A validated second hand smoking exposure model for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
Abstracts
Initial Award Abstract |
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On September 12 2018 the FDA stated we see clear signs that youth use of electronic cigarettes has reached an epidemic proportion, and we must adjust certain aspects of our comprehensive strategy to stem this clear and present danger. At the same time they announced a series of critical and historic enforcement actions related to the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to kids. Despite the increasing prevalence of ENDS use, particularly among young adults, there are gaps in knowledge on potential hazards of second hand exposure to emissions. Previous studies have struggled in characterization of second hand ENDS concentrations in indoor environments due to the low levels of emissions after dilution in indoor air and the presence of organic compounds in background air. Further, generalizability of the measurements are limited to similar vaping rates and similar indoor environments. In the proposed project we will address these limitations by employing state of the art chemical characterization of trace organics and particulate matter in exhaled breath from volunteers after using ENDS, where concentrations will be much higher, combined with a resolution that has not previously been applied to chemical characterization of ENDS emissions. We will characterize exhaled breath concentrations after ENDS use for 20 volunteers over 5 visits with a different flavor group for each visit selected based on population prevalence. We will combine these measurements with computational fluid dynamics modeling to better estimate exposure concentrations in a wider range of common indoor environments, which allows for the sensitivities of second hand ENDS concentrations to be evaluated systematically. Finally we will use these measurements to develop a simulated lung model, which reproduces the chemical composition of aerosol and VOC concentrations found in exhaled breath after ENDS use for subsequent testing of additional flavor profiles or use with in vitro and in vivo exposure systems |
