“Chemical analysis of fresh and aged Australian e-cigarette liquids” published in the Medical Journal of Australia “Electronic cigarette usage patterns and perceptions in adult Australians” published in Toxics in 2023.Chemical analysis of fresh and aged Australian e-cigarette liquidsAlexander Larcombe, Sebastien Allard, Paul Pringle, Ryan Mead-Hunter, Natalie Anderson, Benjamin MullinsAffiliations expandPMID: 34528266DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51280AbstractObjectives: To assess the chemical composition of electronic cigarette liquids (e-liquids) sold in Australia, in both their fresh and aged forms.Design, setting: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of commercial e-liquids sold in Australia (online and physical stores).Main outcome measures: Chemical composition of 65 Australian e-liquids - excipients/solvents, flavouring chemicals, other known e-liquid constituents (including nicotine), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - before and after an accelerated ageing process that simulated the effects of vaping.Results: The measured levels of propylene glycol and glycerol often diverged from those recorded on the e-liquid label. All e-liquids contained one or more potentially harmful chemicals, including benzaldehyde, menthol, trans-cinnamaldehyde, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Nicotine or nicotyrine were detected in a small proportion of e-liquids at extremely low concentrations.Conclusions: Australian e-liquids contain a wide variety of chemicals for which information on inhalation toxicity is not available. Further analyses are required to assess the potential long term effects of e-cigarette use on health.Electronic Cigarette Usage Patterns and PErceptions in Audult AustraliansAbstract (abbreviated)In this study, we screened 2217 adult Australians with the aim of assessing these questions in a sample of current or former e-cigarette users. A total of 505 out of 2217 respondents were current or former e-cigarette users, with only these respondents completing the full survey. Key findings of this survey included the high proportion of respondents who indicated they were currently using e-cigarettes (307 out of 2217 = 13.8%), and the high proportion of current e-cigarette users that were also smokers (74.6%). The majority of respondents used e-liquids containing nicotine (70.3%), despite it being illegal in Australia without a prescription, and the majority bought their devices and liquids in Australia (65.7%). A significant proportion of current e-cigarette users (30.6%) thought that e-cigarettes were completely safe to use long-term, although in general, there was a large amount of uncertainty/ambivalence with respect to perceptions of e-cigarette safety and efficacy as smoking cessation tools. This study shows that e-cigarette use is common in Australia, and that appropriate dissemination of unbiased research findings on their safety and efficacy in smoking cessation is urgently required.

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