E-Cigarette Quality Control: Impurity and Nicotine Level Analysis in Electronic Cigarette Refill Liquids

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Consumer Product Safety

Background:

• Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly popular globally.
• Quality control of e-cigarette liquids is crucial for consumer safety.
• Nicotine content accuracy and impurity profiles are key quality indicators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accuracy of nicotine content labeling in e-cigarette liquids.
• To identify and quantify toxic impurities in e-cigarette liquids.
• To evaluate compliance with established safety standards.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 32 e-cigarette liquid products from Moroccan markets.
• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for nicotine quantification.
• Statistical analysis including Student's t-test and linear regression.

Main Results:

• Significant variations observed: nicotine content differences ranged from -100% to +3.3%.
• Only 31% of products accurately reflected nicotine levels; 47% showed >20% deviation.
• Detected impurities ranged from 0% to 32.6%, with some exceeding European Pharmacopoeia standards.

Conclusions:

• E-cigarette liquid nicotine content is often inaccurately labeled.
• Presence of impurities in several brands raises toxicological concerns.
• Enhanced regulatory oversight and analytical testing are recommended for e-cigarette liquids.