Insights from two industrial hygiene pilot e-cigarette passive vaping studies

Introduction:
This text discusses two pilot studies on e-cigarette passive vaping conducted using industrial hygiene sampling methodology. The studies aimed to measure indoor air concentrations of various chemicals during the use of e-cigarettes in a well-characterized room. The key points and main message of the text are summarized below.

Key Points:

* The first study measured nicotine, menthol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and total particulates during e-cigarette use.
* The second study repeated the first study and added formaldehyde measurements.
* Active sampling, near real-time and direct measurement techniques were used.
* Industrial hygiene sampling methodology and analytical methods established by NIOSH and OSHA were incorporated.
* Active samples were collected over a 12-hr period for 4 days, with background measurements taken before and after vaping.
* A total of 185 panelists in Study 1 and 145 panelists in Study 2 used menthol and non-menthol MarkTen prototype e-cigarettes.
* Results showed that the majority of chemical constituents were below quantifiable levels, except for formaldehyde, which was detected at consistent levels during all sampling periods.

Main Message:
The two studies found that indoor vaping of MarkTen prototype e-cigarettes does not produce airborne levels of chemical ingredients (e.g., menthol, nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol or total suspended particulates) above the limit of quantitation of the standard industrial hygiene sampling and analytical methods used. However, formaldehyde levels were detected, but they were within the range of background levels recorded on all days in Study 2. Therefore, the studies suggest that e-cigarette vaping does not significantly contribute to indoor air pollution, but further research is needed to better understand the presence of formaldehyde in e-cigarette vapor.

Maloney, John C., Michael K. Thompson, Michael J. Oldham, Charles L. Stiff, Patrick D. Lilly, George J. Patskan, Kenneth H. Shafer, and Mohamadi A. Sarkar. “Insights from Two Industrial Hygiene Pilot E-Cigarette Passive Vaping Studies.” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 13, no. 4 (April 2, 2016): 275–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2015.1116693.