Findings from Roswell Park study suggest benefit from standardization, regulation of products
According to Maciej Goniewicz, PhD, PharmD, both flavorings and high voltage increase the level of toxicity found in e-cigarettes.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists report that several flavorings added to electronic cigarettes impact the toxicity of the devices and that, among the tested flavors, strawberry was the most toxic. The researchers also confirmed an earlier finding that increasing the battery output voltage of these devices significantly increases toxicity. The study has been published online ahead of print in the journal Tobacco Control.
Although many of the flavorings used in e-cigarette liquids have been certified as safe for eating, little is known about their effects when heated and inhaled in e-cigarettes,” says the study’s senior author, Maciej Goniewicz, PhD, PharmD, Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park. “This study suggests that various characteristics of e-cigarettes, including any flavorings, may induce inhalation toxicity and therefore, caution should be used with these products until more comprehensive studies are performed.”
