Vapouround magazine Issue 06 | Page 31

NEWS “Currently there are no standardised testing regimes for e-cigarettes and other next generation nicotine products. We and others in the industry are developing and embracing new approaches to safety testing in order to better understand our products and hopefully contribute to the establishment of standardised testing protocols for the future.” were tested for: carbon/nitrogen oxides, carbonyls/dicarbonyls, alcohols/dialcohols, phenols, o-heterocycles, chlorinated dioxins/furans; volatile, substituted and, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; amides, azines, aromatic and aliphatic amines, nicotine and related compounds, nitrosamines, metals and radionuclides. Comparison of toxicant emissions between Vype e-Pen and 3R4F were conducted on a per-puff basis. The 3R4F reference cigarette was developed at the University of Kentucky and has been used in tobacco studies for decades. This means that any results can be compared to a body of historical data and researchers can be assured that they are comparing like with like. In this case the results revealed a reduction of 99% for WHO and FDA truncated lists, and over 92% for the full FDA HPHC list. Four aerosol constituents were measured at higher per-puff levels in e-cigarette vapour than from 3R4F – propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), menthol and chromium. Dr Kevin McAdam, Head of Research, Next Generation Products, British American Tobacco said: ‘We expected to see PG and VG and menthol in the aerosol as they are used to make e-liquid (menthol is used as a flavouring)’. The presence of chromium was attributed to the nichrome wire used for the heating element, but daily exposures were estimated to lower than that for smoking. Dr Kevin McAdam went on to explain: ‘Currently there are no standardised testing regimes for e-cigarettes and other next generation nicotine products. We and others in the industry are developing and embracing new approaches to safety testing in order to better understand our products and hopefully contribute to the establishment of standardised testing protocols for the future.’ British American Tobacco and other companies are working with CORESTA, a science-focused industry group on developing accepted methods for testing e-cigarettes and analysing e-liquids and aerosols. CORESTA is working in conjunction with ISO to create standards for e-cigarettes. ISO or the International Organization for Standardization is responsible for setting common standards that facilitate trade between nations, covering everything from manufactured products and technology to food safety, agriculture and healthcare. This study and others like it help to establish the simple composition of e-cigarette vapour and reduced toxicant levels compared to cigarette smoke. However, it is just the first step of a process of testing that would be required to establish the reduced risk potential of e-cigarettes and other products. This process requires lab-based biological testing to establish what impact if any, the aerosol has on human cells, understanding how consumers use the products, assessment of the product in a clinical environment, and finally, testing of the real-world use to help determine what impact, if any, a reduction in toxicants will have on a person’s individual risk and also on the collective risk of the population using the products. Many in the public health community believe e-cigarettes offer great potential for reducing the public health impact of smoking. Public Health England, an executive body of th e UK Department of Health, recently published a report saying that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than cigarettes. The Royal College of Physicians have said that the public can be reassured that e-cigarettes are much safer then smoking and that they should be widely promoted as an alternative to cigarettes. Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation are also of the view that e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking. VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE ISSUE 06 31