Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis (Southwest University), Chongqing Science & Technology Commission, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Key Laboratory of Luminescent and Real-Time Analytical System, Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
J Environ Sci (China). 2020 May;91:168-176. doi: 10.1016/j.jes.2020.01.023. Epub 2020 Feb 8.
Human exposure to contaminants from electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and the associated health effects are poorly understood. There has been no report on the speciation of arsenic in e-liquid (solution used for e-cigarettes) and aerosols. We report here determination of arsenic species in e-liquids and aerosols generated from vaping the e-liquid. Seventeen e-liquid samples of major brands, purchased from local and online stores in Canada and China, were analyzed for arsenic species using high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Aerosols condensed from vaping the e-liquids were also analyzed and compared for arsenic species. Six arsenic species were detected, including inorganic arsenate (iAs), arsenite (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and three new arsenic species not reported previously. In e-liquids, iAs was detected in 59%, iAs in 94%, and MMA in 47% of the samples. In the condensate of aerosols from vaping the e-liquids, iAs was detected in 100%, iAs in 88%, and MMA in 13% of the samples. Inorganic arsenic species were predominant in e-liquids and aerosols of e-cigarettes. The concentration of iAs in the condensate of aerosols (median 3.27 μg/kg) was significantly higher than that in the e-liquid (median 1.08 μg/kg) samples. The concentration of inorganic arsenic in the vaping air was approximately 3.4 μg/m, which approaches to the permissible exposure limit (10 μg/m) set by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to the Environmental Protection Agency's unit risk factor (4.3 × 10 per μg/m) for inhalation exposure to inorganic arsenic in the air, the estimated excess lung cancer risk from lifetime exposure to inorganic arsenic in the e-cigarette vaping air (3.4 μg/m), assuming e-cigarette vaping at 1% of the time, is as high as 1.5 × 10. These results raise health concerns over the exposure to arsenic from electronic cigarettes.
人类接触电子烟（e-cigarettes）中的污染物及其相关健康影响尚未得到充分了解。目前尚无关于电子烟液（电子烟使用的溶液）和气溶胶中砷形态的报告。我们在此报告了从电子烟液中产生的气溶胶中砷形态的测定。使用高效液相色谱法和电感耦合等离子体质谱法，对从加拿大和中国当地和在线商店购买的 17 个主要品牌的电子烟液样品进行了砷形态分析。还对从电子烟液蒸发产生的气溶胶进行了分析和比较，以确定其砷形态。检测到六种砷形态，包括无机砷酸盐（iAs）、亚砷酸盐（iAs）、一甲基砷酸（MMA）和三种以前未报道过的新砷形态。在电子烟液中，iAs 检测到 59%，iAs 检测到 94%，MMA 检测到 47%。从电子烟液蒸发产生的气溶胶冷凝物中，iAs 检测到 100%，iAs 检测到 88%，MMA 检测到 13%。无机砷形态在电子烟液和气溶胶中占主导地位。气溶胶冷凝物中 iAs 的浓度（中位数 3.27μg/kg）明显高于电子烟液样品（中位数 1.08μg/kg）。电子烟空气中无机砷的浓度约为 3.4μg/m，接近美国职业安全与健康管理局（OSHA）设定的允许暴露限值（10μg/m）。根据环境保护局对空气中无机砷吸入暴露的单位风险系数（4.3×10 perμg/m），假设电子烟的使用时间为 1%，则终生暴露于电子烟空气中的无机砷的肺癌超额风险估计高达 1.5×10。这些结果引起了对从电子烟接触砷的健康担忧。
