Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/550304
38 tobaccoasia Gamucci last year launched an e-cigarette vaping zone at Heathrow Airport E-cigarettes were also a high priority the To- bacco Science Research Conference (TSRC) and CORESTA Smoke Science/Product Technology meeting held late last year. Essentra Scientific Services (ESS), part of the Filter Products division of Essentra plc, gave pre- sentations about new research at both, as Mike Taylor, director of scientific development at the company explains. "At the TSRC conference, in Williamsburg, Virginia, we presented findings on research that specifically examined the compara- tive yields of a number of potentially harmful mi- nor constituents found in the vapor of a commer- cially available e-cigarette against those found in the mainstream smoke of a conventional cigarette. During testing, all smoking was carried out under the Canadian Intense regime, with a standard puff profile using a linear smoking machine." "57% of people, including half of all non-smokers, would be OK with the prospect of vaping lounges in airports" UK driver Tom Ingram drives a Skycig sponsored car in the Ginetta GT Supercup The results revealed that, other than minor al- kaloids, all compounds tested were below the limit of detection (LOD), with the exception of formal- dehyde which was marginally above. The research shows that testing methods have been further refined, Taylor said, adding: "It also found that it is possible to adapt existing analyti- cal methods used for the testing of conventional cigarettes to quantify levels of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), carbonyls, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phenols and minor alkaloids in e-cigarette vapor." At the CORESTA congress in Seville, Spain, ESS presented a research paper on the effect of puff profile and volume on the yields of particu- late matter, nicotine and TSNAs in e-cigarettes. They again concluded that the majority of tests on tobacco cigarettes can be adopted for use with e- cigarettes although a different puffing regime may be more appropriate. "For instance," Taylor says, "research found that methods for measuring the yields of poten- tially harmful compounds such as TSNAs can be modified for use with e-cigarettes. It was also suc- cessfully determined that using a standard Cam- bridge Filter smoke trap was an acceptable method for the trapping of nicotine in e-cigarette vapor." Another recent study, conducted in New Zealand and published in The Lancet, was the first to address whether e-cigarettes work as an established quit-smoking aid. It reported that in the trials they were about as effective as nicotine patches, but, crucially, e-cigarette users who hadn't stopped smoking by the end of the study reported they were smoking fewer cigarettes. This is a posi- tive result, as smoking-related illnesses are associ- ated with the number of cigarettes smoked along with number of years smoking. Getting sociable In other developments showing the rapid spread of the industry, e-cigarette producer Blackout Cigs has started accepting payment with the online vir- tual currency Bitcoin; and a new e-cigarette from France called Smokio connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth. Vapers can use it to download an app to track data about their usage and alter some functions of the e-cigarette. Among other things it can measure blood oxygenation, how much you're vaping, and estimate how much mon- ey you've saved compared to traditional smoking. In the UK, Gamucci last year launched what it termed "the world's first electronic cigarette air- port vaping zone" at Heathrow Airport. A survey by the travel search site Skyscanner subsequently found that 57% of people, including half of all non-smokers, would be OK with the prospect of vaping lounges expanding to other airports. There is sure to be turbulence ahead, and these might not yet be the open skies that the industry demands, but whichever way you slice it e-ciga- rettes are on the up, and rapidly gaining speed.