Summary
Introduction:
This text is a summary of a research study investigating the emissions of volatile aldehydes from sub-ohm vaping devices. The study aims to characterize e-liquid consumption and volatile aldehyde emissions for several popular high-power configurations of atomizers and to quantify the potential exposures, comparing them with other types of e-cigarettes.
Key points:
* The study used a SMOK Stick V8 kit, including a TFV8 Big Baby tank, a constant voltage battery, two V8 Baby-M2 Core dual coils, and a USB cable for recharging. additional coils were purchased online from an e-cigarette retailer in the USa.
* The e-liquid used in the study was Naked100 Euro Gold tobacco flavored, with a nicotine concentration of 6 mg mL-1 and a vegetable glycerin to propylene glycol ratio of 65%-35%.
* The experimental setup included a laboratory-made setup with stainless-steel Swagelok connectors to collect samples. The e-cigarette was used according to the manufacturer's instructions, with 4 s duration puffs and inter-puff periods of 30 s.
* The study explored the effect of puff volume, dilution airflow, and coil assembly configuration on e-liquid consumption and volatile aldehyde emissions.
* The results showed that the mass of liquid consumed per puff increased as the puff volume increased from 50 to 100 mL, then remained relatively constant for larger puff volumes.
* Carbonyl emission rates were systematically evaluated, and the highest formaldehyde emissions were observed for the lowest puff volume (50 mL) and closed air vents (48 ng mg-1).
* The amount of liquid evaporated per puff decreased as the coil resistance increased, and the temperature measured in the mouthpiece was the highest for the 0.15 Ω dual coil, followed by the 0.15 Ω quadruple and octuple coils.
Main message:
The study highlights the importance of investigating new vaping technologies and practices that may lead to exposures to harmful chemicals. The research shows that sub-ohm vaping devices can emit volatile aldehydes, which can be harmful to users and indoor air quality. The study's findings can inform regulatory measures and public health policies to minimize the potential health risks associated with e-cigarette use.
Citation
Cancelada L, Tang X, Russell ML, et al. Volatile aldehyde emissions from “sub-ohm” vaping devices. Environmental research. 2021;197:111188. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111188
