Summary
In this research, the concentrations of six heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Ni, Fe, Cd, and Cr) in electronic cigarette (EC)
solutions were determined to assess their association with EC use patterns. To this end, their contents were
analyzed under three conditions: (1) ECL 1: EC liquid was directly taken from EC liquid bottles as purchased from
retail, (2) ECL II: EC liquid simply stored in the EC clearomizer for a certain period was collected without any
puffing, and (3) ECL III: EC liquid remaining in the EC clearomizer after puffing. Each of all three types of
electronic cigarette liquid (ECL) samples selected in this study was analyzed after being stored for up to seven
days (at elapsed intervals of 1, 3, and 7 days). Zn and Pb were detected in all types of samples while Cd was all
below method detection limit (MDL). Fe, Ni, and Cr were generally below MDL in ECL I, while it was not the case
for ECL II and III samples. Especially, Zn, Pb, and Ni levels increased significantly with the use of EC. If the
consumption of EC causes alterations in elemental content, such changes can be assessed in terms of ratio values
such as "after/ before use ". The maximum ratio values for each target, when assessed using ECL III samples, were
seen in the following order: 463 (Zn) > 315 (Ni) > 131 (Fe) > 47.9 (Cr) > 36.0 (Pb). As such, EC use is
clearly demonstrated as the transfer route of heavy metals.
Citation
Na, Chae-Jin, Sang-hee Jo, Ki-hyun Kim, Jong-Ryeul Sohn, and Youn-Suk Son. “The Transfer Characteristics of heavy Metals in Electronic Cigarette Liquid.” Environmental Research 174 (July 2019): 152–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.04.025.
