A comparison of the electrical characteristics, liquid composition, and toxicant emissions of JUUL USA and JUUL UK e-cigarettes

In 2018, JUUL entered the UK market, where EU regulations limit liquid nicotine concentration to 20 mg/mL, approximately one-third the level of JUUL products sold in the USA. We hypothesized that JUUL’s UK product was engineered to deliver greater electrical power and boost liquid vaporization such...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2020-04, Vol.10 (1), p.7322-7322, Article 7322
Main Authors: Talih, Soha, Salman, Rola, El-Hage, Rachel, Karam, Ebrahim, Salam, Sally, Karaoghlanian, Nareg, El-Hellani, Ahmad, Saliba, Najat, Shihadeh, Alan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/166
692/1537
Aerosols
Carbonyl compounds
Cigarettes
Electric power
Electricity
Electronic cigarettes
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
Emissions
Flavoring Agents - analysis
Glycerol - analysis
High-performance liquid chromatography
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Liquid chromatography
multidisciplinary
Nicotine
Nicotine - analysis
Propylene glycol
Propylene Glycol - analysis
Reactive oxygen species
Reactive Oxygen Species - analysis
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Toxicants
United Kingdom
United States
Vaping
Vaporization
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Summary:In 2018, JUUL entered the UK market, where EU regulations limit liquid nicotine concentration to 20 mg/mL, approximately one-third the level of JUUL products sold in the USA. We hypothesized that JUUL’s UK product was engineered to deliver greater electrical power and boost liquid vaporization such that the net nicotine delivery rate was similar to the US version. We compared electrical characteristics, liquid composition, and aerosol emissions of JUUL devices procured in the USA and the UK. Study outcomes included electrical power, total and freebase nicotine, propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin ratio, carbonyls, and reactive oxygen species. Liquids and aerosols were analyzed by GCMS, HPLC, and fluorescence. Compared to the US version, JUUL UK had approximately one-third the liquid nicotine concentration in the liquid (5.4 vs. 1.6 wt.%) and aerosol (4.7 and 1.3 wt.%). Other than nicotine concentration and yield, we found no differences in any other study outcome, including electrical power. Currently, JUUL UK emits nicotine at a far lower rate than the US product, offering an opportunity to study how this factor impacts user behavior, JUUL uptake, and other population-level outcomes across the two markets.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-64414-5