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Highly Reactive Free Radicals in Electronic Cigarette Aerosols (Chemical Research in Toxicology)

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According to results of a study published in, Chemical Research in Toxicology Journal, electronic cigarette usage may demonstrate the production of highly oxidizing free radicals from electronic cigarettes, which may present a potential toxicological risk to electronic cigarettes users.

Researchers, tested for the presence of reactive, short-lived free radicals in EC aerosols by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) using the spin-trap phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN). Radicals were detected in aerosols from all ECs and eliquids tested (2.5 × 1013 to 10.3 × 1013 radicals per puff at 3.3 V) and from eliquid solvents propylene glycol and glycerol and from “dry puffing”.

The study was conducted by; Department of Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State University Tobacco Center for Regulatory sciences (TCORS), Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Department of Food Science, College of Agricultural Department of Food Science, College of Agricultural Sciences and Department of Pharmacology.

Read the Abstract here.

Read the full study in the Chemical Research in Toxicology Online Journal