Issue link: https://hi.iaq.net/i/625510
IAQA 18th Annual Meeting & Indoor Environment and Energy Expo (IE3) The views and opinions herein are those of the volunteer authors and may not reflect the views and opinions of IAQA. The information is offered in good faith and believed to be reliable but it is provided without warranty, expressed or implied, as to the merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or any other matter. Although the term vapor is used to describe the aerosol that is inhaled and exhaled by the user (vaper) the emissions are actually an aerosol, consisting of sub micron particles of condensed vapor contained in the e-liquid, and particulates emitted from components within the device. IAQ concerns? While there are potential health risks to the user (vaper), this is a personal choice; however, secondhand exposure to the general public is an IAQ matter.Current research indicates that vaping aerosols are not without risk, especially for nearby persons in areas with limited ventilation and persons with compromised health conditions. Published studies that evaluated the potential hazardous effects of the natural and/or synthetic chemicals used in e-cigarettes indicate that there is potential health effects reported for both users and those exposed secondhand.(10) With the exception of e-cigarettes used for therapeutic purposes, the e-cigarette industry is unregulated. Therefore there is no standard message or warning statement on e-cigarettes and supplies, and there is no quality control in their manufacture. Nicotine and other additive levels may vary considerably from their label content. Additionally, while e-cigarette supplies are handled as a tobacco product and illegal to sell to minors in the U.S., sale through the internet will likely make this possible. Studies suggests that second hand aerosols contain chemicals, VOC's and particulates fromadditives in the e-juice liquid, tobacco specific impurities, and/or from the various materials used in the manufacture of the e-cigarette. (8) (9)However, since the industry remains primarily unregulated, it is unclear what potentially harmful ingredients are contained in the e-juice liquid consumed by the user and expelled secondhand. To further complicate this issue, some e-juice is self-mixed by the retailer or user, which hinders the ability to do a comprehensive study on the constituents directly exposed to the user or indirectly by the bystander. With over 7,000 flavors of e-juice liquid available, flavorings such as fruit, candy, and liquor may provide a first step to children and young adults becoming continuous users and subjected to possible nicotine addiction. While some of these flavorings may be acceptable for ingestion, it is unclear what toxicological or potential health effects may result from their inhalation, and contained in the exhaled aerosol. Some research has measured the diameter of the particles comprising e-cigarette aerosol and have detected small (<10microns in diameter), fine (<2.5microns in diameter) and ultrafinenanoparticles (<1 micron in diameter). The particle size distribution and the number of particles delivered by e-cigarettes are similar to that of conventional cigarettes with most particles in the ultra-fine range. The particle mass appears to be consistent with the amount of nicotine contained in the e-juice liquid, with higher levels found in the higher nicotine products. Since users exhale some of these particles it would be reasonable to presume that bystanders would be exposed to passive (second hand) vaping.