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. 2022 Mar 5;10(3):126.
doi: 10.3390/toxics10030126.

The Impact of the Storage Conditions and Type of Clearomizers on the Increase of Heavy Metal Levels in Electronic Cigarette Liquids Retailed in Romania

Alexandra Jităreanu  1 , Irina Gabriela Cara  2 , Alexandru Sava  3 , Ioana Mârțu  4 , Ioana-Cezara Caba  1 , Luminița Agoroaei  1
Affiliations

The Impact of the Storage Conditions and Type of Clearomizers on the Increase of Heavy Metal Levels in Electronic Cigarette Liquids Retailed in Romania

Alexandra Jităreanu et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

The growing popularity of electronic cigarettes has raised several public health concerns, including the risks associated with heavy metals exposure via e-liquids and vapors. The purpose of this study was to determine, using atomic absorption spectrometry, the concentrations of Pb, Ni, Zn, and Co in some commercially available e-liquid samples from Romania immediately after purchase and after storage in clearomizers. Lead and zinc were found in all investigated samples before storage. The initial concentrations of Pb ranged from 0.13 to 0.26 mg L-1, while Zn concentrations were between 0.04 and 0.07 mg L-1. Traces of nickel appeared in all investigated e-liquids before storage but in very small amounts (0.01-0.02 mg L-1). Co was below the detection limits. We investigated the influence of the storage period (1, 3, and 5 days), storage temperature (22 °C and 40 °C), and type of clearomizer. In most cases, the temperature rise and storage period increase were associated with higher concentrations of heavy metals. This confirms that storage conditions can affect metal transfer and suggests that the temperature of storage is another parameter that can influence this phenomenon.

Keywords: e-liquids; heavy metals; storage.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anatomy of the clearomizers used in the experiment ((A) clearomizer 1; (B) clearomizer 2).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The influence of storage temperature and of the clearomizer on Pb concentration. Sample code: Sample number (number of storage days in the clearomizer).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The influence of storage temperature and of the clearomizer on Ni concentration. Sample code: Sample number (number of storage days in the clearomizer).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The influence of storage temperature and of the clearomizer on Zn concentration. Sample code: Sample number (number of storage days in the clearomizer).
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