Bucknell University studies the dangers of e-cigarettes: toxins found in e-liquid

On February 10, news reports indicated that Bucknell University professors Dabrina Dutcher and Karen Castle, along with senior chemistry students Jewel Cook and Ana Islas, are conducting research on e-cigarette e-liquids.

The study was recently published by Dutcher, Castle, and Alyssa Brown from Carnegie Mellon University in the journal Tobacco Control Medicine.

Dutcher stated that the research focuses on the unknowns of e-cigarettes, detailing the amount of carbon monoxide that products can emit, a fact that many users may not be aware of.

Dutcher mentioned, "My students expressed interest in e-cigarettes, and we found that as the power of the e-cigarette devices increases, the emissions of carbon monoxide also increase."

She added that these devices can be customized for their users. They can use devices with interchangeable power levels ranging from zero to 200 watts. She said that users can release carbon monoxide from e-cigarettes at around 50 watts, but if increased, they may release dangerous amounts of toxins.

In this study, the students also noted that if flavored e-cigarettes are used, not only does the carbon monoxide content change, but many chemicals and hazards of the products remain undiscovered.

"Different flavors sometimes release more carbon monoxide," Dutcher said. "We are still exploring and researching flavors. We can measure carbon monoxide, but there are many more things that cannot be measured, which is the more interesting part."

She further added that some researchers have found that the chemicals in flavored e-cigarettes also release formaldehyde and aluminum, although this research has not yet been published.

Despite this, Dutcher believes that e-cigarettes are still better for users than regular cigarettes, but she agrees that the use of e-cigarettes is still new and uncertain.

She said, "There is still much we do not know. This study proves that we really do not know what e-cigarettes will produce, but now we know there are potential harmful chemical reactions."

Senior chemistry student Ana Islas is still conducting this research to study the proportion of menthol in these flavored chemicals.

She said, "It is interesting to see something so popular and try to use scientific research to inform the public. I am particularly interested in how menthol affects carbon monoxide concentrations. We are organizing data results so that we can better understand what our research tells us, but our preliminary results indicate that there are differences between compounds that may affect the carbon monoxide content in the vapor."

Thus, the research will continue to look for other chemicals that may pose potential dangers to e-cigarette users, and results will be discovered soon.