Summary
The review article discusses several studies related to biomarkers of exposure and systemic toxicity in ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) or e-cigarette users. here are the key findings:
1. a study on liminary study of non-invasive biomarkers found that electronic cigarette liquids, aerosols, and human biosamples contain various metal/metalloid levels. (Zhao et al., 2017)
2. another study analyzed cadmium and lead exposure in cigarette smokers who switched to electronic cigarettes, revealing reduced cadmium and lead exposure after the switch. (Prokopowicz et al., 2019)
3. Biomarkers of potential harm: a summary of an FDa-Sponsored Public Workshop discussed the importance of developing biomarkers for assessing the harm caused by tobacco products. (Chang et al., 2019)
4. Biomarkers of tobacco exposure: a summary of an FDa-Sponsored Public Workshop discussed the development of biomarkers for monitoring tobacco exposure. (Chang et al., 2017)
5. The review highlights a study on cytokines and chemokines as inflammatory biomarkers, with significantly higher levels found in e-cigarette users compared to nonsmokers. (McDonough et al., 2021, using data from Cox et al., 2016)
6. The review also mentions that exposure to certain toxicants such as benzaldehyde, a chemical used in many flavored e-cigarettes, is higher than the recommended levels. (McDonough et al., 2021, citing Kosmider et al., 2014)
In summary, the review presents evidence of reduced exposure to harmful substances like cadmium and lead after switching from traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes. however, e-cigarette users still show higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers compared to nonsmokers. Exposure to certain toxicants from e-cigarettes may also exceed recommended levels. Further studies are needed to validate these biomarkers for clinical and regulatory use.
Citation
McDonough SR, Rahman I, Sundar IK. Recent updates on biomarkers of exposure and systemic toxicity in e-cigarette users and EVaLI. american journal of physiology Lung cellular and molecular physiology. 2021;320(5):L661-L679. doi:10.1152/ajplung.00520.2020
