To study and monitor the adverse health consequences of using electronic cigarettes, a user’s puff topography, which are quantification parameters of the user’s vaping habits, plays a central role. In this work, we introduce a topography sensor to measure the mass of total particulate matter generated in every puff and to estimate the nicotine yield. The sensor is compact and low-cost, and is integrated into the electronic cigarette device to promptly and conveniently monitor the user’s daily puff topography. The topography sensor is comprised of a photometric sensor and a pressure sensor. The photometric sensor measures the mass concentration of the aerosol, based on scattering of near-infrared light from airborne particles, while the pressure sensor measures the flow rate. The topography sensor was tested under various conditions including a wide range of atomizer power, puff duration, and inhalation pressure. The sensor’s accuracy was validated by comparing the sensor’s readings with reference measurements, and the results matched closely with the trends reported by existing studies on electronic cigarettes. An example application for tracking a user’s puff topography was also demonstrated. Our topography sensor holds great promise in mitigating the health risks of vaping, and in promoting quality control of electronic cigarette products.
Smart Electronic Cigarettes with Built-in Aerosol Sensors
This work introduces an emerging application of aerosol sensors integrated inside electronic cigarettes. Using the aerosol sensors, particle size distribution, aerosol temperature, and target chemicals of the generated aerosols are measured before the aerosol is inhaled by a user. When a hazardous aerosol is detected, the user will be warned immediately to stop vaping. With extensive sensor data collected from every puff, an electronic cigarette becomes a smart mobile device, capable of tracking and improving a user's vaping habits. Experimental results on a prototype are presented and have shown great promises towards minimizing the health risks of vaping.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2138534
- PAR ID:
- 10386127
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2022 IEEE Sensors
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 4
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) market increased by 122% during 2014–2020 and is expected to continue growing rapidly. Despite their popularity, e-cigarettes are known to emit dangerous levels of toxic compounds (e.g., carbonyls), but a lack of accurate and efficient testing methods is hindering the characterization of e-cigarette aerosols emitted by a wide variety of e-cigarette devices, e-liquids, and use patterns. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by developing an automated E-cigarette Aerosol Collection and Extraction System (E-ACES) consisting of a vaping machine and a collection/extraction system. The puffing system was designed to mimic e-cigarette use patterns (i.e., power output and puff topography) by means of a variable power-supply and a flow control system. The sampling system collects e-cigarette aerosols using a combination of glass wool and a continuously wetted denuder. After the collection stage, the system is automatically washed with absorbing and extracting liquids (e.g., methanol, an acetaldehyde-DNPH solution). The entire system is controlled by a computer. E-ACES performance was evaluated against conventional methods during measurements of nicotine and carbonyl emissions from a tank type e-cigarette. Nicotine levels measured using glass fiber filters and E-ACES were not significantly different: 201.2 ± 6.2 and 212.5 ± 17 μg/puff ( p = 0.377), respectively. Differences in formaldehyde and acetaldehyde levels between filter-DNPH cartridges and the E-ACES were 14% ( p = 0.057) and 13% ( p = 0.380), respectively. The E-ACES showed reproducible nicotine and carbonyl testing results for the selected e-cigarette vaping conditions.more » « less
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Recent reports have linked severe lung injuries and deaths to the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products. Nevertheless, the causal relationship between exposure to vaping emissions and the observed health outcomes remains to be elucidated. Through chemical and toxicological characterization of vaping emission products, this study demonstrates that during vaping processes, changes in chemical composition of several commonly used vape juice diluents (also known as cutting agents) lead to the formation of toxic byproducts, including quinones, carbonyls, esters, and alkyl alcohols. The resulting vaping emission condensates cause inhibited cell proliferation and enhanced cytotoxicity in human airway epithelial cells. Notably, substantial formation of the duroquinone and durohydroquinone redox couple was observed in the vaping emissions from vitamin E acetate, which may be linked to acute oxidative stress and lung injuries reported by previous studies. These findings provide an improved molecular understanding and highlight the significant role of toxic byproducts in vaping-associated health effects.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1109/SENSORS52175.2022.9967159
