Comparison of Bladder Carcinogens in the Urine of E-cigarette Users Versus Non E-cigarette Using Controls

Introduction:
This text is a scientific report on a study that compared the urine of non-cigarette smoking e-cigarette users to non-smoking and non-e-cigarette using controls. The study aimed to understand the risk profile of e-cigarette use and bladder cancer. The report includes details about the study design, methods, and results, as well as a discussion of the implications of the findings.

Key Points:

* The study analyzed urine samples for a noncarcinogenic marker of PAH exposure (1-hydroxypyrene), carcinogenic PAHs (benz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene), and the carcinogenic aromatic amines o-toluidine and 2-naphthylamine.
* The study found that e-cigarette users had significantly higher concentrations of o-toluidine and 2-naphthylamine than non-e-cigarette using controls.
* The study controlled for historical conventional cigarette use and other combustible or smokeless tobacco products for at least 6 months before the study.
* The study used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the urine samples.
* The study included 13 non-smoking e-cigarette users and 10 non-smoking, non-e-cigarette using controls.
* The study found that e-cigarette users had a mean concentration of o-toluidine of 2.33 ng/ml compared to 1.00 ng/ml in non-EC controls, and a mean concentration of 2-naphthylamine of 1.46 ng/ml compared to 1.13 in non-EC using controls.
* The study also found that the tested polyaromatic hydrocarbons were not detectable at the current level of detection.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is that e-cigarette use may not be risk-free, as e-cigarette liquids may contain or create known bladder carcinogens. The study found that e-cigarette users had significantly higher concentrations of o-toluidine and 2-naphthylamine in their urine than non-e-cigarette using controls, suggesting that e-cigarette use may increase the risk of bladder cancer. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and to understand the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use. Regulators should consider these findings when developing policies related to e-cigarette use.

Fuller, Thomas W., Abhinav P. Acharya, Thiagarajan Meyyappan, Michelle Yu, Godugu Bhaskar, Steven R. Little, and Tatum V. Tarin. “Comparison of Bladder Carcinogens in the Urine of E-Cigarette Users Versus Non E-Cigarette Using Controls.” Scientific Reports 8, no. 1 (January 11, 2018): 507. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-19030-1.