title: Detection of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural in the aerosol of electronic cigarettes.
abstract: The wide availability of sweet flavours has been hypothesised as a factor in the popularity of electronic cigarette (ECIG), especially among youth. Saccharides, which are commonly used to impart a sweet flavour to ECIG liquids, thermally degrade to produce toxic compounds, like aldehydes and furans. This study investigates the formation of furanic compounds in aerosols when ECIG liquid solutions of varying sweetener concentrations are vaped under different power and puff duration.
  
  
  
  Liquids are prepared by mixing aqueous sucrose, glucose or sorbitol solutions to a 70/30 propylene glycol/glycerin solution. Aerosols are generated and trapped on filter pads using a commercially available ECIG operating at 4.3 and 10.8 W and 4 and 8 s puff duration. Extraction, elimination of matrix interference and quantification are achieved using novel solid phase extraction and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry methods (GC-MS).
  
  
  
  Well-resolved GC peaks of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (FA) are detected. Both HMF and FA are quantified in the aerosols of sweet-flavoured e-liquids under various vaping conditions. Levels of furan emissions are significantly correlated with electric power and sweetener concentration and not with puff duration. Unlike saccharides, the formation of HMF and FA from a sugar alcohol is negligible.
  
  
  
  The addition of sweeteners to ECIG liquids exposes ECIG user to furans, a toxic class of compounds. Under certain conditions, the per-puff yield of HMF and FA in ECIG emissions is comparable to values reported for combustible cigarettes.
authors: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Chemistry Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.|Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Soussy
authors: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Chemistry Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.|Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors: Ahmad
authors: A
authors: El-Hellani
authors: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Chemistry Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.|Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors: Rima
authors: R
authors: Baalbaki
authors: Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.|Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Mechanical Engineering Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors: Rola
authors: R
authors: Salman
authors: Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.|Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Mechanical Engineering Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Shihadeh
authors: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Chemistry Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.|Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors: Najat A
authors: NA
authors: Saliba
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D005421:Flavoring Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D005662:Furaldehyde / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D005947:Glucose / Q000737:chemistry; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000737:chemistry; D013395:Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D000072137:Vaping
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D013012:Sorbitol; D013395:Sucrose; C008046:5-hydroxymethylfurfural; D005662:Furaldehyde; D005947:Glucose
keywords: Carcinogens; Electronic nicotine delivery devices; Prevention; Smoking topography; Toxicology