A new tool for the generation of e-liquid emissions for toxicological assessment

E-cigarettes are increasingly popular, but even though they are generally considered less harmful than conventional cigarettes, they are not risk-free. To minimize the health risks for consumers, emissions must be analyzed and toxicologically assessed. However, although guidelines exist on how to puff e-cigarettes for analysis, neither operational settings of the devices are defined nor the devices themselves. Therefore, generated emissions differ substantially. As e-liquids contain heat-labile substances, it is essential to analyze their emissions at all temperatures which can be met during usage of any type of e-cigarette. A new device is presented allowing the vaporization of e-liquids in the relevant temperature range under controllable and reproducible conditions. The aerosol collected mass was measured to demonstrate the method's reproducibility. Temperature curves show the effectiveness of the PID controller in regulating temperature. To prove the relevance of the presented device, two flavor mixtures were vaporized and emissions were analyzed by GC-MS showing temperature dependent changes. Furthermore, for one e-liquid, it was shown that generated emissions were comparable to those generated in an e-cigarette proving that the device operates under real-world vaping conditions. Therefore, the presented device is a valuable tool to improve toxicological assessments and thus increase consumer safety.