Influence of electronic cigarette vaping on the composition of indoor organic pollutants, particles, and exhaled breath of bystanders

Abstract

The changes of particles and organic pollutants in indoor atmospheres as consequence of vaping with electronic cigarettes have been analyzed. Changes in the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath of non-smoking volunteers present in the vaping environments have also been studied. The exposure experiments involved non-vaping (n = 5) and vaping (n = 5) volunteers staying 12 h together in a room (54 m 2) without external ventilation. The same experiment was repeated without vaping for comparison. Changes in the distributions of particles in the 8-400 nm range were observed, involving losses of nucleation-mode particles (below 20 nm) and increases of coagulation processes leading to larger size particles. In quantitative terms, vaping involved doubling the indoor concentrations of particles smaller than 10 μm, 5 μm, and 1 μm observed during no vaping. The increase of particle mass concentrations was probably produced from bulk ingredients of the e-liquid exhaled by the e-cigarette users. Black carbon concentrations in the indoor and outdoor air were similar in the presence and absence of electronic cigarette emissions. Changes in the qualitative composition of PAHs were observed when comparing vaping and non-vaping days. The nicotine concentrations were examined separately in the gas and in the particulate phases showing that most of the differences between both days were recorded in the former. The particulate phase should therefore be included in nicotine monitoring during vaping (and smoking). The concentration increases of nicotine and formaldehyde were small when compared with those described in other studies of indoor atmospheres or health regulatory thresholds. No significant changes were observed when comparing the concentrations of exhaled breath in vaping and no vaping days. Even the exhaled breath nicotine concentrations in both conditions were similar. As expected, toluene, xylenes, benzene, ethylbenzene, and naphthalene did not show increases in the vaping days since combustion was not involved.

Environmental and individual exposure to secondhand aerosol of electronic cigarettes in confined spaces: Results from the TackSHS Project †

“…E‐cigarette use increases indoor PM 2.5 concentration, as shown by a significantly higher concentration during e‐cigarette use (vs. pre‐exposure) at both near‐ and far‐field exposure. This trend was in line with previous experimental studies which showed an increase in PM 2.5 concentration during puffing period to a mean concentration level that ranged from 20 to 290 μg/m 3 9–11 . In an extreme situation, a study conducted during an e‐cigarette convention found that the concentration of PM 2.5 was able to reach as high as 819 µg/m 3 , 12 levels that are higher than in hookah cafes and bars that allow smoking inside 47 .…”

“…Unlike the present study, previous experiments showed an increased concentration of airborne nicotine during e‐cigarette use period. However, these studies had longer periods of e‐cigarette use, from 2 to 12 hours, involved more than one user at a time, and did not employ ad libitum use 9,10,40 . The unquantifiable concentration of airborne nicotine in this study may be because the method only captured the nicotine in the gas phase, not particle phase, thus, underestimating the chemicals present 50 .…”

“…Unlike secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS), SHA originates from the aerosol exhaled by an e‐cigarette user only, because e‐cigarettes do not produce sidestream emissions 4 . Nevertheless, many studies reported that SHA contains hazardous compounds such as nicotine, particulate matter (PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 ), volatile organic compounds, propylene glycol (PG), glycerol, metals, tobacco‐specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), and flavorings 5‐9 …”

Organic Air Quality Markers of Indoor and Outdoor PM2.5 Aerosols in Primary Schools from Barcelona

“…Airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter lower than 2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ) are mainly constituted of carbonaceous materials, including elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) [1,2] and contain thousands of organic compounds that contribute to their toxic potential [3][4][5]. Combustion by-products generated during fossil fuel or biomass burning are responsible for a significant fraction of these toxic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [6][7][8] which may be found both in outdoor and indoor atmospheres [9,10].…”

Effects of flavoring compounds used in electronic cigarette refill liquids on endothelial and vascular function

“…Since e-cigs do not burn tobacco, vaping is not associated with the inhalation of combustion products. The analytical studies currently available show that at normal usage of the products the harmful constituents of tobacco smoke are either absent or present only in trace amounts in the inhaled aerosol [2, 3] and in the air of closed rooms after vaping [4, 5]. Some researchers described e-cig vapor as being similarly harmful as tobacco smoke because of the emission of particulate matter without considering the difference between the harmful solid particles in smoke and benign liquid droplets in e-cig aerosols [6].…”