Pilot Study on Exhaled Breath Analysis for a Healthy Adult Population in Hawaii

Abstract

Fast diagnostic results using breath analysis are an anticipated possibility for disease diagnosis or general health screenings. Tests that do not require sending specimens to medical laboratories possess capabilities to speed patient diagnosis and protect both patient and healthcare staff from unnecessary prolonged exposure. The objective of this work was to develop testing procedures on an initial healthy subject cohort in Hawaii to act as a range-finding pilot study for characterizing the baseline of exhaled breath prior to further research. Using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), this study analyzed exhaled breath from a healthy adult population in Hawaii to profile the range of different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and survey Hawaii-specific differences. The most consistently reported compounds in the breath profile of individuals were acetic acid, dimethoxymethane, benzoic acid methyl ester, and n-hexane. In comparison to other breathprinting studies, the list of compounds discovered was representative of control cohorts. This must be considered when implementing proposed breath diagnostics in new locations with increased interpersonal variation due to diversity. Further studies on larger numbers of subjects over longer periods of time will provide additional foundational data on baseline breath VOC profiles of control populations for comparison to disease-positive cohorts.

Exposure, Retention, Exhalation, Symptoms, and Environmental Accumulation of Chemicals During JUUL Vaping

“…Triacetin, a PG and G related chemical, was found only in EC users’ exhaled aerosol and was elevated shortly after vaping, suggesting rapid formation in the oral cavity. Acetophenone and benzaldehyde were identified in both EC user and control breath, and they are common chemicals found in human breath. , The presence of triacetin in the exhaled aerosol of vapers suggests it may be an exposure biomarker related to JUUL use.…”

“…Acetophenone and benzaldehyde were identified in both EC user and control breath, and they are common chemicals found in human breath. 64,65 The presence of triacetin in the exhaled aerosol of vapers suggests it may be an exposure biomarker related to JUUL use.…”