When it comes to e-cigarettes, the ingredients listed are not all that users are consuming.
When it comes to e-cigarettes, the ingredients listed are not all that users are consuming. Yale researchers found that chemical reactions in flavored liquids of the popular Juul e-cigarette create unexpected chemicals that can irritate users’ airways.
The researchers focused on acetals, which are chemicals that form when the common flavorant vanillin interacts with alcohols that carry the nicotine and flavors in e-cigarettes. Led by the lab of Julie Zimmerman, professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale, the study was published July 30 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Despite the popularity of Juul, little is known about the composition of its aerosol (commonly referred to as “vapor”). The researchers used a “vaping machine” custom-built in Zimmerman’s lab to analyze the chemical makeup of various flavors of the Juul refill cartridges, including “Crème Brulée,” “Fruit Medley,” and “Cool Cucumber.”
Read more at Yale University
Image: A Yale-designed machine captures Juul aerosol to determine its chemical makeup. (Image courtesy of Hanno Erythropel)
