The Percent Composition of Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen on a Nitrocellulose Filter after Exposure to Vaping or Smoking

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes are at the center of much controversy concerning their safety relative to conventional cigarettes. This study investigates the effect vaping electronic cigarettes, compared to smoking conventional cigarettes, has on the percentages of carbon (C), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N) that makeup a nitrocellulose filter (13 mm diameter, 5µm pore size), and serves as a basic index of the relative impact vaping and smoking have on the respiratory tract. A peristaltic pump (400 ml/min) is used to impact air (n=4), vape (n=4) or smoke (n=4) onto nitrocellulose filters housed inside an in‐line chamber. These filters were exposed to air, vape or smoke during 45 cycles of a 5 second puff followed by a 10 second rest period. Virgin filters not exposed to air, vape or smoke served as control (n=4). The percentages of C, O and N for each exposed filter were determined using scanning electron microscopy with X‐ray microanalysis. The percentage of C in control filters and filters exposed to air, vape and smoke were 46.3 ± 0.3%, 46.6 ± 0.5%, 45.3 ± 0.2% and 73.5 ± 0.3%, respectively. The percentage of O in control filters and filters exposed to air, vape and smoke were 39.8 ± 0.3%, 39.7 ± 0.6%, 44.5 ± 0.3% and 15.9 ± 0.3%, respectively. The percentage of N in control filters and filters exposed to air, vape and smoke were 9.2 ± 0.2%, 9.2 ± 0.4%%, 9.1 ± 0.1% and 8.2 ± 0.3%, respectively. This study indicates that smoking, but not vaping, significantly (p < 0.001) increases the C to O ratio on the nitrocellulose filter, implying that smokers may be more at risk for development of inflammatory or other respiratory pathology.This work is supported by a Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine internal grant.