Toxicity assessment of flavour chemicals used in e-cigarettes: current state and future challenges

Barhdadi, Sophia; Rogiers, Vera; Deconinck, Éric; Vanhaecke, Tamara

doi:10.1007/s00204-021-03080-6

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Further, it is important to note that PG and G from different e-liquid brands can produce different levels of carbonyls. In addition, batch-to-batch differences from a same product have previously been reported [ 36 ]. Thus, the results presented herein may be brand-specific rather than solely e-liquid type-specific, and therefore may not be generalizable to all e-liquids.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbonyl Profiles of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) Aerosols Reflect Both the Chemical Composition and the Numbers of E-Liquid Ingredients–Focus on the In Vitro Toxicity of Strawberry and Vanilla Flavors

Noël¹,

Ghosh²

2022

IJERPH

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Propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin (G) are the most widely used humectants in electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) devices. Carbonyls are present in aerosols produced when ENDS devices heat PG and G. Whether aerosolized PG and G are innocuous to the lungs has not been established. Here, we determined the chemical profiles of ENDS aerosols containing three humectant ratios (30/70, 50/50 and 70/30, PG/VG), for three flavors (strawberry, vanilla and Catalan cream) containing either 12 or 18 mg/mL of nicotine. Additionally, we examined the in vitro toxicity of the strawberry- and vanilla-flavored ENDS aerosol in human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) exposed at the air-liquid interface for 1 h. For strawberry- and vanilla-flavored aerosols produced by a 3rd-generation ENDS device with the same PG/G ratio, the e-liquid nicotine content of 12 and 18 mg/mL did not transfer to the aerosol with substantial differences in concentrations. Our data also indicate the presence of carbonyls in all three flavored e-cig aerosols analyzed, with levels exceeding 1 µg/puff for acetone, butyraldehyde, and acetaldehyde, in strawberry-, vanilla, and Catalan cream-flavored e-cig aerosols, respectively. Furthermore, closed-system ENDS of the fourth generation emitted trace levels of carbonyls in the aerosols (<0.3 µg/puff), while open-system tank-style ENDS of the third generation produced elevated levels of harmful chemicals, including acrolein (>1 µg/puff), formaldehyde (>5 µg/puff), and m- & p-tolualdehyde (>4 µg/puff). Moreover, under non-cytotoxic conditions, BEAS-2B cells exposed to strawberry-flavored aerosols exhibited significantly increased reactive oxygen and nitric oxide species (ROS/NOS) levels in cell media compared to air controls, while vanilla-flavored ENDS aerosols up-regulated the expression of pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Our data suggest (a) that ENDS aerosol chemical composition will vary based upon the presence and concentration of the initial e-liquid ingredients, with a pronounced impact of the flavoring components; and (b) short-term exposures to flavored ENDS aerosols may impair lung cells’ redox signaling in a flavor-specific manner.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbonyl Profiles of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) Aerosols Reflect Both the Chemical Composition and the Numbers of E-Liquid Ingredients–Focus on the In Vitro Toxicity of Strawberry and Vanilla Flavors

Noël¹,

Ghosh²

2022

IJERPH

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“…Therefore, limiting or banning flavor could be the most significant means of preventing youth from adopting the use of e-cigarettes [21,22]. Several studies have shown that the flavors in e-cigarettes can cause health problems [23,24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Product variety and regulation avoidance in the sale of new tobacco products: findings from a point-of-sale survey in Indonesia

Bigwanto

Muhammad²,

Widad³

et al. 2022

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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Background Since the imposition of the 2018 excise tax, new tobacco products (electronic nicotine delivery system, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches) have been considered legal, and their sale has grown rapidly in Indonesia. This study aims to assess the variety of new tobacco products available on the market and evaluate the point-of-sale (POS) environment. Methods Data collection was carried out by 12 trained surveyors between March 7 and 13, 2022, in three provinces that had the most e-cigarette users: Yogyakarta, East Kalimantan, and Jakarta. All the vape stores with a Google rating of 4.5 stars or higher and a minimum of 100 reviews were included. In addition to vape stores, the nearest retail stores were included. The data collected included information about available products, product displays, and whether the POS followed tobacco-control measures, such as health warnings and smoke-free regulations. Results A total of 27 vape stores and 35 retail stores were observed. The available liquid volumes ranged from 15 to 100 ml, with nicotine levels from 3 to 50 mg. No stores sold flavorless products, and all the products were sold without pictorial health warnings (PHWs). Most of the vape stores (92.6%) reported selling products that used cartoon images or public figures, and most (96.3%) allowed customers to use the products inside the store. Five vape stores and four retail stores reported that they did not require customers to undergo an identity-verification process to buy products. More than half (55.6%) of the vape stores and 46.6% of the retail stores reported that they were located less than 500 m from a school. Conclusion The available products were widely varied, and they were easy to access through online and offline stores. The new tobacco products had successfully avoided several tobacco-control measures, including smoke-free regulations and the appearance of PHWs on the products. The government needs to impose regulations sufficient to prevent youth from consuming new tobacco products.

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“…Smoke flavourings as food additives and in E-cigarettes are both based on the same concept, namely to remove the most toxic substances produced from natural combustion, while retaining flavouring compounds. Cell-based bioassays have been used for hazard evaluation of cigarette smoke constituents, but we are not aware of a similar approach for hazard evaluation of liquid smoke flavourings (Barhdadi et al 2021 ; Moore et al 2020 ; Rudd et al 2020 ; Stabbert et al 2017 ). Even if the route of exposure differs between E-cigarettes and liquid smoke flavourings, both will reach the systemic circulation after absorption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was concluded that less cytotoxicity in the neutral red uptake (NRU) assay and no mutagenicity (Ames test) or genotoxicity (MN test) was seen for E-cigarettes, compared to the reference cigarette. However, it is not agreed within the research field that e-cigarettes should be considered as safer, as these liquids may contain genotoxicants (Barhdadi et al 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An in vitro-based hazard assessment of liquid smoke food flavourings

et al. 2021

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Liquid smoke products are widely used as a food additive to create a desired smoke flavour. These products may contain hazardous chemicals generated during the wood-burning process. However, the toxic effects of these types of hazardous chemicals constituting in the commercially available products are largely unknown. Therefore, a test battery of cell-based in vitro methods, covering different modes of actions of high relevance to human health, was applied to study liquid smoke products. Ten liquid smoke flavourings were tested as non-extracted and extracted. To assess the potential drivers of toxicity, we used two different solvents. The battery of in vitro methods covered estrogenicity, androgenicity, oxidative stress, aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity and genotoxicity. The non-extracted samples were tested at concentrations 0.002 to 1 μL liquid smoke flavouring/mL culture medium, while extracted samples were tested from 0.003 to 200 μL/mL. Genotoxicity was observed for nearly all non-extracted and all hexane-extracted samples, in which the former had higher potency. No genotoxicity was observed for ethyl acetate-extracted samples. Oxidative stress was activated by almost all extracted and non-extracted samples, while approximately half of the samples had aryl hydrocarbon receptor and estrogen receptor activities. This study used effect-based methods to evaluate the complex mixtures of liquid smoke flavourings. The increased bioactivities seen upon extractions indicate that non-polar chemicals are driving the genotoxicity, while polar substances are increasing oxidative stress and cytotoxic responses. The differences in responses indicate that non-extracted products contain chemicals that are able to antagonize toxic effects, and upon extraction, the protective substances are lost.

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Toxicity assessment of flavour chemicals used in e-cigarettes: current state and future challenges

Cited by 11 publications

References 19 publications

Carbonyl Profiles of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) Aerosols Reflect Both the Chemical Composition and the Numbers of E-Liquid Ingredients–Focus on the In Vitro Toxicity of Strawberry and Vanilla Flavors

Carbonyl Profiles of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) Aerosols Reflect Both the Chemical Composition and the Numbers of E-Liquid Ingredients–Focus on the In Vitro Toxicity of Strawberry and Vanilla Flavors

Product variety and regulation avoidance in the sale of new tobacco products: findings from a point-of-sale survey in Indonesia

An in vitro-based hazard assessment of liquid smoke food flavourings

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