Carbonyl compounds in e-cig vapor

[Amir_Wazir]

For those who haven't seen this already..

Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG) are the most common nicotine solvents used in e-cigarettes (ECs). It has been shown that at high temperatures both VG and PG undergo decomposition to low molecular carbonyl compounds, including the carcinogens formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The aim of this study was to evaluate how various product characteristics, including nicotine solvent and battery output voltage, affect the levels of carbonyls in EC vapor.

METHODS:
Twelve carbonyl compounds were measured in vapors from 10 commercially available nicotine solutions and from 3 control solutions composed of pure glycerin, pure propylene glycol, or a mixture of both solvents (50:50). EC battery output voltage was gradually modified from 3.2 to 4.8V. Carbonyl compounds were determined using the HPLC/DAD method.

RESULTS:
Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were found in 8 of 13 samples. The amounts of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in vapors from lower voltage EC were on average 13- and 807-fold lower than in tobacco smoke, respectively. The highest levels of carbonyls were observed in vapors generated from PG-based solutions. Increasing voltage from 3.2 to 4.8V resulted in a 4 to more than 200 times increase in formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone levels. The levels of formaldehyde in vapors from high-voltage device were in the range of levels reported in tobacco smoke.

CONCLUSIONS:
Vapors from EC contain toxic and carcinogenic carbonyl compounds. Both solvent and battery output voltage significantly affect levels of carbonyl compounds in EC vapors. High-voltage EC may expose users to high levels of carbonyl compounds.

Full text

Reddit thread

Some questions about methodology were raised over at Reddit where I found this. I haven't used this particular tank, but some users were suggesting that, due to voltage used and the amount of time the coils were activated, dry hits may have been generated which could have resulted in greater solvent breakdown. It is well known that PG and Glycerin break down into nasty stuff at a high enough temp. ( just about everything does, after all ), the question is does to what extent this occurs in our devices within normal operating parameters.

Another potential problem with the study is that temperature was not measured, which is a shame since that's probably the most important factor determining the generation of the toxic chemicals in question.

One interesting note here ( from the full text ) is that formaldehyde and acetalaldehyde were not found in several samples ( or were detected but in insignificant levels ), notably one in which the solvent mix was dominated by polyethylene glycol ( PEG ) rather than propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin.

Overall IMO, this study isn't really all that useful -- it just further reinforces that keeping our juice from getting too hot at the core is going to be important for limiting the negative health effects from vaping. Luckily we have a dynamic product and technology here that can be modified if needed.

 

[Donald Bickers]

I may be reading something out of context here,,,but,,,,I read both of these articles,and the way I see things (after vaping exclusively over 2 yrs) I know how I felt 3 yrs ago while smoking 2 to 2 1/2 packs a day,I know how I feel today vaping between 5 and 10 ml of juice a day...
As I said I may be reading out of context,but the way im seeing this,IF YOU DONT WANNA VAPE THEN DONT VAPE
I know what im gonna be doing,,,,,,,Vape on brothers and sisters!!!

 

[Amir_Wazir]

I may be reading something out of context here,,,but,,,,I read both of these articles,and the way I see things (after vaping exclusively over 2 yrs) I know how I felt 3 yrs ago while smoking 2 to 2 1/2 packs a day,I know how I feel today vaping between 5 and 10 ml of juice a day...
As I said I may be reading out of context,but the way im seeing this,IF YOU DONT WANNA VAPE THEN DONT VAPE
I know what im gonna be doing,,,,,,,Vape on brothers and sisters!!!

I'm not in any way claiming that vaping is as bad as cigs, I also remember how my lungs felt when I was smoking a pack a day and what the phlegm I coughed up looked like. All that is gone now, and that does count for a lot IMO, but that doesn't mean that vaping is inherently 100% safe. Safer than smoking? I'd be shocked if it wasn't an order of magnitude safer, but that doesn't mean that it is completely safe, or -- more importantly -- that it is as safe as is could be.

Studies like this are important to share not in order to discourage people from vaping or to malign what we do, but because people should be aware of the potential risks that are present in vaping, and more importantly what we can do about them ( which is a lot ).

 

[pony]

For those who haven't seen this already..



Full text

Reddit thread

Some questions about methodology were raised over at Reddit where I found this. I haven't used this particular tank, but some users were suggesting that, due to voltage used and the amount of time the coils were activated, dry hits may have been generated which could have resulted in greater solvent breakdown. It is well known that PG and Glycerin break down into nasty stuff at a high enough temp. ( just about everything does, after all ), the question is does to what extent this occurs in our devices within normal operating parameters.

Another potential problem with the study is that temperature was not measured, which is a shame since that's probably the most important factor determining the generation of the toxic chemicals in question.

One interesting note here ( from the full text ) is that formaldehyde and acetalaldehyde were not found in several samples ( or were detected but in insignificant levels ), notably one in which the solvent mix was dominated by polyethylene glycol ( PEG ) rather than propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin.

Overall IMO, this study isn't really all that useful -- it just further reinforces that keeping our juice from getting too hot at the core is going to be important for limiting the negative health effects from vaping. Luckily we have a dynamic product and technology here that can be modified if needed.

I recomend reading the full text. The abstract covers the basics but theres a lot more to it than the abstract.

 

[Donald Bickers]

as I said above,i read both articles(completely) and your body is the first one to tell you when something is wrong
as I said above,i know how I felt 3 yrs ago,i know how I feel now
as I said above,i know what im gonna be doing
Not trying to offend anyone and I hope no offense was taken!!

 

[pony]

as I said above,i read both articles(completely) and your body is the first one to tell you when something is wrong
as I said above,i know how I felt 3 yrs ago,i know how I feel now
as I said above,i know what im gonna be doing
Not trying to offend anyone and I hope no offense was taken!!

I didnt mean to imply i was diputing anything you said.i just am fairly certain lots of people will only read the abstract and miss a bunch of information thats in the full text.
The abstract is supposed to be a sumary of the 'high points'.
I think they fell short on that.

 

[Donald Bickers]

I didnt mean to imply i was diputing anything you said.i just am fairly certain lots of people will only read the abstract and miss a bunch of information thats in the full text.
The abstract is supposed to be a sumary of the 'high points'.
I think they fell short on that.

No,,Your all good,just my first impression of what Amir said was that he was pointing out how bad vaping was for you,,,,and my response was that if you don't wanna vape,,don't vape,,I kinda took it a little on the offensive side because I knew what I felt like then and I know what I feel like now,,,i read both articles entirely and there are a lot of good points that people should know,,,,,,but on the same hand im looking at the effects of smoking vrs vaping,,,,and theres not a whole lot of comparison in my book
that's the only point I was making,i may have went about it a little wrong and I apologize about any misunderstandings

 

[pony]

No,,Your all good,just my first impression of what Amir said was that he was pointing out how bad vaping was for you,,,,and my response was that if you don't wanna vape,,don't vape,,I kinda took it a little on the offensive side because I knew what I felt like then and I know what I feel like now,,,i read both articles entirely and there are a lot of good points that people should know,,,,,,but on the same hand im looking at the effects of smoking vrs vaping,,,,and theres not a whole lot of comparison in my book
that's the only point I was making,i may have went about it a little wrong and I apologize about any misunderstandings

Im still trying to decide which is the better.... Being able to climb a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing half way or the simple fact that my wife is willing to kiss me again, since i dont smell and taste like an ashtray anymore.

 

[Donald Bickers]

yea my wife bought my first ego ce4 combo,havent looked back since,Cant describe how much better I feel
I will NEVER touch a cigarette again,you don't know how bad your respiratory system is until you have something to compare it to,my god I can breath now.

 

[evengelicmane]

Been strictly vaping since about June. I've noticed a SMALL change in my lung capacity, but, i still deal with chest pains, soreness etc.
Does anyone else experience chest pains after vaping? Trouble swallowing? I have nic. in my juices of course. I definitely know i feel better than when i smoked, mentally i'm somewhat more clear. I just don't notice a HUGE difference in my health yet. Does it take a year or so?

 

[pony]

Been strictly vaping since about June. I've noticed a SMALL change in my lung capacity, but, i still deal with chest pains, soreness etc.
Does anyone else experience chest pains after vaping? Trouble swallowing? I have nic. in my juices of course. I definitely know i feel better than when i smoked, mentally i'm somewhat more clear. I just don't notice a HUGE difference in my health yet. Does it take a year or so?

Give it some time.its only been 4-5 months for you; for me its been a couple years.
The damage we do to ourselves doesnt happen over night, to heal ourselves wont happen over night either.
I didnt experience any soreness but chest pains and difficulty swallowing may be due to other issues not directly related to smoking. For me,i know why i sometimes have swallowing difficulty and its not from smoking or vaping.