Tracking Metals From E-cigarettes: From The Coil Into Lung Tissue

项目摘要 电子香烟（EC）是电池供电的装置，其加热液体以产生吸入的气溶胶蒸汽。 由用户尽管它们越来越受欢迎，特别是在年轻用户中，但人们对它们知之甚少。 使用欧共体对人类健康的影响。除了对尼古丁、调味品和其他化学物质的健康担忧外， 在液体中，我们实验室和其他人的新数据引起了人们的担忧，即EC可能会使用户暴露于 潜在危险的金属，因为加热的电线用于产生气溶胶，大多数线圈含有镍 和铬，已知的吸入致癌物。我们假设EC装置本身释放Ni、Cr和 这些潜在的致癌物质可能会在肺组织中积累， 血我们将从两个方面来检验我们的假设。首先，我们将分析潜在的金属贡献， 通过使用中子选择性地单独放射性标记EC装置内的每个部件， 活化分析（NAA），并分析其对所得加热气溶胶的金属含量的贡献。 其次，我们将利用小鼠暴露模型测量肺组织和血液中的金属浓度。 我们进一步假设，基于我们使用ICP-MS分析来自EC的尿液和唾液的初步研究， 用户和EC气溶胶的直接测量，线圈设计，功率设置和EC设备的变化 建筑可能对Ni、Cr、Pb和其他金属的测量浓度有显著影响。我们 具体目的包括：1）利用NAA对各种拆卸的EC硬件进行瞬时放射性标记 组件，然后重新组装和测量所收集的辐射能谱 气溶胶，以确定具体的金属污染源;和2）小鼠接触实验，以测量 并分析肺和血液中Ni、Cr和Pb浓度的时间和剂量反应关系 暴露在EC气溶胶中四周后这项研究的结果可能会提供至关重要的， 使决策者能够评估有毒物质的潜在健康风险， 由于使用EC而引起的金属接触。我们假设健康风险因操作条件而异 和特定的EC装置组成。

PROJECT SUMMARY Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid to generate an aerosol vapor inhaled by the user. Despite their increasing popularity, especially among younger users, little is known about the human health effects of EC use. In addition to health concerns about nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals in the liquid, new data from our laboratory, and others, raises concern that ECs may expose users to potentially dangerous metals since a heated wire is used to generate the aerosol, and most coils contain nickel and chromium, known inhalation carcinogens. We hypothesize that EC devices themselves release Ni, Cr and other metals into the heated aerosol and that these potential carcinogens may accumulate in lung tissue and blood. We will test our hypothesis in two ways. First, we will analyze the potential metals contribution of individual components within an EC device by selectively radiolabeling each part individually using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) and analyzing its contribution to the metals content of the resultant heated aerosol. Second, we will measure metal concentrations in lung tissue and blood utilizing a mouse model of exposure. We further hypothesize, based on our preliminary studies using ICP-MS analysis of urine and saliva from EC users, and direct measurement of EC aerosol, that variations in coil design, power settings and EC device construction can have significant effects on measured concentrations of Ni, Cr, Pb and other metals. Our Specific Aims include: 1) utilizing NAA to transiently radiolabel various disassembled EC hardware components, followed by reassembly and measurement of the radiation energy spectrum of the collected aerosol to identify specific sources of metal contamination; and 2) mouse exposure experiments to measure and analyze time- and dose-response relationships for Ni, Cr and Pb concentrations in lung and blood following a four week exposure to EC aerosol. Findings from this study are likely to provide crucial and heretofore unavailable information to policy makers to enable them to evaluate potential health risks of toxic metal exposures arising from EC use. We hypothesize that health risks vary depending on operating conditions and specific EC device composition.