The Application of Commercially Available Mobile Cigarette Topography Devices for E-cigarette Vaping Behavior Measurements.

INTRODUCTION: The ability to reliably measure real-world vaping behavior is critical to understand exposures to potential toxins. Commercially available mobile topography devices were originally designed to measure cigarette puffing behavior. Information regarding how applicable these devices are to the measurement of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vaping topography is needed. METHODS: Clinical Research Support System (CReSS; Pocket) and Smoking Puff Analyzer Mobile (SPA-M) topography devices were tested against the calibrated laboratory-based smoking puff analyzer duplicator (SPA-D) device combined with an analytical smoking machine that generates programmable puffs with high precision. Puff topography of e-cigarettes was measured over a range of puff volumes (10-130 mL) at 2 and 5 s puff durations (using bell- and square-shaped puffs). "Real-world" topography data collected from 10 participants during 1 week of at-home vaping were also analyzed. Recording anomalies and limitations of the devices, such as accuracy of detection of the puff end, flow rate dropouts, unreported puffs, and abandoned vaping sessions for the CReSS, and multi-peak puffs for the SPA-M were defined. RESULTS: The accuracy of puff volumes and durations was determined for both devices. The error for SPA-M was generally within ±10%, whereas that for the CReSS varied more widely. The CReSS consistently underestimated puff duration at higher flow rates. CONCLUSIONS: CReSS and SPA-M topography devices can be used for real-world e-cigarette topography measurements, but researchers have to be aware of the limitations. Both devices can provide accurate measurements only under certain puff parameter ranges. The SPA-M provided more accurate measurements under a wider range of puffing parameters than the CReSS. Summary data reported by both devices require thorough analysis of the raw data to avoid misleading data interpretation. IMPLICATIONS: Results of this study provide researchers with valuable information about the capability of commercially available cigarette topography devices to measure real-world vaping behaviors. The differing measurement ranges of the two devices and puff recording limitations and anomalies should be taken into account during analysis and interpretation of real-world data.

Design and Validation of a Research-Grade Waterpipe Equipped With Puff Topography Analyzer.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, commercially available waterpipes vary widely in design and durability, including differences in fabrication materials, degree of leak-tight fit, and flow path diameter. Little is known about how the components of the waterpipe may influence puffing behavior and user's exposure to toxins. To systematically evaluate exposure, it is necessary to use a standardized research-grade waterpipe (RWP) when conducting clinical and laboratory-based trials. METHODS: We developed a RWP that is configured with an in-line topography system which allows real-time measurement and recording of the smoke volume drawn through the RWP. The RWP was calibrated across the flow rate range expected for waterpipe tobacco smoking and the calibration was verified for known puff volumes using a smoking machine. Operation of the RWP was qualified in a cohort of experienced waterpipe smokers, each smoker using the RWP ad libitum in a laboratory setting while smoker topography and subjective effects data were collected. RESULTS: RWP machine smoking was highly reproducible and yielded puff volumes that agreed well with true values. User acceptance was comparable, and puffing behavior was similar in pattern, with more frequent puffing in the beginning of the session, but significantly different in intensity from that used to estimate the majority of toxicant exposure reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: The RWP operates with known precision and accuracy and is well accepted by experienced smokers. This tool can be used to determine the extent to which puffing behaviors are affected by the waterpipe design, components, and/or accessories, tobacco nicotine content, sweet flavorings and/or additives known to increase addictiveness. IMPLICATIONS: This study describes a standardized RWP, equipped with a puffing topography analyzer, which can operate with known precision and accuracy, and is well-accepted by experienced smokers in terms of satisfaction and reward. The RWP is an important tool for determining if puffing behaviors, and thus estimated toxin exposures, are affected by the waterpipe design, components, and/or accessories, tobacco nicotine content, sweet flavorings, and/or additives that are known to increase addictiveness.

Effect of NOx on secondary organic aerosol concentrations.

The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) module in PMCAMx, a three-dimensional chemical transport model, has been updated to incorporate NOx-dependent SOA yields. Under low-NOx conditions, the RO2 radicals react with other peroxy radicals to form a distribution of products with lower volatilities, resulting in higher SOA yields. At high-NOx conditions, the SOA yields are lower because aldehydes, ketones, and nitrates dominate the product distribution. Based on recent laboratory smog chamber experiments, high-NOx SOA parametrizations were created using the volatility basis-set approach.The organic aerosol (OA) concentrations in the Eastern US are simulated for a summer episode, and are compared to the available ambient measurements. Changes in NOx levels result in changes of both the oxidants (ozone, OH radical, etc.) and the SOA yields during the oxidation of the corresponding organic vapors. The NOx dependent SOA parametrization predicts a maximum average SOA concentration of 5.2 microg m(-3) and a domain average concentration of 0.6 microg m(-3). As the NOx emissions are reduced by 25%, the domain average SOA concentration does not significantly change, but the response is quite variable spatially. However, the predicted average SOA concentrations increase in northern US cities by around 3% but decrease in the rural southeast US by approximately 5%. A decrease of the average biogenic SOA by roughly 0.5 microg m(-3) is predicted for the southeast US for a 50% reduction in NOx emissions.

Predicted secondary organic aerosol concentrations from the oxidation of isoprene in the eastern United States.

Isoprene, the most abundant non-methane hydrocarbon emitted into the troposphere, has generally not been considered a major source of SOA due to the relatively high volatility of its oxidation products. In this study, the SOA formed from the oxidation of isoprene is predicted using a three-dimensional chemical transport model, PMCAMx, across the eastern U.S. for July, October, January, and April 2001-2002. The variability of the measured SOA yields in the available smog chamber studies is captured by combining the base case scenario with upper and lower bound estimates of the measurements. For the base case simulation, the predicted annual average isoprene SOA concentration in the southeast is 0.09 microg m(-3) (bounds 0.04-0.23 microg m(-3)). Isoprene is predicted to produce 70% less SOA across the entire domain for spring and fall than during the summer and negligible amounts of SOA during the winter. During the summer, the average concentrations in the northeast are predicted to be 0.11 microg m(-3) (bounds 0.04-0.31 microg m(-3)) and in the southeast 0.19 microg m(-3) (bounds 0.11 -0.58 microg m(-3)). PMCAMx predictions are compared to available measurements of some isoprene SOA components in North Carolina and New York State. These modeling results suggest that on an annual basis isoprene oxidation is a small but non-negligible organic aerosol source in the eastern U.S. Its contribution is relatively more important during the summer and in the southeast U.S.

Rethinking organic aerosols: semivolatile emissions and photochemical aging.

Most primary organic-particulate emissions are semivolatile; thus, they partially evaporate with atmospheric dilution, creating substantial amounts of low-volatility gas-phase material. Laboratory experiments show that photo-oxidation of diesel emissions rapidly generates organic aerosol, greatly exceeding the contribution from known secondary organic-aerosol precursors. We attribute this unexplained secondary organic-aerosol production to the oxidation of low-volatility gas-phase species. Accounting for partitioning and photochemical processing of primary emissions creates a more regionally distributed aerosol and brings model predictions into better agreement with observations. Controlling organic particulate-matter concentrations will require substantial changes in the approaches that are currently used to measure and regulate emissions.