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