft Auto) and he didn’t have it and he was like “ah can you quickly scam someone so we can buy it” – so I did.’

During his early-teens, Harry also delved into hacking forums to play around with viruses.

He was completely oblivious to the severity of his actions and claims it was all far too easy.

‘I would spend a lot of time on hacking forums. I played around with viruses. It was like you didn’t have to have much technical knowledge at all. Using it is extremely easy. Anyone could use it – no problem,’ Harry continued.

During his early-teens, Harry also delved into hacking forums to play around with viruses

‘I once found a virus undetectable to anti-viruses which I then disguised as nude pictures. So I then just googled “sex chat” and put a suggestive name in that would indicate I’m a woman. 

‘You might say “do you want to see a picture of me” – of course they want to see a picture of you. You can send a picture that’s not really a picture – they run it -then you can look at their screen and play around.’

Based on his experience, Harry is encouraging parents to ensure their children’s devices are equipped with sufficient anti-virus software and ad blockers.

‘Parents can monitor all this and make sure proper antivirus is installed on the PC. And an adblocker too, since malvertising is huge at the moment,’ he said.

‘There’s a massive boom in in-game item prices. They hit a record-high of new players recently and the release of CS2 is imminent – attracting more kids.

‘Things like TikTok videos saying “join this group of trusted traders”, “here’s how to sell these items” will pop up. It’s too easy to rope people in.’ 

While TikTok is among numerous platforms that do not tolerate fraud and scams, Jake Moore, a Global Security Advisor at ESET, claims this content persists.

He warns that offenders may just get even younger as a result of this.

‘Online forums are rife with illicit how-to-guides and as the visitors to these websites get younger, so do those carrying out these offences,’ Mr Moore said.

‘These relatively simple and straight forward step-by-step guides offering scams and sending viruses prey on those who are vulnerable and innocently using the internet who may not be used to the types of cons that appear online.

‘There is also information offering how to protect themselves from being caught which only increases the amount of people committing these offences as well as victims being scammed.’

While cyberbullying and cyber safety have become key parts of the curriculum in many schools, Mr Moore claims that key cybersecurity advice often gets overlooked.

He added: ‘Ideally, prevention measures and education on such topics needs to be added into the curriculum and continually reinforced before more children become victims of online crime.’

I’m a cybersecurity expert – here’s how I keep my children safe online

By Rob Waugh Tech Correspondent For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 13:25 EDT, 16 June 2023

Popular online services harvest huge amounts of data from children who might be unaware of what they are giving away, warns Tom Gaffney, Cybersecurity expert at F-Secure.

Tom Gaffney said that social media or gaming sites often scan everything from a user’s contact list to hard drives connected to their computer – and that criminals also target children in popular online games.

Advertising companies hold up to 72million ‘data points’ of information on the average 13-year-old child, according to 2017 research by advertising company SuperAwesome.

Gaffney said he would never let his children use these kinds of apps due to fears over how data is collected and used. He said: ‘From a privacy perspective all apps are data hungry, which makes me averse to children using them.

‘The driver for data capture is monetization. Apps collect the data and then sell it to data brokers and advertisers. When you consider this for apps that target young people it becomes a greater concern because children are less likely to withhold personal information that they provide within the app.’

Roblox has 230 million users worldwide, many of them children

Apps harvest data from young users, said Tom Gaffney, Cybersecurity expert at F-Secure (F-Secure)

Reports earlier this year suggested there is a thriving ‘underworld’ in Roblox, which has no age limit and 230 million users worldwide, many of them children. 

Hackers are believed to be targeting children and stealing in-game goods or account details. They make ‘easy targets’, said Gaffney.

He warned: ‘One way Roblox can be hijacked is by phishing which involves someone sending the user an email or text message that looks like it’s legitimately from the company. The message will ask the person to click on a link or download an attachment.

‘Once that happens the hacker has gained access. Children are potentially easier targets because they are less informed of the risks and whether a message is suspicious.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to Roblox for comment. 

Messenger Kids offers a messaging platform aimed at young people, where parents sign up on their children’s behalf.

But this year, the Federal Trade Commission claimed that Facebook had misled parents over how much control they had over who children were in contact with in the app.

The FTC also ruled that Facebook had been deceptive around how much access app developers had to private data.

Gaffney said: ‘Meta has been criticized for its alleged safety breaches in its Messenger Kids app and other more general privacy issues related to children’s private data.’

Gaffney advises that WhatsApp is safer, as data is protected with end-to-end encryption.

He said: ‘WhatsApp is safer in that regard. The messages on the WhatsApp platform are protected with end-to-end encryption which means it operates a private communication system and ensures that third parties such as Google, can’t read messages that are sent from one phone to another.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to Meta for comment.  

Gaffney believes popular social media sites including TikTok ‘aggressively’ collect data from users, which he says makes it inappropriate for children.

The way the company collects data is ‘highly intrusive’, Gaffney said. 

DailyMail.com has reached out to TikTok for comment.

Snapchat poses a different kind of risk for young people in terms of ‘account hijacking’, where criminals take over a user’s account, Gaffney warns.

Snap Inc, the parent company of Snapchat, says users under 13 shouldn’t use the app, and also offers tools such as Family Center to help parents manage children’s accounts.

Gaffney said: ‘Social networking apps are prone to “account hijacking” – when someone accesses the account without permission. This can be done if a hacker accesses a password. 

‘If other accounts have been hacked and the user typically uses the same password it becomes easy for hackers to gain access to multiple platforms. Therefore it’s important to introduce children to a password manager service early on – start good habits early.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to Snapchat for comment.

Humans have breached almost all of the boundaries that make the Earth a safe and just environment, researchers have said.

In quantifying the limits of the planet’s life-support systems, a team of more than 40 international scientists found humans have exceeded seven of the eight Earth System Boundaries (ESBs) they identified.

They said social and economic systems based on unsustainable resource extraction and consumption are causing rapid changes that undermine these systems while pushing the Earth towards irreversible destabilisation.

Publishing their work in the journal Nature, the scientists analysed climate, biodiversity, freshwater and different kinds of pollution to air, soil and water.

They defined safe and just limits as those which regulate the state of the planet, protect other species, reduce significant harm to humans and support inclusive human development.

Global warming is our fault, according to a team of more than 40 international scientists found humans have exceeded seven of the eight Earth System Boundaries (ESBs) they identified

Only in the category of aerosol pollutants has this limit not been breached, with climate having passed its just limit of 1C but not its safe limit of 1.5C above the pre-industrial global average temperature.

The scientists, working under the Earth Commission, said ‘significant societal impacts’ are already being felt, with tens of millions of people already affected by the changing climate.

Professor Johan Rockstrom of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and lead author of the study said: ‘The results of our health check are quite concerning.

‘Within the five analysed domains, several boundaries, on a global and local scale, are already transgressed.

‘This means that unless a timely transformation occurs, it is most likely that irreversible tipping points and widespread impacts on human well-being will be unavoidable.

‘Avoiding that scenario is crucial if we want to secure a safe and just future for current and future generations.’

UN member states since 2015 have agreed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and protect biodiversity in 30% of the world’s land, sea and freshwater areas.

The Earth Commission scientists said we are not on track to meet these targets and that ‘nothing less than a just global transformation across all ESBs is required to ensure human well-being’.

These transformations must also be systemic and address the economic, technological and political drivers of Earth’s degradation and ‘ensure access for the poor through reductions and reallocation of resource use’, they said.

UN member states since 2015 have agreed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and protect biodiversity in 30% of the world’s land, sea and freshwater areas. The Earth Commission scientists said we are not on track to meet these targets

Co-author Professor Joyeeta Gupta of the University of Amsterdam said: ‘Justice is a necessity for humanity to live within planetary limits.

‘This is a conclusion seen across the scientific community in multiple heavyweight environmental assessments.

‘It is not a political choice. Overwhelming evidence shows that a just and equitable approach is essential to planetary stability.

‘We cannot have a biophysically safe planet without justice.’

The researchers said their work is intended for businesses, cities and governments to set science-based targets when addressing human exposure to climate change, biodiversity decline, water shortages, ecosystem damage from fertiliser overuse coupled with lack of access elsewhere and health damage from air pollution.

Prof Gupta said: ‘Potential future tipping points are not the only risks we consider, damage is already happening to millions of people at 1C of climate warming.

‘Our climate Earth System Boundary exposes the injustice in current targets and underscores the urgency of immediately phasing out fossil fuels and accelerating work from all directions to meet Paris Agreement goals.

‘By setting our climate Earth System Boundary at 1C we are not advocating that the world should adopt this ambitious target, but we are exposing the injustice inherent in current world targets.’

Toxic metals are lurking in cheap vapes puffed by schoolkids, a shock investigation revealed today. 

Tests on e-cigarettes confiscated from youngsters found they contained dangerous levels of lead, nickel and chromium.

Some were almost 10 times above safe limits. 

Exposure to lead can impair brain development, while the other two metals can trigger blood clotting. 

One expert claimed the results of the probe, carried out on e-cigs collected from students at a college in Worcestershire, were the ‘worst I’ve ever seen’. 

Tests on e-cigarettes confiscated from youngsters found they contained dangerous levels of lead, nickel and chromium. Some were almost 10 times above safe limits. Exposure to lead can impair brain development, while the other two metals can trigger blood clotting

Most of the e-cigarettes were illegal and hadn’t been tested before being sold in the UK. Brightly-coloured ‘highlighter vapes’, sold in child-friendly flavours like bubble gum and strawberry, contained 12 micrograms of lead per gram. This is 2.4-times the stipulated safe exposure level. The gadgets, which can cost as little as £5 and sold in shops across the country, were also over 9.6 times the safe level of nickel and 6.6 times the safe level of chromium. A MailOnline investigation last month discovered ‘dupes’ of Chupa Chups, Jolly Rancher, Calypso and Rubicon — all on Oxford Street (pictured)

It comes amid spiralling vaping rates in teens, in a trend that has prompted warnings that Britain is ‘sleepwalking into an existential crisis for children’. 

Although widely accepted as safer than smoking, the long-term effects remain a mystery and doctors fear there could be a wave of lung disease, dental issues and even cancer in the coming decades in people who took up the habit at a young age. 

David Lawson, co-founder of Inter Scientific — the lab that analysed 18 different e-cigs — 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.’

He was speaking to BBC News, which was given the full results of the investigation at Kidderminster’s Baxter College.

Most of the e-cigarettes were illegal and hadn’t been tested before being sold in the UK.

Brightly-coloured ‘highlighter vapes’, sold in child-friendly flavours like bubble gum and strawberry, contained 12 micrograms of lead per gram. 

This is 2.4-times the stipulated safe exposure level. 

The gadgets, which can cost as little as £5 and sold in shops across the country, were also over 9.6 times the safe level of nickel and 6.6 times the safe level of chromium.

The metals were thought to come from the heating element inside vapes, but the tests showed they were actually in the e-liquid inhaled directly into the lungs.

Scientists also found compounds called carbonyls at 10 times the level in legal vapes.

These break down into chemicals like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde — which studies have found can increase the risk of certain types of cancer — when the e-liquid warms.

Dr Salim Khan, head of department for public health at Birmingham City University, told MailOnline: ‘We know there are a lot of people manufacturing vapes and vaping liquids who aren’t regulated.

‘Now we are seeing the impact. If there is no regulation, there is the potential for a lot of harmful toxins to end up in vapes and these can cause a lot more harm than good.

‘Sadly, the providers who sell these illegal vapes and liquids are most likely oblivious to the harm they cause as may assume [the devices] are manufactured according to quality control standards.’

He added: ‘Australia has brought in tough regulation to ban vaping products, unless given on prescription.

‘This move will be viewed with interest by other governments, particularly if it results in a reduction in vaping.

‘However, it may also have an adverse effect, pushing people back towards tobacco products.’

The 15 recommendations put forward by Dr Javed Khan OBE, to help England be smoke-free by 2030. They were published in the Khan review, released in July last year

It comes as shock data last week revealed a record 11.6 per cent of 11-17 year olds in Britain have now tried vaping. 

This is up on 7.7 per cent last year and twice as high as rates seen a decade ago — before the UK’s kid vaping epidemic blew up.

A damning MailOnline expose last month laid bare the true scale of the problem and the predatory marketing tactics of vape retailers. 

E-cigs are already illegal for under-18s to buy, yet shops have been caught flouting the rules.

‘Puff bars’, as they are known, are popular among teens. Brands include Elf Bars, Geek and Crystal.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices the safety of medical products used in the UK, has a notification scheme for vapes so that any harm caused by the devices can be logged.

The watchdog’s head of e-cigarettes, Craig Copland, said the results of the BBC investigation would be reviewed to assess whether the vapes posed a health risk.

In efforts to curb the UK’s teen vaping crisis, some secondary schools — including Baxter College — have already taken to installing devices to detect whether children are vaping. 

Its headteacher, Mat Carpenter, told BBC News: ‘It’s been part of youth culture for a long time and we are a long way behind the curve in influencing children’s behaviour around this, which is why we need such a strong message.’ 

Data released in March revealed some sensors are being set off up to 22 times a day. 

Last month health minister, Neil O’Brien, confirmed the Government’s ambition to crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s and colourful packaging and candy flavours they use to lure kids in.

He announced that policymakers would listen to experts from all corners on how best to tackle the crisis. At the same time, he also revealed a £3million taskforce would be established to enforce the current rules of selling of vapes.

Almost every high street in the country now has a designated shop, where e-cigs are paraded.

However, despite the warnings surrounding vaping, health chiefs insist it is a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes.

Around 6million people smoke in the UK and it is estimated to cause 64,000 deaths every year.

It also costs the NHS £2.4billion every year to treat smoking-related conditions.

Rates have plunged over the past decade, but experts say it is still not close enough to reach the smoke free goal.

Vaping rates have exploded over the same time, however.

Everything you need to know about e-cigarettes 

How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?

There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, containing various different nicotine levels.

The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20mg/ml equating to between 600 and 800 puffs.

The Elf Bar 600, one of Britain’s most popular vapes, is advertised as coming in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg. 

How many cigarettes are ‘in’ an e-cigarette? 

The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent to 48 cigarettes, analysts say. 

It delivers 600 puffs before it needs to be thrown away, meaning, in theory, every 12.5 puffs equate to one cigarette.

Experts say for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs equate to ten normal cigarettes. 

Elf Bars are a brand of e-cigarettes often sold in snazzy colours and with child-friendly names and flavours, like blue razz lemonade and green gummy bear

Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?

Vaping products are considered to be better than cigarettes as users are exposed to fewer toxins and at lower levels, according to the NHS.

The health service adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulation, such as strokes and heart attacks. 

Public Health England, which is now defunct, published an expert independent review in 2015 concluding that e-cigarettes are around 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes.

However vaping is not risk-free, as while levels in tobacco-products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers from the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.

And Dr Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elf bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling and bleeding.

He said this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation from a build-up of bacteria and food that can’t get washed away.

Nearly 350 hospitalisations due to vaping were logged in England in 2022, which are thought to be mainly down to respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.