title: Nicotine and toxicant yield ratings of electronic cigarette brands in New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse electronic cigarette (EC) brands available in New Zealand for nicotine and toxicant yield ratings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen EC brands were analysed before and after nicotine exhaustion for nicotine and nine for major toxicants. Concentration of nicotine and aldehydes in vapour was measured and compared with the nicotine and aldehydes in the smoke of a Marlboro cigarette.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ECs labelled as high strength (16-18+ mg nicotine) contained 5-46 mg nicotine. Nicotine EC brands yielded 19-93 mcg nicotine per puff compared to 147 mcg per puff for Marlboro cigarettes, and emitted 200 times less toxic aldehydes (acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and acrolein) than Marlboro cigarette smoke. Compared with the first generation EC, study ECs emitted 73% less aldehydes. Diethylene and monoethylene glycol were not detected in vapour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ECs available in New Zealand in 2013 exposed users to higher levels of nicotine than in older brands but lower than cigarettes, and to far lower levels of toxicants than cigarettes and earlier ECs, indicating potential as safer substitutes for tobacco.
authors.affiliation: Health New Zealand Ltd (a nicotine and tobacco research and policy consultancy), Christchurch, New Zealand. hnz@healthnz.co.nz.
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laugesen
mesh_terms: D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D009520:New Zealand; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine