Mysty Mysteries: How Toxic Are Your Vapes?

E-cigarettes are a prevalent health concern in today’s world. They are commonly marketed as a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, this marketing is simply untrue and harmful to the masses that partake in vaping. The liquid used in vapes contains harmful chemicals, which when heated into an aerosol, produce dangerous toxic aldehydes that are inhaled into the lungs. Given how new vaping is to the public, there are many unforeseen health hazards that will begin to negatively affect the population in the future. Unless proper research done to prove that they are dangerous, the general public will see a decrease in overall health. This research is being done by measuring the aldehyde production from an E-cigarette at different wattages to determine the effect wattage has on aldehyde production. This is done by trapping the samples into a DNPH cartridge using tubing and a 500ml syringe connected to the cartridge and vape to pull the gas into the cartridge. The samples will then be eluted and ran through an HPLC to determine the concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein for all the wattages being tested. The samples will be run through the HPLC to obtain results that can be compared to each other to show the increase in aldehydes as the wattage increases. This research should move to push the public into understanding the implications of using E-cigarettes and just how harmful they may end up being to their future and the future of the people around them.