Review on quantitation methods for hazardous pollutants released by e-cigarette (EC) smoking

• Electronic cigarettes (EC) provide a nicotine-containing aerosol when they are puffed by a user.
• The use of ECs as an alternative to traditional cigarettes has raised queries of health risks.
• There is a growing need to accurately quantify EC-related pollutants in solutions and aerosol.
• This review addresses the various options for the quantitative assay of EC-related pollutants.

Due to the growing popularity of e-cigarettes (ECs), the number of young EC smokers has increased since their introduction less than a decade ago. This development has alarmed public health experts, prompting researchers to identify potential hazards of EC use and to help establish guidelines or regulations for the pollutants contained in EC solutions and released in their smoke (such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nicotine, polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs), carbonyls, and metals). This review was written to cover the techniques currently available for the collection and analysis of EC-related pollutants. To this end, this review emphasizes the compositional diversity of the various components present in EC solutions and their smoke. The methods used to analyze different types of EC samples are also evaluated to help establish a standardized protocol for their accurate quantitation.