Abstract
Vaping (inhalation of electronic cigarette-generated aerosol) is a public health concern. Due to recent spikes in adolescent use of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) and vaping-induced illnesses, demand for scientific inquiry into the physiological effects of electronic cigarette (ECIG) aerosol has increased. For such studies, standardized and consistent aerosol production is required. Many labs generate aerosol by manually activating peristaltic pumps and ECIG devices simultaneously in a predefined manner. The tedium involved with this process (large puff number over time) and risk of error in keeping with puff topography (puff number, duration, interval) are less than optimal. Furthermore, excess puffing on an ECIG device results in battery depletion, reducing aerosol production, and ultimately, its chemical and physical nature. While commercial vaping machines are available, the cost of these machines is prohibitive to many labs. For these reasons, an economical and programmable ECIG aerosol generator, capable of generating aerosol from two atomizers simultaneously, was fabricated, and subsequently validated. Validation determinants include measurements of atomizer temperatures (inside and outside), electrical parameters (current, resistance and power) of the circuitry, aerosol particle distribution (particle counts and mass concentrations) and aerosol delivery (indexed by nicotine recovery), all during stressed conditions of four puffs/minute for 75 min (i.e., 300 puffs). Validation results indicate that the ECIG aerosol generator is better suited for experiments involving ≤100 puffs. Over 100 puffs, the amount of variation in the parameters measured tends to increase. Variations between channels are generally higher than variations within a channel. Despite significant variations in temperatures, electrical parameters, and aerosol particle distributions, both within and between channels, aerosol delivery remains remarkably stable for up to 300 puffs, yielding over 25% nicotine recovery for both channels. In conclusion, this programmable, dual-channel ECIG aerosol generator is not only affordable, but also allows the user to control puff topography and eliminate battery drain of ECIG devices. Consequently, this aerosol generator is valid, reliable, economical, capable of using a variety of E-liquids and amenable for use in a vast number of studies investigating the effects of ECIG-generated aerosol while utilizing a multitude of puffing regimens in a standardized manner.
Highlights
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Electronic cigarettes (ECIG), originally intended as a harm-reduction alternative to traditional smoking, typically contain an atomizer tank for containment of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs)-liquid (Eliquid) and a battery supplying power to vaporize the E-liquid [1]
The temperatures remain stable for the duration of the puffing regimen (i.e., 75 min or 300 puffs total)
Albeit that variations within the same brand of resistance coils can alter aerosol production, the aim of this study is to see how the coils connected to our ECIG aerosol generator fare in terms of producing consistent aerosol production over a period of 75 min
Summary
Electronic cigarettes (ECIG), originally intended as a harm-reduction alternative to traditional smoking, typically contain an atomizer tank for containment of ECIG-liquid (Eliquid) and a battery supplying power to vaporize the E-liquid [1]. Voltage from the ECIG’s battery is applied to the resistance coil (located within the atomizer tank), resulting in heat transfer to the E-liquid, causing it to vaporize, generating the aerosol. Inhalation of ECIG-generated aerosol (i.e., vaping) has fast become a serious public health concern, published maps and institutional affil-.
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