Levels of selected carcinogens and toxicants in vapour from electronic cigarettes

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a scientific study examining the levels of various carcinogens and toxicants in the vapor produced by electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). The study compares the levels of these substances in e-cigarette vapor to those found in cigarette smoke and a nicotine inhaler.

Key Points:

* The study analyzed 12 brands of e-cigarettes and one nicotine inhalator.
* Four groups of potentially toxic and carcinogenic compounds were studied: carbonyls, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and metals.
* The e-cigarette vapor was found to contain some toxic substances, but the levels were much lower (9-450 times) than those found in cigarette smoke and comparable to trace amounts found in the nicotine inhalator.
* The study focused on four carbonyl compounds (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and o-methylbenzaldehyde), two VOCs (toluene and m,p-xylene), two tobacco-specific nitrosamines (NNN and NNK), and three metals (cadmium, nickel, and lead).
* The nicotine inhalator did not contain any of the compounds analyzed.
* The study used a smoking machine to generate vapor from e-cigarettes and a nicotine inhalator, and then analyzed the vapor using various chromatographic and spectroscopy methods.
* The study notes that the puffing profile used in the study may not reflect actual user puff topography, and that actual doses of toxicants inhaled by e-cigarette users might be higher.

Main Message:
The main message of the study is that e-cigarette vapor contains some toxic substances, but the levels are much lower than those found in cigarette smoke. The study supports the idea that substituting tobacco cigarettes with electronic cigarettes may substantially reduce exposure to tobacco-specific toxicants. however, further study is needed to fully understand the potential health effects of e-cigarette use.

Goniewicz, Maciej Lukasz, Jakub Knysak, Michal Gawron, Leon Kosmider, andrzej Sobczak, Jolanta Kurek, adam Prokopowicz, et al. “Levels of Selected Carcinogens and Toxicants in Vapour from Electronic Cigarettes.” Tobacco Control 23, no. 2 (March 2014): 133–39. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2012-050859.