E-cigarette product regulation requires accurate analyses of emissions. User behavior, including device power setting selection, should be mimicked closely when generating e-cigarette emissions in a laboratory. Excessively high power settings result in an adverse burnt off-taste, called "dry puff flavor". This should be avoided because it results in an overestimation of toxicant levels (especially certain carbonyls). This study presents a human volunteer-validated approach to detect excessively high e-cigarette power settings by HPLC-DAD (high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection) carbonyl analysis.
Konstantinos Farsalinos | 9 May 2014
A study to be published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research was featured in the New York Times and has generated a lot of interest. The article mentioned that e-cigarette vapor can be the source of carcinogens, depending on the heating process. The article is true and expected. We know that thermal degradation can lead to the release of toxic chemicals. And we know that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein have been found in vapor. There is nothing new to it. However, this study found that levels may approach those present in tobacco cigarettes. Of course there are some inaccuracies in the NYT article, such as that nicotine gets overheated (which means nothing).
Konstantinos Farsalinos | 04 October 2013
I am sure everyone has heard the “magic number”: 60mg is the nicotine lethal dose in adults. Τhis is a very low level, which would categorize nicotine as one of the most toxic substances available. It is a very common and strong argument of the regulatory authorities and of several anti-smokers activists who support very strict regulation on e-cigarettes and criticize the high levels of nicotine present mostly in refillable liquid bottles.
Konstantinos Farsalinos | 18 September 2013
As I recently mentioned in a letter to the editor of Journal of Chromatography A, the way results of research are presented is crucial for the message obtained by the public and can have important implications on decisions implemented by authorities.
This is especially important in the case of e-cigarettes, mostly for 2 reasons: