Improving the analysis of E-Cigarette Emissions: Detecting human “Dry Puff” Conditions in a Laboratory as Validated by a Panel of Experienced Vapers.

Introduction:
This article presents a method to detect and avoid dry puff conditions when analyzing e-cigarette emissions in a laboratory. Dry puff conditions can result in an overestimation of toxicant levels, particularly certain carbonyls, and should be avoided to ensure accurate risk assessments. The method described in this study is a useful tool for regulatory purposes and risk assessments.

Key Points:

* Dry puff conditions can result in an overestimation of toxicant levels in e-cigarette emissions.
* a method to detect and avoid dry puff conditions is presented, based on the analysis of 11 carbonyl compounds in the emissions.
* The method is validated by a panel of experienced e-cigarette users who assessed the intensity of the burnt off-flavor associated with dry puffs.
* The human assessment of dry puff flavor was found to match the laboratory measurements for all combinations of e-liquids and coils examined.
* Dry puff flavor was observed at different power levels with the different liquids tested.
* The described method can detect dry puff conditions and is therefore a useful tool to ensure user-relevant conditions in laboratory analyses of e-cigarette emissions.
* Compared to the approach of using human volunteers to select appropriate power settings for different products by taste, the described method is cheaper, faster, more practical and more ethical.

Main Message:
The study improves the chemical analysis of e-cigarette emissions by offering a method to select an appropriate power setting for e-cigarettes. This is a critical parameter for emission analysis and therefore important for regulatory purposes and risk assessments. The described method is cheaper, faster, more practical and more ethical than relying on human volunteers to select power settings by taste.

Visser WF, Krüsemann EJZ, Klerx WNM, Boer K, Weibolt N, Talhout R. Improving the analysis of E-Cigarette Emissions: Detecting human “Dry Puff” Conditions in a Laboratory as Validated by a Panel of Experienced Vapers. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2021;18(21). doi:10.3390/ijerph182111520