The key findings from the exhaled breath assessment were: (1) samples from all subjects were below detectable levels for acetaldehyde and acrolein after EVP use; (2) menthol was detected only in the two mentholated e-liquids; (3) nicotine, glycerin, propylene glycol, and formaldehyde were detected in the exhaled breath of subjects for all four e-liquids; and, (4) significant variability existed between subjects in the amount of analytes in exhaled breath, despite subjects using prespecified puffing conditions. These data from real users were entered into a well-mixed model to estimate potential secondhand exposure. The key findings from the computational model were: (1) the computational model is fit-for-purpose to predict constituent levels under various real-world scenarios; (2) room air levels of nicotine, formaldehyde, acrolein, and acetaldehyde levels were significantly below OSHA PELs or American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) limit; and (3) intake of these constituents by non-users would be substantially lower in the presence of EVP use compared with secondhand exposure to conventional combustible cigarettes.
These findings are consistent with previous machine puffing and exhaled breath studies that showed wide variabilities in analyte amounts across different EVPs [13, 14]. Exhaled breath or aerosols from such studies consistently showed that nicotine, propylene glycol, and glycerin were present in higher concentrations than the other analytes characterized in the current study due to the fact that propylene glycol and glycerin are the main nicotine carriers in eliquids. Similar to our findings, another group reported that formaldehyde levels were low and that acetaldehyde and acrolein were undetectable in various brands of EVPs [14]. However, others measured detectable levels of these compounds depending on the device and e-liquid used [9, 22].
The main finding from the well-mixed modeling was the establishment of a fit-for-purpose computational model to predict room air levels under various real-world scenarios. The test space concentrations of nicotine, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein were significantly less with EVPs compared to cigarettes under equivalent use conditions. Propylene glycol and glycerin levels in air from EVP use were orders of magnitude less than OSHA PELs and the AIHA limit for all studied spaces.
The well-mixed model findings were used to estimate exposure to non-users. The predicted nicotine exposure was roughly 20-fold lower for EVP use versus cigarettes for all space settings. The difference in estimated formaldehyde exposure was even more dramatic; predicted intake by non-users ranged from 3.04 to 19.83 µg for cigarettes compared to 0.002 to 0.013 µg for EVPs (~ 1500-fold difference). The formaldehyde range is comparable to that reported by Visser and colleagues, who modeled non-user exposure in two scenarios [12]. Our nicotine range was higher, possibly because the EVPs in their study had lower NBW values and/or their modeling was based on 5 puffs instead of 10. The 17 subjects in that study were also free to vape naturally in terms of preferred puff length, volume, and interval. Overall, our results are in concordance with previous reports that demonstrate while EVPs use may expose non-users to some secondhand constituents, they do not substantially increase non-user exposure to combustion toxicants [12, 23, 24].
Data from this study allowed for comparison of various analyte amounts in the four e-liquids and estimation of ambient analyte concentrations under various EVP use scenarios. User behavior, EVP characteristics, and the dimensions and ventilation of a space all influence air concentrations. The highest predicted non-user intake was for our meeting room scenario where three people were using EVPs during a 4-hour period. This is an extreme example, but expected intakes were still dramatically lower than OSHA PELs. The lowest values were in a car with open windows, which is not surprising, likely due to cross ventilation through the open windows. While conventional cigarette smokers open the windows out of necessity, EVP users may not do so. Our modeling suggests that non-user exposure could be halved if the car windows are 3 inches open during EVP use. Importantly, predicted non-user intake of formaldehyde and nicotine were several-fold lower than for conventional cigarettes.
Only a few studies have investigated secondhand exposure to EVP analytes using exhaled breath samples, and to our knowledge, the current study included the largest number of users. There were, however, several limitations to this study (1) The subjects were instructed to take 5-second puffs with a fresh cartridge, and this might not be their usual puff duration or reflect the entire use of a cartridge. (2) The study only tested a limited number of analytes in four different flavors of the same cartridge-based EVP and therefore did not comprehensively characterize the values of the various analytes in the wide, fast-growing array of EVPs. (3) The degree of passive exposure depends on multiple factors such as specific product and how it is used, ventilation rate, space size, humidity, and number of users, some of which were included in our model. Despite these limitations, our results show the utility of this modeling approach for studying non-user exposure.