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The aerosol from electronic cigarettes, commonly known as vapor, contains various levels of chemicals. The e-cigarette vapor resembles cigarette smoke.

Chemicals

In e-cigarettes a liquid is heated to a temperature of about 55 °C to create an aerosolized vapor. The vapor contains similar chemicals to the e-liquid which vary in composition and concentration across and within manufacturers. The vapor usually contains nicotine, glycerin, propylene glycol, flavors and aroma transporters. E-cigarettes without nicotine are also available. The vapor may also contain tiny amounts of toxicants, carcinogens, and heavy metals. Contamination with various chemicals has been identified. Some products contained trace amounts of the drugs tadalafil and rimonabant. E-cigarette makers do not fully disclose information on the chemicals that can be released or synthesized during use.

Some metal parts in e-cigarettes contact the e-liquid and may contaminate it with metals in concentrations far below levels permitted in inhaled medicines. Tin, cadmium, nickel, lead, aluminum, arsenic, copper, silver, iron, mercury, and chromium have been found in the vapor. The nickel and chromium nanoparticles in the vapor may have came from the e-cigarette heating element. The metals have been found in trace amounts in the vapor, although some of them at higher amounts than in cigarette smoke. One study stated the levels of nickel have been found to be 100 times higher than in cigarette smoke. The amounts and kinds of metals or other materials found in the vapor is based on the material and other manufacturing designs of the heating element. Materials in e-cigarettes might include ceramics, plastics, rubber, filament fibers, and foams. Some of these materials could be found in the vapor. Silicate particles have been found in the vapor.

Many chemicals including carbonyl compounds such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and glyoxal can inadvertently be produced when the nichrome wire (heating element) that touches the e-liquid is heated and chemically reacts with the liquid. The propylene glycol-containing liquids produced the most amounts of carbonyls in e-cigarette aerosols. Propylene glycol could produce propylene oxide when heated and aerosolized. Glycerin may generate acrolein when heated at hotter temperatures. Some e-cigarette products had acrolein identified in the vapor, at greatly reduced amounts than in cigarette smoke. Glyoxal and methylglyoxal have been found in the vapor. The amount of carbonyls vary greatly among different companies and within various samples of the same e-cigarettes.

Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) such as NNK and N-Nitrosonornicotine and tobacco-specific impurities have been found in the vapor at very low levels, comparable to amounts found in nicotine replacement products. N-Nitrosoanabasine and N-Nitrosoanatabine have been found in the vapor at reduced levels compared to cigarette smoke. Trace amounts of toluene, xylene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phenolic compounds, flavors, tobacco alkaloids, o-Methyl benzaldehyde, and cresol have been found in the vapor. Low levels of isoprene, acetic acid, 2-butanodione, acetone, propanol, and diacetin, and traces of apple oil (3-methylbutyl-3-methylbutanoate) have been found in the vapor. Benzene and butadiene have been found in the vapor at many-fold lower than in cigarette smoke.

Later-generation e-cigarette devices can create greater amounts of carcinogens. E-cigarettes devices using higher voltages can produce carcinogens including formaldehyde at levels found in cigarette smoke. High-voltage e-cigarettes are capable of producing large amounts of carbonyls. Reduced voltage e-cigarettes had e-cigarette aerosol levels of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde roughly 13 and 807-fold less than indicated in cigarette smoke.

See also

• Safety of electronic cigarettes
• List of additives in cigarettes
• List of cigarette smoke carcinogens

References

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8. ^ Rom, Oren; Pecorelli, Alessandra; Valacchi, Giuseppe; Reznick, Abraham Z. (2014). "Are E-cigarettes a safe and good alternative to cigarette smoking?". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: n/a–n/a. doi:10.1111/nyas.12609. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 25557889.
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10. Dagaonkar RS, R.S.; Udwadi, Z.F. (2014). "Water pipes and E-cigarettes: new faces of an ancient enemy" (PDF). Journal of the Association of Physicians of India. 62 (4): 324–328. PMID 25327035.
11. ^ Bhatnagar, A.; Whitsel, L. P.; Ribisl, K. M.; Bullen, C.; Chaloupka, F.; Piano, M. R.; Robertson, R. M.; McAuley, T.; Goff, D.; Benowitz, N. (24 August 2014). "Electronic Cigarettes: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association". Circulation. 130 (16): 1418–1436. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000107. PMID 25156991.
12. ^ Bekki, Kanae; Uchiyama, Shigehisa; Ohta, Kazushi; Inaba, Yohei; Nakagome, Hideki; Kunugita, Naoki (2014). "Carbonyl Compounds Generated from Electronic Cigarettes". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 11 (11): 11192–11200. doi:10.3390/ijerph111111192. ISSN 1660-4601. PMID 25353061.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
13. "E-cigarettes: an up to date review and discussion of the controversy". W V Med J. 110 (4): 10–5. 2014. PMID 25322582. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
14. Collaco, Joseph M. (2015). "Electronic Use and Exposure in the Pediatric Population". JAMA Pediatrics. 169 (2): 177–182. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.2898. PMID 25546699.

• Chemical substances
• Electronic cigarettes
• Aerosols