E-cigarette vapor performs like air in human airways

Vapor from two different types of electronic cigarettes had no cytotoxic impact on human airway tissue, according to a eurekalert.org story citing new research published in Toxicology in Vitro (DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2015.05.018).

Scientists at British American Tobacco and MatTek Corporation were said to have used a unique combination of tests to investigate the potential adverse effects of electronic cigarette vapor on airway tissue, along with the adverse effects of cigarette smoke on such tissue.

“By employing a combination of a smoking robot and a lab-based test using respiratory tissue, it was possible to demonstrate the ability to induce and measure aerosol irritancy and to show that the different e-cigarette aerosols used in this study have no cytotoxic effect on human airway tissue,” said BAT spokesperson Dr. Marina Murphy.

This new methodology could be used to help develop product standards for electronic cigarettes in the future.

‘E-cigarette vapour can contain nicotine, humectants, flavourings and thermal degradation products, so it is important to understand the potential impact on biological systems,’ the eurekalert story said. ‘Until now, there have been no aerosol studies of potential adverse effects of e-cigarette vapor on in vitro models that so closely mimic the structure, function and exposure of normal human airway tissue.’

Meanwhile, the results of the research showed that while cigarette smoke reduced cell viability to 12 percent (near complete cell death) after six hours, neither of the electronic cigarette aerosols caused any significant decrease in cell viability.

Despite six hours of continuous exposure, the results in the case of the electronic cigarette vapors were similar to those obtained when control cells were exposed only to air.

The eurekalert story can be found here.