Ethanol Concentration in 56 Refillable Electronic Cigarettes Liquid Formulations Determined by Headspace Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector (HS-GC-FID)

Personal battery powered vaporizers or electronic cigarettes were developed as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. The modern electronic cigarettes were patented in 2004 by Hon Lik in China. In May 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposed regulatory statutes on e-cigarettes and their liquid formulations (e-liquids); prior to that, they were unregulated. E-liquids are typically composed of propylene glycol and/or glycerin, flavoring component(s), and active ingredient(s), such as nicotine. Fifty-six commercially available e-liquids, purchased from various sources, contained a variety of flavors and active ingredients. A headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detector HS-GC-FID method was used to analyze these e-liquids for volatiles content. Only one of the e-liquids listed ethanol as a component. A headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detector HS-GC-FID method was used to analyze the e-liquids. The chromatographic separation of volatiles was performed on a Restek BAC-1 column. A linear calibration was generated for ethanol with limits of detection and quantification (LOD/LOQ) of 0.05 mg/mL. Ethanol concentrations in the fifty-six e-liquids ranged from none detected to 206 mg/mL. The ethanol determined in these products may have been used in flavorants or a solvent; the reason for inclusion cannot be fully ascertained. The implications of vaporizing ethanol as an e-liquid component are unknown.