Chemical Emissions from Heated Vitamin E Acetate-Insights to Respiratory Risks from Electronic Cigarette Liquid Oil Diluents Used in the Aerosolization of Delta-9-THC-Containing Products

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aldridge M ; Burns, Dru A. ; Fernandez E ; Ham J ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Ranpara, Anand ; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B. ; Williams K
• Description:
  As of February 18, 2020, the e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) outbreak caused the hospitalization of a total of 2,807 patients and claimed 68 lives in the United States. Though investigations have reported a strong association with vitamin E acetate (VEA), evidence from reported EVALI cases is not sufficient to rule out the contribution of other chemicals of concern, including chemicals in either THC or non-THC products. This study characterized chemicals evolved when diluent oils were heated to temperatures that mimic e-cigarette, or vaping, products (EVPs) to investigate production of potentially toxic chemicals that might have caused lung injury. VEA, vitamin E, coconut, and medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil were each diluted with ethanol and then tested for constituents and impurities using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Undiluted oils were heated at 25 degrees C (control), 150 degrees C, and 250 degrees C in an inert chamber to mimic a range of temperatures indicative of aerosolization from EVPs. Volatilized chemicals were collected using thermal desorption tubes, analyzed using a GC/MS, and identified. Presence of identified chemicals was confirmed using retention time and ion spectra matching with analytic standards. Direct analysis of oils, as received, revealed that VEA and vitamin E were the main constituents of their oils, and coconut and MCT oils were nearly identical having two main constituents: glycerol tricaprylate and 2-(decanoyloxy) propane-1,3-diyl dioctanoate. More chemicals were measured and with greater intensities when diluent oils were heated at 250 degrees C compared to 150 degrees C and 25 degrees C. Vitamin E and coconut/MCT oils produced different chemical emissions. The presence of some identified chemicals is of potential health consequence because many are known respiratory irritants and acute respiratory toxins. Exposure to a mixture of hazardous chemicals may be relevant to the development or exacerbation of EVALI, especially when in concert with physical damage caused by lung deposition of aerosols produced by aerosolizing diluent oils. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Acetates Aerosols Cannabis Electrical Equipment And Supplies Flavoring Agents Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Smokers Solvents Tobacco Products

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: E-cigarettes Chemical Emission Cigarette Smoking E-liquids Electronic Devices EVALI Flavorings Gas Chromatography Inhalation Lung Disorders Lung Irritants Marijuana Mass Spectrometry Vapors Vitamin E Acetate

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• ISSN:
  2296-2565
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division ; HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064608
• Citation:
  Front Public Health 2022 Jan; 9:765168
• Contact Point Address:
  Ryan F. LeBouf, Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, United States
• Email:
  igu6@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Frontiers in Public Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:71fdec4a7ec33c31bddbe4b6febee3e5b5e92b17cb87e719d4bf943eff3ba3f10c67b8b5c0e7da9277784ec57609e12e7ba1dd94753f82c7c54871caa09b1768
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223042/cdc_223042_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.57 MB ]