Characterizing the Physical, Chemical, and Toxicological Properties of Secondhand Aerosols Generated from Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems in Indoor Environments

表征室内环境中电子尼古丁传输系统产生的二手气溶胶的物理、化学和毒理学特性

• 批准号: 2324142
• 负责人: Yang Wang
• 金额: $ 42万
• 依托单位: University of Miami
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-03-15 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2324142&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Characterizing; Physical; Chemical; Toxicological; Properties

In 2019, 10.9 million American adults used Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes, e-hookahs, and vape pens. According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey in 2020, 33.8% of U.S. middle and high school students report that they have been exposed to secondhand ENDS aerosols in indoor spaces. Despite extensive studies on aerosols directly generated from the ENDS mouthpieces, the properties of secondhand ENDS aerosols are insufficiently understood because these aerosols need to be generated by human subjects using ENDS devices. The use of human subjects is very limited, introduces uncertainty due to uncontrolled other variables (e.g., existing diseases, lung functions, and smoking habits), and raises ethical concerns. The knowledge gaps caused by this lack of data lead to confusion and potential delays in regulating ENDS usage in indoor environments. This research aims to examine the physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of secondhand ENDS aerosols generated from a simulated respiratory system recently developed by the research team. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the development of new knowledge in understanding the environmental and health impact of secondhand ENDS aerosols. Further benefits to society will be achieved through student education, training, and public outreach. STEM training will be enhanced through integration of research findings into course modules, participation of researchers in K-12 summer science camps, and a partnership with local public library to disseminate the project findings to the public. Due to the limited data on the properties of secondhand ENDS aerosols, several fundamental questions are still not answered: 1) What are the typical size distributions of secondhand ENDS aerosols, and how do they evolve under controlled environmental factors? 2) Will secondhand ENDS aerosols in actual indoor environments induce oxidative stress and cytotoxicity? 3) What are the roles of metals and flavorings in determining the size distribution and toxic effect of secondhand ENDS aerosols? This project proposes to answer these questions by conducting experiments in a walk-in environmental chamber and an experimental house to relate measurements to real-world indoor environments. An array of online and offline measurement and modeling techniques will be deployed in this study to examine the physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of secondhand ENDS aerosols in realistic indoor environments. The collected data will be used to establish an aerosol dynamics model to predict the evolution of secondhand ENDS aerosols under the influence of evaporation, coagulation, wall deposition, and ventilation. This work has the potential to produce a transformative understanding of the behavior and control of indoor secondhand ENDS aerosols. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for human subject studies and creates an environment that effectively controls other potential variables in order to isolate underlying causes of secondhand ENDS aerosol dynamics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

2019年，有1,090万美国成年人使用电子尼古丁传递系统（末端），例如电子烟，e-Hookahs和Vape Pens。根据2020年全国青年烟草调查，美国中学和高中生中有33.8％报告说，他们已经在室内空间中接触过二手气雾剂。尽管对直接从末端产生的气溶胶进行了广泛的研究，但二端气溶胶的特性不足以理解，因为这些气溶胶需要使用末端设备由人类受试者产生。人类受试者的使用非常有限，由于不受控制的其他变量（例如现有疾病，肺功能和吸烟习惯）引起了不确定性，并引起了道德问题。由于缺乏数据而引起的知识差距导致混乱和在室内环境中调节末端使用时的潜在延迟。这项研究旨在检查研究团队最近开发的模拟呼吸系统产生的二手气溶胶的物理，化学和毒理学特性。该项目的成功完成将通过发展新知识来理解二手气溶胶的环境和健康影响，从而使社会受益。通过学生的教育，培训和公共宣传将对社会产生进一步的利益。通过将研究结果整合到课程模块，研究人员参与K-12夏季科学训练营以及与当地公共图书馆的合作伙伴关系以向公众传播该项目的发现，将增强STEM培训。 由于关于二手气溶胶的性质的数据有限，因此仍未回答几个基本问​​题：1）二手气溶胶的典型尺寸分布是什么，它们如何在受控的环境因素下演变？ 2）在实际室内环境中二手气溶胶会引起氧化应激和细胞毒性吗？ 3）金属和调味剂在确定二手气溶胶的尺寸分布和毒性作用中的作用是什么？该项目建议通过在步入式环境室和实验室进行实验来回答这些问题，以将测量与现实世界中的室内环境联系起来。本研究将部署一系列的在线和离线测量和建模技术，以检查二手二手气溶胶在现实室内环境中的物理，化学和毒理学特性。收集的数据将用于建立气溶胶动力学模型，以预测二手气溶胶在蒸发，凝结，壁沉积和通风的影响下的演变。这项工作有可能对室内二手气溶胶的行为和控制产生变革性的理解。此外，它消除了对人类学科研究的需求，并创造了一个有效控制其他潜在变量的环境，以隔离二手二动气溶胶动力学的潜在原因。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的智力和更广泛影响的评估来通过评估来获得支持的值得审查的审查。