Garcia Robert, Allem Jon Patrick, Baezconde-Garbanati Lourdes, Unger Jennifer Beth, Sussman Steve
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
Tob Prev Cessat. 2016;2(Suppl). doi: 10.18332/tpc/67295. Epub 2017 Jan 20.
Vape shops sell electronic cigarettes and related products such as e-liquids, which may contain nicotine. Direct contact with nicotine can lead to adverse health effects, and few regulations exist on how nicotine is handled in vape shops. This study examined how customers and employees come into contact with, and handle, nicotine-containing e-liquids in vape shops with the goal of informing potential future regulation of nicotine handling in vape shops.
Data were collected from 77 vape shops in the Los Angeles basin. Characteristics of the shops were documented by employee interviews and in store observations. Data collection was focused on shops located in areas with high concentrations of communities of interest; 20 shops from African-American communities, 17 from Hispanic communities, 18 from Korean communities, and 22 from non-Hispanic White communities.
Half of the vape shops allowed customers to sample e-liquids with nicotine. Most of the shops (83%) provided self-service sampling stations for customers. A majority of shop employees (72%) reported that spills of e-liquids containing nicotine had occurred in the past. While 64% of the shops provided safety equipment, only 34% provided equipment for proper nicotine handling. Furthermore, 62% of shop employees reported handling nicotine without gloves or other safety equipment.
Regulation on the handling of nicotine by customers and vape shop employees is important to prevent unsafe practices and subsequent injury. The frequent occurrence of spills and limited availability of safety equipment in vape shops highlights the need for the creation and enforcement of regulations to protect employees and customers. Appropriate safety training and equipment should be provided to employees to prevent accidental exposure to nicotine. Information on ways to safely handle nicotine should be communicated to vape shop employees and customers.
电子烟商店销售电子烟及相关产品，如电子烟液，其中可能含有尼古丁。直接接触尼古丁会对健康产生不良影响，而关于电子烟商店如何处理尼古丁的规定却很少。本研究调查了顾客和员工在电子烟商店中如何接触和处理含尼古丁的电子烟液，目的是为未来对电子烟商店尼古丁处理的潜在监管提供信息。
从洛杉矶盆地的77家电子烟商店收集数据。通过员工访谈和店内观察记录商店的特征。数据收集集中在感兴趣社区浓度高的地区的商店；20家来自非裔美国人社区，17家来自西班牙裔社区，18家来自韩国社区，22家来自非西班牙裔白人社区。
一半的电子烟商店允许顾客试用含尼古丁的电子烟液。大多数商店（83%）为顾客提供自助采样站。大多数商店员工（72%）报告说过去发生过含尼古丁的电子烟液泄漏。虽然64%的商店提供了安全设备，但只有34%的商店提供了正确处理尼古丁的设备。此外，62%的商店员工报告在处理尼古丁时没有戴手套或使用其他安全设备。
对顾客和电子烟商店员工处理尼古丁进行监管对于防止不安全行为及后续伤害很重要。电子烟商店中泄漏频繁发生且安全设备供应有限，这凸显了制定和执行法规以保护员工和顾客的必要性。应向员工提供适当的安全培训和设备，以防止意外接触尼古丁。应向电子烟商店员工和顾客传达安全处理尼古丁的方法的信息。
