Chemistry Seminar: Comparison of emissions from pod and pen style electronic cigarettes

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scms seminarr mahagani thomas chemistry

Comparison of emissions from pod and pen style electronic cigarettes and the development of a Breath Collection Device (BCD)

Mahagani Thomas
Chemistry MS Candidate
School of Chemistry and Materials Science, RIT

Ms. Thomas will discuss the study of vaping products, nicotine concentration and delivery, and the development of a tool to measure the ratio of nicotine delivered and exhaled.

Register Here for Zoom Link

Abstract
:

In 2009 survey, approximately 31% of youths (middle- and high- schoolers) admitting to being smoker while no one reported to be a vaper. Fast forward to 2019, approximately 16% of youth are smoker while 35% of youths are vaper. A Vaper uses a vaporizer (electronic cigarette) to atomized e-liquid which will then be inhaled and exhaled. E-liquids are composed of nicotine, additive flavoring glycerol (GL), and propylene glycol (PG). The amount of nicotine in e-liquids is typically represented by either a percentage or milligrams (mg). The amount of GL and PG is representative by a ratio between the two. With the fast pace rise of popularity, there appears to be a lack of regulation when labeling e-liquid. Within Dr. Eddingsaas research group, and the RIT Respiratory Technician Lab (RTL) we have recently study/analyzed and compared thirteen different e-cigarette devices and e-liquids. I was primary responsible for analyzing e-liquids and aerosol emissions from the different vape devices using a Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). When analyzing e-liquids, the quantified nicotine amount of several e-liquids varied from manufacturer claims. This difference could be the results of manufacturer not specifying if the percent nicotine was by mass or volume. In the aerosol emissions studies, we use different vape devices and different e-liquids to analyze emissions. By changing vaping topographies (or vape habits), our analyses can conclude the amount of total particulate matter (TPM) produced, the mass ratio of nicotine within the TPM (fnic), and the GL/PG ratio. The fnic of the aerosol was not found to be statistically different than what is in the unused e-liquids. The TPM produced at a given topography varies from device to device. In addition, the amount of nicotine varies from e-liquid to e-liquid. This results in different amount of nicotine delivery to a user if they switch devices but maintain the same vaping habits. In addition to understanding emissions from e-cigarette devices, it is of interest to understand how much nicotine a user actually retains. As noted above, there are variation of TPM and nicotine delivery to a user based off device used. To determine the TPM and nicotine ultimately retained by a user, the amount delivered, discussed above, must be accompanied by the amount exhaled. The construction and preliminary characterization of a Breath Collection Device (BCD) that will effectively collect that exhale breath will be discussed. Once completed, future studies can focus on the amount of nicotine being retained in the human body and knowing that can lead to understanding the health effect of vaping.

Speaker Bio:
Mahagani received a BS in Forensic Science, Chemistry and a minor in Biology from The Pennsylvania State University. As a native to the Rochester area, over the summer she works at Seabreeze Amusement Park and works full-time as a Research and Development Specialist for ACM Global Laboratories. She started her RIT journey in the in Fall 2019 to pursue a MS in Chemistry. She works within Dr. Eddingsaas group which partnered with RIT Respiratory Technician Lab to study aerosol from vape products.

Intended Audience:
Undergraduates, graduates, experts. Those with interest in the topic.

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu


Contact
Michael Cross
Event Snapshot
When and Where
April 13, 2021
12:30 pm - 1:45 pm
Room/Location: See Zoom Registration Link
Who

Open to the Public

Interpreter Requested?

No

Topics
research
student experience