Safety Assessment of Electronic Cigarettes in Smokers

Abstract

In order to assess the safety of electronic cigarettes, 32 smokers who consume more than 20 tobacco cigarettes daily were enrolled in the present study. The cartridge of an electronic cigarette contains 0.25 g of glycerin aqueous solution. Each participant was asked to consume one filter cartridge per day (more than 150 puffs per day) for 4 weeks. Following the treatment, no abnormal changes in blood pressure, hematological data, or blood chemistry and no severe adverse events were observed. Although a trace amount of acrolein was detected in the vapor collected from a single filter cartridge, it was less than the minimum amount in the mainstream smoke from a single tobacco cigarette. During the use of the electronic cigarette, the daily consumption of tobacco cigarettes decreased significantly. This electronic cigarette containing glycerin aqueous solution may be a safe alternative to cigarette