Assessment of Vape Shop Built Environment: Airborne Nicotine, Particulate Matter, Ventilation, Hazard Identification, Workplace Practices, and Safety Perceptions

Details

• Journal Article:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• Personal Author:
  Oni, Toluwanimi M. ; Sadhasivam, Balaji ; Floyd, Evan L.
• Description:
  Vape shops are established to sell electronic cigarette (EC) devices, e-liquids or e-juices, and other related accessories. EC use is prominent in vape shops and indoor EC use has been associated with elevated levels of nicotine and particulate matter (PM). This study assessed health and safety conditions, practices, building characteristics, nicotine, and PM concentrations in vape shops during business hours. Sixty-four vape shops were visited but only 15 vape shops consented to participate in this study. The majority of the vape shops had general ventilation (100%) and lounge areas (60%). No workers were observed not to use any personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, aprons, face masks, etc. The mean and standard deviation of the shop volume, air flowrate, and air exchange rate were 12.361 +/- 12.990 ft3, 1.203 +/- 1.584 ft3/min, and 5.8 +/- 2.8 h-1, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the time-averaged concentration of nicotine, PM2.5, respirable PM, and total PM were 3.92 +/- 3.73, 32.01 +/- 25.85, 36.03 +/- 30.91, and 43.67 +/- 34.78 ug/m3, respectively. The nicotine, PM2.5, respirable PM, and total PM levels were significantly below their respective occupational or ambient guideline limits (P < 0.05). The vape shop environments in this study did not appear to pose a significant risk of second-hand exposure to elevated levels of airborne nicotine and PM during business hours.
• Subjects:
  Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Electronic Cigarettes; Exposure Assessment; Nicotine; Particulate Matter; Safety; Vape Shops E-cigarettes; Electronic Cigarettes; Nicotine; Particulates; Retail Workers; Ventilation; Air Flow; Indoor Environments; Exposure Assessment;
• Source:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2025 Jun; 69(5):510-519
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Oklahoma ; Denver Region [OSHA] ; Kansas City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10 pdf pages
• Volume:
  69
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071424
• Contact Point Address:
  Evan L. Floyd, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
• Email:
  Evan-Floyd@ouhsc.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  (-)-Nicotine (CAS RN 54-11-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Colorado Denver, Aurora
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:00407cb2d023dca533b28769cdc859d8e9d68586c2326bf0ad4f5e4209b7043b6e86f9c3b4e7ab91798be5f0286aeaf9107b6fed080939ca8f8983a06e7fe0c9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259023/cdc_259023_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 651.04 KB ]