Assessment of vape shop built environment: airborne nicotine, particulate matter, ventilation, hazard identification, workplace practices, and safety perceptions

Abstract

Vape shops are established to sell electronic cigarette (EC) devices, e-liquids or e-juices, and other related accessories. EC use is prominent in vape shops and indoor EC use has been associated with elevated levels of nicotine and particulate matter (PM). This study assessed health and safety conditions, practices, building characteristics, nicotine, and PM concentrations in vape shops during business hours. Sixty-four vape shops were visited but only 15 vape shops consented to participate in this study. The majority of the vape shops had general ventilation (100%) and lounge areas (60%). No workers were observed not to use any personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, aprons, face masks, etc. The mean and standard deviation of the shop volume, air flowrate, and air exchange rate were 12.361 ± 12.990 ft3, 1.203 ± 1.584 ft3/min, and 5.8 ± 2.8 h-1, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the time-averaged concentration of nicotine, PM2.5, respirable PM, and total PM were 3.92 ± 3.73, 32.01 ± 25.85, 36.03 ± 30.91, and 43.67 ± 34.78 ug/m3, respectively. The nicotine, PM2.5, respirable PM, and total PM levels were significantly below their respective occupational or ambient guideline limits (P < 0.05). The vape shop environments in this study did not appear to pose a significant risk of second-hand exposure to elevated levels of airborne nicotine and PM during business hours.

Keywords: electronic cigarettes; exposure assessment; nicotine; particulate matter; safety; vape shops.

Fig. 1.

Boxplots for (a) nicotine and (b) PM_2.5, respirable PM, and total PM across vape shops.