Arsenic and arsenic species in MOD, POD, and disposable POD electronic cigarette aerosols: a pilot study

Mina W. Tehrani, Angela D. Ahererra, Stefan Tanda, Rui Chen, Aryan Borole, Walter Goessler, Ana M. Rule

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The growing popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cig) has raised questions about the health effects of e-cig use, or vaping. Previous studies have reported on the potential of exposure to arsenic (As) and other metal(loid)s from vaping, but little is known about the speciation of As in the inhaled aerosols, an important determinant of toxicity. Inorganic As (iAs) species AsIII and AsV are generally more hazardous than organic As species. This study aimed to investigate total and speciated As in condensed aerosols of popular commercial e-cig products and to compare them with regulatory exposure limits. High-performance liquid chromatography and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used for As measurements of e-cig aerosol condensates. The analysis included samples from three types of e-cig devices: MODs, PODs, and disposable pod (d-POD) devices. iAs species were identified in all 23 analyzed e-cig aerosol condensate samples, with the highest aerosol concentrations measured in MODs. The geometric mean (range) iAs concentration of 2.3 (1.2-5.1) µg/m3 observed in MOD devices in this study exceeded the recommended exposure limit of 2 µg/m3 for 15-min or shorter inhalation exposures set by the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. These preliminary results suggest that iAs species are present in inhalable aerosols of some MOD products at levels above regulatory limits for iAs inhalation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number9
JournalJournal of Environmental Exposure Assessment
Volume2
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Vaping
  • disposable e-cigarettes
  • electronic cigarettes
  • metals
  • speciation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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