In the most comprehensive chemical comparison to date between smoke and electronic-cigarette emissions, toxicant levels in vapor from British American Tobacco’s Vype ePen was found to be on average 95 percent less than in conventional cigarette smoke.
‘A comparison between the vapor from Vype ePen – a commercially available e-cigarette – and 3R4F – a reference cigarette – revealed substantial reductions in the e-Pen emissions for all toxicant groups measured,’ said BAT in a press note issued today. ‘Most cigarette smoke toxicants could not be detected in the e-cigarette vapor.
The results are published today in Chemical Research in Toxicology DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.6b00188.
“There are few publications examining the broad chemical composition of e-cigarettes, with most focusing on specific compounds or compound groups,” said Dr. Kevin McAdam, head of Next Generation Products Safety Assessment at BAT. “But we have tested for a total of 142 compounds, including those listed by the US Food and Drug Administration as harmful or potentially harmful (HPHC), those compounds listed by the World Health Organization, and Health Canada, and those reported previously to be generated by e-cigarettes.”
The press note said that the products tested were the ‘Vype e-Pen Blended Tobacco flavour and the Kentucky Reference Cigarette 3R4F’. ‘The products were puffed using puffing robots in separate rooms and the emissions collected,’ the note said. ‘Because the levels of some constituents in e-cigarette vapour were anticipated to be very low, the air was also tested to identify contamination and analytical artefacts.
‘Independent contract labs were commissioned to quantify the following emissions: carbon/nitrogen oxides, carbonyls/dicarbonyls, alcohols/di-alcohols, phenols, o-heterocycles, chlorinated dioxins/furans; volatile, substituted and, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; amides, azines, aromatic and aliphatic amines, nicotine & related compounds, nitrosamines, metals and radionuclides…
‘Comparison of toxicant emissions between Vype e-Pen and 3R4F were conducted on a per-puff basis. The results revealed average reductions of 99 percent for WHO and FDA truncated lists, and over 92 percent for the full FDA HPHC list.’
Three aerosol constituents were measured at higher per-puff levels in e-cigarette vapor than from 3R4F – propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG) and menthol. PG and VG are used to make e-liquid and menthol is used as a flavor.
“We expected to see PG and VG and menthol in the aerosol as they are used to make e-liquid,” said McAdam, who is also head of research, Next Generation Products. “There were also inconclusive indications of higher emissions of chromium in the e-cigarette vapor, which if correct may have arisen from the nichrome wire used for the heating element.”
BAT said that these and other tests formed part of a suite of tests that were being developed to test novel tobacco and nicotine products and that could be used to help develop standards for these products in the future.
‘Many in the public health community believe e-cigarettes offer great potential for reducing the public health impact of smoking,’ the note said. ‘Public Health England, an executive body of the UK Department of Health, recently published a report saying that e-cigarettes are 95 percent safer than cigarettes. The Royal College of Physicians have said that the public can be reassured that e-cigarettes are much safer then smoking and that they should be widely promoted as an alternative to cigarettes. ‘Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health, and the British Heart Foundation are also of the view that e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking.’