Introduction:
This article investigates how the two main electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) solvents, propylene glycol (PG) and glycerol (GL), contribute to the formation of toxic volatile carbonyl compounds under controlled temperatures in the absence of nicotine and flavor additives. The study aims to develop a device-independent test method to evaluate carbonyl emissions from different e-cigarette liquids under precisely controlled temperatures.
Key Points:
* The study used a stainless steel, tubular reactor to vaporize PG, GL, PG:GL =1:1(wt/wt) mixture, and two commercial e-cigarette liquids.
* aerosols were collected and analyzed to quantify the amount of volatile carbonyls produced with each of the five e-liquids.
* Significant amounts of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were detected at reactor temperatures ≥215°C for both PG and GL.
* acrolein was observed only in e-liquids containing GL when reactor temperature exceeded 270°C.
* at 318°C, 2.03±0.80 μg of formaldehyde, 2.35±0.87 μg of acetaldehyde, and a trace amount of acetone were generated per milligram of PG.
* at the same temperature, 21.1±3.80 μg of formaldehyde, 2.40±0.99 μg of acetaldehyde, and 0.80±0.50 μg of facrolein were detected per milligram of GL.
* The estimated daily exposure to formaldehyde from e-cigarettes, exceeded United States Environmental Protection agency (USEPa) and California Office of Environmental health hazard assessment (OEhha) acceptable limits, emphasizing the need to further examine the potential cancer and non-cancer health risks associated with e-cigarette use.
Main Message:
The study demonstrates that PG and GL are the main sources of toxic carbonyl compounds from e-cigarette use, with GL producing much more formaldehyde than PG. The findings highlight the importance of controlling the temperature of e-cigarettes to minimize the formation of harmful carbonyls and the need for further research to ensure the safety of e-cigarette users and bystanders.
Citation
Wang, Ping, Wenhao Chen, Jiawen Liao, Toshiki Matsuo, Kazuhide Ito, Jeff Fowles, Dennis Shusterman, Mark Mendell, and Kazukiyo Kumagai. “a Device-Independent Evaluation of Carbonyl Emissions from heated Electronic Cigarette Solvents.” Edited by Samithamby Jeyaseelan. PLOS ONE 12, no. 1 (January 11, 2017): e0169811. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169811.
