Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Psychology, Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Tob Control. 2022 Sep;31(5):667-670. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056362. Epub 2021 May 12.
Use of flavoured pod-mod-like disposable electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has grown rapidly, particularly among cost-sensitive youth and young adults. To date, little is known about their design characteristics and toxicant emissions. In this study, we analysed the electrical and chemical characteristics and nicotine and pulmonary toxicant emission profiles of five commonly available flavoured disposable e-cigarettes and compared these data with those of a JUUL, a cartridge-based e-cigarette device that pod-mod-like disposables emulate in size and shape.
Device construction, electrical power and liquid composition were determined. Machine-generated aerosol emissions including particulate matter, nicotine, carbonyl compounds and heavy metals were also measured. Liquid and aerosol composition were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/flame ionisation detection, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
We found that unlike JUUL, disposable devices did not incorporate a microcontroller to regulate electrical power to the heating coil. Quality of construction varied widely. Disposable e-cigarette power ranged between 5 and 9 W and liquid nicotine concentration ranged between 53 and 85 mg/mL (~95% in the protonated form). In 15 puffs, total nicotine yield for the disposables ranged between 1.6 and 6.7 mg, total carbonyls ranged between 28 and 138 µg, and total metals ranged between 1084 and 5804 ng. JUUL emissions were near the floors of all of these ranges.
Disposable e-cigarettes are designed with high nicotine concentration liquids and are capable of emitting much higher nicotine and carbonyl species relative to rechargeable look-alike e-cigarettes. These differences are likely due to the lower quality in construction, unreliable labelling and lack of temperature control regulation that limits the power during operation. From a public health perspective, regulating these devices is important to limit user exposure to carbonyls and nicotine, particularly because these devices are popular with youth and young adults.
调味一次性 pod-mod 样电子烟（电子烟）的使用迅速增长，尤其是在对价格敏感的青年和年轻人中。迄今为止，对它们的设计特点和有毒物质排放知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们分析了五种常见的调味一次性电子烟的电气和化学特性以及尼古丁和肺部有毒物质排放情况，并将这些数据与 pod-mod 样一次性电子烟在尺寸和形状上模拟的基于盒式的 JUUL 电子烟进行了比较。
确定了设备结构、电力和液体成分。还测量了机器生成的气溶胶排放物，包括颗粒物、尼古丁、羰基化合物和重金属。通过高效液相色谱法、气相色谱-质谱/火焰离子化检测法和电感耦合等离子体质谱法测量液体和气溶胶成分。
我们发现，与 JUUL 不同，一次性设备没有微控制器来调节加热线圈的电力。构造质量差异很大。一次性电子烟的功率在 5 到 9 瓦之间，液体尼古丁浓度在 53 到 85 毫克/毫升之间（质子化形式下约为 95%）。在 15 口抽吸中，一次性电子烟的尼古丁总产率在 1.6 到 6.7 毫克之间，总羰基化合物在 28 到 138 微克之间，总金属在 1084 到 5804 纳克之间。JUUL 的排放量接近所有这些范围的下限。
一次性电子烟采用高尼古丁浓度的液体设计，与可充电的类似电子烟相比，能够释放出更高的尼古丁和羰基物质。这些差异可能是由于构造质量较低、标签不可靠以及缺乏温度控制调节导致操作过程中的功率受限所致。从公共卫生的角度来看，对这些设备进行监管对于限制用户对羰基化合物和尼古丁的暴露非常重要，尤其是因为这些设备在青年和年轻人中很受欢迎。
