title: Particulate metals and organic compounds from electronic and tobacco-containing cigarettes: comparison of emission rates and secondhand exposure.
abstract: In recent years, electronic cigarettes have gained increasing popularity as alternatives to normal (tobacco-containing) cigarettes. In the present study, particles generated by e-cigarettes and normal cigarettes have been analyzed and the degree of exposure to different chemical agents and their emission rates were quantified. Despite the 10-fold decrease in the total exposure to particulate elements in e-cigarettes compared to normal cigarettes, specific metals (e.g. Ni and Ag) still displayed a higher emission rate from e-cigarettes. Further analysis indicated that the contribution of e-liquid to the emission of these metals is rather minimal, implying that they likely originate from other components of the e-cigarette device or other indoor sources. Organic species had lower emission rates during e-cigarette consumption compared to normal cigarettes. Of particular note was the non-detectable emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from e-cigarettes, while substantial emission of these species was observed from normal cigarettes. Overall, with the exception of Ni, Zn, and Ag, the consumption of e-cigarettes resulted in a remarkable decrease in secondhand exposure to all metals and organic compounds. Implementing quality control protocols on the manufacture of e-cigarettes would further minimize the emission of metals from these devices and improve their safety and associated health effects.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, USA. sioutas@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Arian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saffari
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Daher
authors.forename: Ario
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruprecht
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pozzi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boffi
authors.forename: Samera H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hamad
authors.forename: Martin M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shafer
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Schauer
authors.forename: Dane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Westerdahl
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sioutas
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D062789:Tobacco Products; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D008670:Metals; D052638:Particulate Matter; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution