E-cigarettes as a source of toxic and potentially carcinogenic metals

Hess, Catherine; Olmedo, Pablo; Navas‐Acien, Ana; Goessler, Walter; Cohen, Joanna E.; Rule, Ana M.

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2016.09.026

Cited by 215 publications

(166 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

155

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding was not surprising given that these metals have also been measured by other researchers in e-liquids (chromium, lead, and nickel) and in vapor from e-cigarettes (chromium, nickel, and copper) [Hess et al 2017;Williams et al 2013]. Some of the other elements that we detected on surfaces are found in human sweat (calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorous).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of chemical exposures at a vape shop.

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of chemical exposures at a vape shop.

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…On the other hand, it can be stipulated that the E-liquid used is not responsible for this Ni transfer since the level of all trace metals analyzed in the E-liquid were extremely low and no other studies, to our knowledge, show any different. Hess et al (2017) did find high concentrations of trace metal (specifically Cd, Cr, Pb, Mn, and Ni) in the E-liquid of five brands of ECIG cartridges, but this is not the same as E-liquid that has never touched an ECIG device. Thus, the variation in the levels of trace metals they reported could well be due to the brand of ECIG cartridges they tested and not the E-liquid per se .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Trace Metals Derived from Electronic Cigarette (ECIG) Generated Aerosol: Potential Problem of ECIG Devices That Contain Nickel

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: ECIGs are currently under scrutiny concerning their safety, particularly in reference to the impact ECIG liquids (E-liquids) have on human health. One concern is that aerosolized E-liquids contain trace metals that could become trapped in respiratory tissues and induce pathology.Methods: To mimic this trapping, peristaltic pumps were used to generate and transport aerosol onto mixed cellulose ester (MCE) membranes where aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were subsequently captured and quantified. The presence of trace metals on unexposed MCE membranes and on MCE membranes exposed to mainstream smoke served as control and comparison, respectively. The presence of these metals was also determined from the E-liquid before aerosolization and untouched by the ECIG device. All metals were quantified using ICP-MS. The ECIG core assembly was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy with elemental analysis capability.Results: The contents (μg) of Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn on control MCE membranes were 1.2 ± 0.2, 0.050 ± 0.002, 0.047 ± 0.003, 0.05 ± 0.01, 0.001 ± 0.001, 0.16 ± 0.04, 0.005 ± 0.003, 0.014 ± 0.006, and 0.09 ± 0.02, respectively. The contents of all trace metals on MCE membranes exposed to aerosol were similar to controls, except Ni which was significantly (p < 0.01) higher (0.024 ± 0.004 μg). In contrast, contents of Al, As, Fe, Mn, and Zn on MCE membranes exposed to smoke were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than controls. The contents of Al, As, Cu, Fe, and Mn on smoke-exposed MCE membranes were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) than their content on aerosol-exposed membranes. The contents per cigarette equivalent of metals in E-liquid before aerosolization were negligible compared to amounts of aerosolized E-liquid, except for Fe (0.002 μg before and 0.001 μg after). Elemental analysis of the core assembly reveals the presence of several of these trace metals, especially Al, Fe, Ni, and Zn.Conclusions: In general, from the single ECIG-device/E-liquid combination used, the amount of trace metals from ECIG-generated aerosol are lower than in traditional mainstream smoke, Only Ni in the ECIG-generated aerosol was higher than control. The most probable source of Ni in this aerosol is the core assembly.

show abstract

“…Hazardous chemicals such as toxic carbonyl compounds (acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and acrolein) have been detected in e-cigarette emissions (Geiss et al, 2015; Kosmider et al, 2014). Other toxicants of concern include metals, which could be transferred from the heating coil to the e-cigarette liquid (Hess et al, 2016) and the vapor (Saffari et al, 2014). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A direct method for e-cigarette aerosol sample collection

Olmedo

Navas‐Acien

Hess

et al. 2016

Environmental Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

E-cigarette use is increasing in populations around the world. Recent evidence has shown that the aerosol produced by e-cigarettes can contain a variety of toxicants. Published studies characterizing toxicants in e-cigarette aerosol have relied on filters, impingers or sorbent tubes, which are methods that require diluting or extracting the sample in a solution during collection. We have developed a collection system that directly condenses e-cigarette aerosol samples for chemical and toxicological analyses. The collection system consists of several cut pipette tips connected with short pieces of tubing. The pipette tip-based collection system can be connected to a peristaltic pump, a vacuum pump, or directly to an e-cigarette user for the e-cigarette aerosol to flow through the system. The pipette tip-based system condenses the aerosol produced by the e-cigarette and collects a liquid sample that is ready for analysis without the need of intermediate extraction solutions. We tested a total of 20 e-cigarettes from 5 different brands commercially available in Maryland. The pipette tip-based collection system condensed between 0.23 and 0.53 mL of post-vaped e-liquid after 150 puffs. The proposed method is highly adaptable, can be used during field work and in experimental settings, and allows collecting aerosol samples from a wide variety of e-cigarette devices, yielding a condensate of the likely exact substance that is being delivered to the lungs.

show abstract

E-cigarettes as a source of toxic and potentially carcinogenic metals

Cited by 215 publications

References 33 publications

Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of chemical exposures at a vape shop.

Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of chemical exposures at a vape shop.

Trace Metals Derived from Electronic Cigarette (ECIG) Generated Aerosol: Potential Problem of ECIG Devices That Contain Nickel

A direct method for e-cigarette aerosol sample collection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About