Kelso, Celine Dr

Honours Project 2019 : Are all e-cigarette fluids created equal?

Co-supervisors: Dr Jody Moller and Dr Celine Kelso

Electronic cigarettes, more commonly referred to as e-cigarettes or “vape pens”, work by heating a liquid, which often contains nicotine, to form a vapour that can be inhaled in a process colloquially referred to as ‘vaping’. Analysis of e-cigarette vapour has found that while toxicants are present, they are orders of magnitude lower than the levels found in combustible cigarettes making them a useful tool for those wishing to quit traditional cigarettes. In Australia, the sale or supply of nicotine-containing e-cigarette fluids is currently illegal due to nicotine’s high toxicity, however, consumers are able to import nicotine-containing e-cigarette fluid or obtain these products via an Australian-based compounding pharmacy, provided they have a pharmaceutical prescription. This process avoids analytical validation of products by the TGA and strict requirements for child-proof packaging of harmful materials. This project in collaboration with Prof. Alison Jones MD aims to analyse e-cigarette fluids currently available to Australian consumers from a variety of sources to determine: a) if liquids being sold within Australia contain nicotine, contravening current regulations; b) if imported samples and e-cigarette fluids sourced from compounding pharmacies contain accurate nicotine concentrations which are below toxicity recommendations; c) if direct fluid analysis and captured vapour analysis produce comparable results; and d) if the e-cigarette vapour examined contains toxic pyrolysis products such as formaldehyde and benzaldehyde. This project will develop your research skills in small molecule analysis using techniques such as GC-MS, HPLC and NMR and you can be involved in toxicological research that has the potential to change the direction of health policy in Australia.

University of Wollongong

School of Chemistry, Bld 18, Room 104

Wollongong

NSW

2522

Australia

Honours Project 2019 : Are all e-cigarette fluids created equal?

Co-supervisors: Dr Jody Moller and Dr Celine Kelso

Electronic cigarettes, more commonly referred to as e-cigarettes or “vape pens”, work by heating a liquid, which often contains nicotine, to form a vapour that can be inhaled in a process colloquially referred to as ‘vaping’. Analysis of e-cigarette vapour has found that while toxicants are present, they are orders of magnitude lower than the levels found in combustible cigarettes making them a useful tool for those wishing to quit traditional cigarettes. In Australia, the sale or supply of nicotine-containing e-cigarette fluids is currently illegal due to nicotine’s high toxicity, however, consumers are able to import nicotine-containing e-cigarette fluid or obtain these products via an Australian-based compounding pharmacy, provided they have a pharmaceutical prescription. This process avoids analytical validation of products by the TGA and strict requirements for child-proof packaging of harmful materials. This project in collaboration with Prof. Alison Jones MD aims to analyse e-cigarette fluids currently available to Australian consumers from a variety of sources to determine: a) if liquids being sold within Australia contain nicotine, contravening current regulations; b) if imported samples and e-cigarette fluids sourced from compounding pharmacies contain accurate nicotine concentrations which are below toxicity recommendations; c) if direct fluid analysis and captured vapour analysis produce comparable results; and d) if the e-cigarette vapour examined contains toxic pyrolysis products such as formaldehyde and benzaldehyde. This project will develop your research skills in small molecule analysis using techniques such as GC-MS, HPLC and NMR and you can be involved in toxicological research that has the potential to change the direction of health policy in Australia.

University of Wollongong

School of Chemistry, Bld 18, Room 104

Wollongong

NSW

2522

Australia