Amir_Wazir
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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.
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.