Chemical characterisation of the vapour emitted by an e-cigarette using a ceramic wick-based technology.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the emissions generated by an e-cigarette using a ceramic wick-based technology and compares them with conventional cigarette smoke. The study focuses on the quantification of a wide range of harmful and Potentially harmful Constituents (hPhCs) in the combustible cigarette smoke and the e-cigarette vapour emissions from the new pod/cartridge generation e-cigarettes using this technology.

Key Points:

* The e-cigarette device used in the study is a Vype ePod1.0, which consists of a metallic outer device case, a printed circuit board, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and an e-cigarette cartridge or pod.
* The e-liquids tested were Berry Blast flavour with nicotine levels of 57 and 18 mg/mL, both containing equivalent amounts of VG and PG (50:50, %w/w) and different types of nicotine salt.
* The Ky1R6F reference standard cigarette used as a comparator is an unflavoured US-blended king-sized product with a cellulose acetate filter, an aerosol nicotine level of 1.9 ± 0.1 mg cig−1, and a tar yield of 29 ± 2 mg cig−1 as measured by the ISO Intense smoking regime.
* Sample generation and emissions testing were conducted by Labstat International ULC using a rotary or linear smoking machine.
* The analytical methods used are based on health Canada methods for cigarette smoke analysis and adapted for use with e-cigarettes where necessary.
* The percentage reduction in e-cigarette emissions was calculated relative to the Ky1R6F reference cigarette for some toxicants, and imputed values were used when the emissions were below the LOD or LOq.
* The study found that the e-cigarette tested is unlikely to be risk-free, but the results demonstrate that this ceramic wick-based device can offer considerably lower toxicant exposure when compared with combustible cigarettes under the tested conditions used in the study.

Main Message:
The study emphasizes the importance of continually characterizing the vapour emitted by newly developed e-cigarette devices relative to the smoke from combusted cigarettes in order to understand the chemical composition of the emissions. While the e-cigarette tested is unlikely to be risk-free, the results show that this ceramic wick-based device can offer considerably lower toxicant exposure when compared with combustible cigarettes under the tested conditions used in the study. Further pre-clinical in vitro, clinical and population studies are needed to evaluate the exposure of those toxicants and associated risks at an individual and populational level.

Pinto MI, Thissen J, hermes N, Cunningham a, Digard h, Murphy J. Chemical characterisation of the vapour emitted by an e-cigarette using a ceramic wick-based technology. Scientific reports. 2022;12(1):16497. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19761-w