Measurement of Aldehydes in Replacement Liquids of Electronic Cigarettes by Headspace Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry

Abstract

E-mail: hshin@kongju.ac.kr Received May 12, 2013, Accepted June 19, 2013The electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) is a battery-powered device that aerosolizes nicotine so that it is readilydelivered into the respiratory tract. The analytical data regarding the substances present in E-cigarettes are verylimited. The aim of this study was to measure the concentration of aldehydes-formaldehyde (FA), acetaldehyde(AA) and, acrolein (AL)-in 225 replacement liquid brands from 17 E-cigarette shops sold in the Republic ofKorea by headspace solid-phase micro extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME GC-MS). The concentration range of FA and AA was 0.02-10.09 mg/L (mean = 2.16 mg/L, detected in 207 of 225samples) and 0.10-15.63 mg/L (mean = 4.98 mg/L, detected in all samples), respectively. AL was not detectedin any of 225 replacement liquids. FA and AA were originally present in almost all replacement liquids ofelectronic cigarettes.Key Words : Aldehydes, Electronic cigarette replacement liquid, Headspace solid-phase micro extraction, Gaschromatography-mass spectrometryIntroductionThe electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) is a battery powereddevice that aerosolizes nicotine so that it is readily deliveredinto the respiratory tract. E-cigarettes consist of a plastic orstainless steel tube, an electronic heating coil, a liquidcartridge, a lithium battery, and an atomization chamber.