high-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry analysis of Carbonyl Emissions from E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products.

Introduction:
This article presents a new analytical method for measuring four harmful carbonyls in aerosols generated by e-cigarette, or vaping, products (EVPs). The study aims to quantify aerosolized chemicals and assess potential health harm related to chronic inhalation of these chemicals. The method uses a commercially available sorbent bed treated with a derivatization solution to trap and stabilize reactive carbonyls in aerosol emissions from EVPs. analytes were extracted from the sorbent material using acetonitrile and analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (hPLC-MS/MS). The method was applied to aerosols generated from products obtained from case patients with EVP use-associated lung injury (EVaLI).

Key Points:

* The study developed a new analytical method for measuring four harmful carbonyls in aerosols generated by EVPs.
* The method uses a commercially available sorbent bed treated with a derivatization solution to trap and stabilize reactive carbonyls in aerosol emissions from EVPs.
* analytes were extracted from the sorbent material using acetonitrile and analyzed via hPLC-MS/MS.
* The method was applied to aerosols generated from products obtained from case patients with EVP use-associated lung injury (EVaLI).
* The method accuracy ranged from 93.6 to 105% in the solvent and 99.0 to 112% in the matrix.
* Limits of detection (LODs) were in the low nanogram range at 0.735 -2.10 ng for all analytes, except formaldehyde at 14.7 ng.
* Intermediate precision, as determined from replicate measurements of quality-control (qC) samples, showed a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 20% for all analytes.
* The EVaLI case-related products delivered aerosol containing the following ranges of carbonyls: acetaldehyde (0.0856 -5.59 μg), acrolein (0.00646 -1.05 μg), crotonaldehyde (0.00168 -0.108 μg), and formaldehyde (0.0533 -12.6 μg).
* at least one carbonyl analyte was detected in every product.
* Carbonyl deliveries from EVaLI-associated products of all types are consistent with previously published results for e-cigarettes, and levels are lower than those observed in smoke from combustible cigarettes.

Main Message:
The study developed a new analytical method for measuring four harmful carbonyls in aerosols generated by EVPs. The method was validated and applied to aerosols generated from products obtained from case patients with EVP use-associated lung injury (EVaLI). The method is rugged, has high throughput, and is well suited for quantifying four harmful carbonyls in aerosol emissions produced by a broad spectrum of devices/solvents, ranging from e-cigarette containing polar solvents to vaping products containing nonpolar solvents. The study found that carbonyl deliveries from EVaLI-associated products of all types are consistent with previously published results for e-cigarettes, and levels are lower than those observed in smoke from combustible cigarettes. This method could be useful in assessing potential health harm related to chronic inhalation of these chemicals in EVPs.

McGuigan M, Chapman G, Lewis E, Watson Ch, Blount BC, Valentin-Blasini L. high-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry analysis of Carbonyl Emissions from E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products. aCS omega. 2022;7(9):7655-7661. doi:10.1021/acsomega.1c06321