The Health Risks of Using E-cigarettes

摘要

E-cigarette use has increased rapidly in the past few years. Accordingly, concerns regarding the health effects associated with the use of these devices has grown. We have performed an assessment of the health risk to e-cigarette users in three steps: Firstly, given the enormous variety of products on the market and differences in vaping behaviour, a market survey was conducted to identify exactly which products (devices and e-liquids) were popular and to obtain data regarding the vaping behaviour of users. Secondly, we established the concentrations of harmful components in the aerosol and in e-liquids by chemical analysis. Finally, we used the data from the market survey and the chemical analysis to perform an assesment of the health risks e-cigarettes present to users, taking into consideration different user profiles. Several impurities were found in e-liquids and aerosol, including di- and triethylene glycol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, metals and nitrosamines. The observed aldehydes were highly variable and did not originate from the e-liquid but were generated during the heating process. Similarly, metals in the aerosol originated from the vaporiser rather than the e-liquid. The levels of several components in the aerosol present a risk to human health. Inhalation of the aerosol can lead to irritation and damage of the respiratory tract, palpitations, a decreased lymphocyte count and an increased risk of developing cancer. However, the risks are highly dependent on the behavior of the e-cigarette user and are not as severe as the risk associated with smoking tobacco sigarettes.