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Rapid Screening of Vaping Liquids by DART-MS
Travis M Falconer1, Flavia Morales-Garcia1
1U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Office of Regulatory Science, Forensic Chemistry Center, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA.
Background:
E-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury was reported in over 2800 cases from August 2019 to February 2020. Samples of vaping products were submitted for laboratory analysis in conjunction with investigation of the outbreak. A rapid screening method that was selective and sensitive for multiple analytes was required to aid in the investigation.
Objective:
To develop a multi-analyte method capable of screening vaping liquid samples that consumed small amounts of sample, required minimal sample preparation and analysis time, employed automated data processing, and provided the necessary sensitivity and selectivity.
Methods:
Vaping liquids were dissolved in acetonitrile and sampled with DIP-it® tips. The tips were analyzed by direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) and the resulting data processed with TraceFinder™ software. Laboratory-fortified samples consisting of various analytes and matrixes were evaluated prior to the analysis of submitted samples.
Results:
The method was successful at detecting all target analytes in all matrixes evaluated, although the method detection limits varied by analyte/matrix combination: from 0.1% nicotine in poly(propylene glycol) average Mn 1000 (the lowest level evaluated) to 5.0% poly(ethylene glycol) average Mn 400 in cannabis concentrate. Results for the analysis of submitted samples by this method compared favorably to GC-MS and FTIR results.
Conclusion:
The DART-MS method met the objective of speed, sensitivity, and selectivity (although certain cannabinoid isomers could not be distinguished). The method may be easily adapted or expanded for additional analytes.
Highlights:
This is a simple DART-MS method for screening vaping liquids for substances of concern in less than 2 min per sample.
