Assessment of Worker Chemical Exposures in California Vape Shops

Details

• Personal Author:
  Attfield KR ; Glassford EK ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Materna BL ; Zalay M ; Zwack, Leonard M.
• Description:
  E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid mixture to make an aerosol that is inhaled, or vaped, by the user. Vape shops are retail environments for customer demand of diverse e-liquid flavors and hardware options, which create unique worker exposure concerns. To characterize exposures to vape shop workers, especially to flavoring chemicals associated with known respiratory toxicity, this study recruited vape shops from the San Francisco Bay Area. In six shops, air concentrations were measured for volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, flavoring chemicals, and nicotine in personal and/or area samples; analyzed components of e-liquids vaped during field visits; and assessed metals on surface wipe samples. Interviews and observations were conducted over the course of a workday in the same six shops and performed interviews only in an additional six where sampling was not conducted. Detections of the alpha-diketone butter flavoring chemicals diacetyl and/or 2,3-pentanedione were common: in the headspace of purchased e-liquids (18 of 26 samples), in personal air samples (five of 16), and in area air samples (two of six shops). Two exceedances of recommended exposure limits for 2,3-pentanedione (a short-term exposure limit and an eight-hour time weighted average) were measured in personal air samples. Other compounds detected in area and personal air samples included substitutes for diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione (acetoin and 2,3-hexanedione) and compounds that may be contaminants or impurities. Furthermore, a large variety (82) of other flavoring chemicals were detected in area air samples. None of the 12 shops interviewed had a health and safety program. Six shops reported no use of any personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g., gloves, chemical resistant aprons, eye protection) and the others stated occasional use; however, no PPE use was observed during any field investigation day. Recommendations were provided to shops that included making improvements to ventilation, hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, and, if possible, avoidance of products containing the alpha-diketone flavoring chemicals. Future research is needed to evaluate the long-term health risks among workers in the vape shop retail industry and for e-cigarette use generally. Specific areas include further characterizing e-liquid constituents and emissions, evaluating ingredient health risks, evaluating the contributions of different routes of exposure (dermal, inhalation, and ingestion) and determining effective exposure mitigation measures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Diacetyl Electrical Equipment And Supplies Environmental Monitoring Eye Flavoring Agents Formaldehyde Hazardous Substances Hot Temperature Metals Nicotine Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sense Organs Skin Smokers Solvents Tobacco Products Ventilation Volatile Organic Compounds Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Acetoin Air Samples Author Keywords: E-cigarette Chemical Agents Chemicals Cigarette Smoking Dermal Exposures E-liquid Electronic Devices Eye Protection Flavorings Gloves Health Effects Heat Occupational Exposures Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respiratory System Disorders Sampling Toxins Vaping Vapors VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering ; RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  197-209
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064664
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2022 Apr; 19(4):197-209
• Contact Point Address:
  Kathleen Attfield, Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
• Email:
  kathleen.attfield@cdph.ca.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  (-)-Nicotine (CAS RN 54-11-5) ; 2,3-Hexanedione (CAS RN 3848-24-6) ; 2,3-Pentanedione (CAS RN 600-14-6) ; Butanedione (CAS RN 431-03-8) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:75bf45eb4cd1db70ab6dd150f514ea44a1a6df6a1017d12e78736067776af910401bd736175ecbddac22fc650e614c155eb9b4068460524f036d1ccb9a02c535
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223085/cdc_223085_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.72 MB ]