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3D model (JSmol) |
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| UN number | 1658 |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
Nicotine salts are salts formed from nicotine and an acid. [1] They are found naturally in tobacco leaves. [2] Various acids can be used, leading to different conjugate bases paired with the ammonium form of nicotine.
Research on nicotine salts is limited. [3] Possible health risks of persistent inhalation of high levels of nicotine salts are not fully known. [3] "Juul products use nicotine salts, which can lead to much more available nicotine," Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in September 2019. [4] She also stated that the nicotine salts "cross the blood brain barrier and lead to potentially more effect on the developing brain in adolescents." [4]
Recent research has further highlighted potential health risks associated with nicotine salts. A 2024 study from the University of Louisville raised concerns about the cardiovascular effects of nicotine salts, particularly when used in pod-based devices like Juul. The study found that higher concentrations of nicotine salts may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. [5]
Additionally, a 2022 study from the University of North Carolina found that users of nicotine salt e-cigarettes exhibited immune suppression markers not seen in users of other types of e-cigarettes. This study focused on "fourth-generation" e-cigarette devices and identified biomarkers indicative of airway injury and immune system suppression. [6] However, the long-term health implications of these immune system changes remain unclear, and further studies are required. [7]
A nicotine base and a weak acid such as benzoic acid or levulinic acid is used to form a nicotine salt. [1] Across a sample of 23 nicotine salts available for public purchase, the three most common acids used in the formation of nicotine salts were lactic acid, benzoic acid and levulinic acid. [8] Benzoic acid is the most used acid to create a nicotine salt. [9] Nicotine pyruvate is another form of nicotine salt. [10] A chemical reaction with a pyruvic acid is used to aerosolize nicotine. [11]
A free-base nicotine solution with an acid reduces the pH, which makes it possible to provide higher levels of nicotine without irritating the throat. [12] Nicotine salts are thought to amplify the level and rate of nicotine delivery to the user. The speed of nicotine salts uptake into the body with the use of electronic cigarettes is close to the speed of nicotine uptake from traditional cigarettes. [13] Traditional cigarettes provide high levels of nicotine, but with the taste of tobacco and paper smoke which many may find undesirable. Pod mods, however, can provide high levels of nicotine without the negative smoking experience.
Nicotine salts are less harsh and less bitter and as a consequence e-liquids that contain nicotine salts are more tolerable even with high nicotine concentrations. Nicotine salts in aerosol form do not generally generate the sensation of irritation in the chest and lungs that regular cigarettes do. [13] Protonated nicotine salt is easier for less experienced users to inhale. This smoother experience of nicotine delivery into the body makes nicotine salts popular amongst those new to vaping e-liquids and those seeking a nicotine replacement therapy that is more commensurate to smoking traditional cigarettes.
As of 2023, many manufacturers in the United Kingdom have been observed to have shifted to nicotine salt-only disposable pods, after previously offering a majority of products in conventional liquids containing freebase nicotine. This is widely seen as being due to nicotine salt's more addictive nature. [14]
The latest generation of e-cigarettes, "pod products," such as Juul, have the highest nicotine content (50 mg/mL), in protonated salt, rather than the free-base nicotine form found in earlier generations. [15] In June 2015, Juul introduced a pod mod device containing nicotine salt. [16] British American Tobacco stated that they have been using nicotine salts in their US Vuse e-liquid brand since 2012. [17]
There has been a proliferation of pod-based products with high nicotine concentration, triggered by Juul's financial success. [9] As of September 2018, there were no less than 39 similar Juul devices as well as 15 Juul-compatible pods being offered. [9] Tested show that the pod mods Juul, Bo, Phix, and Suorin contain nicotine salts in a solution with propylene glycol and glycerin. [3]
Nicotine Salt vaping devices are also available in disposable form, multiple brands exist and since their popularity is rising, many new brands of disposable nicotine salt devices are coming to the market. In the United Kingdom, the maximum nicotine concentration allowed by law is 20mg/ml. [18]
Advertisements state nicotine salt liquids contain 2 to 10 times more nicotine than those found in the majority of regular e-cigarette products. [19]
The trade of nicotine salts has grown significantly with the rising popularity of vaping devices and e-cigarettes. Various online retailers offer nicotine salts in different concentrations and formulations, catering to both consumers and manufacturers. In particular, nicotine salts are commonly used in disposable pod systems, which are favored for their higher nicotine content and smoother delivery compared to freebase nicotine. [20]
Recent studies have raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with certain nicotine salt formulations. For example, research published in *Toxics* in January 2024 highlighted that lactic acid salts of nicotine could significantly increase the transfer of toxic metals, such as nickel and chromium, into e-cigarette aerosols. Devices that use lactic acid salts were found to produce much higher concentrations of these metals compared to those using benzoic or levulinic acid salts. [21] This could have implications for both the manufacturing and regulation of nicotine salts, particularly in terms of user safety.
A vaporizer or vaporiser, colloquially known as a vape, is a device used to vaporize substances for inhalation. Plant substances can be used, commonly cannabis, tobacco, or other herbs or blends of essential oil. However, they are most commonly filled with a combination propylene glycol, glycerin, and drugs such as nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol as a liquid solution.
An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or vape, is a device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such, using an e-cigarette is often called "vaping". The atomizer is a heating element that vaporizes a liquid solution called e-liquid, which quickly cools into an aerosol of tiny droplets, vapor and air. The vapor mainly comprises propylene glycol and/or glycerin, usually with nicotine and flavoring. Its exact composition varies, and depends on several things including user behavior.
Regulation of electronic cigarettes varies across countries and states, ranging from no regulation to banning them entirely. As of 2015, around two thirds of major nations have regulated e-cigarettes in some way. A 2023 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that 34 countries had banned the sale of e-cigarettes.
Pax Labs is an American electronic vaporizer company founded in 2007 that markets the Pax vaporizers. The company developed the Juul e-cigarette. Juul Labs was spun out as a separate company in 2017.
Blu is an electronic cigarette brand, produced by Fontem Ventures and owned by Imperial Brands. The brand Blu sells various types of rechargeable and disposable e-cigarettes with a wide selection of flavored and unflavored liquids. Its products are available in many countries and each market offers different types of products suited to public demand and opportunities. The global headquarters of Blu is located in Amsterdam. Local offices are active around the world to service all markets which sell the brand.
The health effects of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) include a range of potential risks such as exposure to toxic chemicals, the possibility of increased likelihood of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and concerns about their possible role in cancer development. Upon their introduction, there were marketing claims that they were a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products.
The scientific community in the United States and Europe are primarily concerned with the possible effect of electronic cigarette use on public health. There is concern among public health experts that e-cigarettes could renormalize smoking, weaken measures to control tobacco, and serve as a gateway for smoking among youth. The public health community is divided over whether to support e-cigarettes, because their safety and efficacy for quitting smoking is unclear. Many in the public health community acknowledge the potential for their quitting smoking and decreasing harm benefits, but there remains a concern over their long-term safety and potential for a new era of users to get addicted to nicotine and then tobacco. There is concern among tobacco control academics and advocates that prevalent universal vaping "will bring its own distinct but as yet unknown health risks in the same way tobacco smoking did, as a result of chronic exposure", among other things.
An electronic cigarette is a handheld battery-powered vaporizer that simulates smoking, but without tobacco combustion. E-cigarette components include a mouthpiece, a cartridge, a heating element/atomizer, a microprocessor, a battery, and some of them have an LED light on the end. An atomizer consists of a small heating element, or coil, that vaporizes e-liquid and a wicking material that draws liquid onto the coil. When the user inhales a flow sensor activates the heating element that atomizes the liquid solution; most devices are manually activated by a push-button. The e-liquid reaches a temperature of roughly 100–250 °C (212–482 °F) within a chamber to create an aerosolized vapor. The user inhales an aerosol, which is commonly but inaccurately called vapor, rather than cigarette smoke. Vaping is different from smoking, but there are some similarities, including the hand-to-mouth action of smoking and an aerosol that looks like cigarette smoke. The aerosol provides a flavor and feel similar to tobacco smoking. There is a learning curve to use e-cigarettes properly. E-cigarettes are cigarette-shaped, and there are many other variations. E-cigarettes that resemble pens or USB memory sticks are also sold that may be used unobtrusively.
The chemical composition of the electronic cigarette aerosol varies across and within manufacturers. Limited data exists regarding their chemistry. However, researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed the vape clouds of popular brands such as Juul and Vuse, and found "nearly 2,000 chemicals, the vast majority of which are unidentified."
A vape shop is a retail outlet specializing in the selling of vaping products, though shops selling derived psychoactive cannabis products have increased in the United States since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. There are also online vape shops. A vape shop offers a range of vaping products. The majority of vape shops do not sell vaping products that are from "Big Tobacco" companies. In 2013, online search engine searches on vape shops surpassed searches on e-cigarettes. Around a third of all sales of vaping products in one US state took place in vape shops. Big Tobacco believes the independent vape market is a threat to their interests.
Juul Labs, Inc. is an American electronic cigarette company that spun off from Pax Labs in 2017. The Juul electronic cigarette atomizes nicotine salts derived from tobacco supplied by one-time use cartridges.
NJOY, LLC is an American company that manufactures and distributes electronic cigarettes and vaping products. In 2017, NJOY acquired the assets of NJOY, Inc., one of the first companies to sell e-cigarettes. On June 1, 2023, the company was acquired by Altria Group.
A heated tobacco product (HTP) is a tobacco product that heats the tobacco at a lower temperature than conventional cigarettes. These products contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive chemical. The heat generates an aerosol or smoke to be inhaled from the tobacco, which contains nicotine and other chemicals. HTPs may also contain additives not found in tobacco, including flavoring chemicals. HTPs generally heat tobacco to temperatures under 600 °C (1100 °F), a lower temperature than conventional cigarettes.
Pod mods are a type of electronic cigarette used to vape nicotine through a mouthpiece connected to the body of the device by magnets. These devices are a newer generation of e-cigarettes that are often marketed to a younger crowd that do not wish to attract attention gained through regular e-cigarettes or traditional tobacco-burning cigarettes. Pod mods contain a disposable cartridge and coils.
The composition of the emissions generated from heated tobacco products are generally lower than that found in cigarette smoke. This is due to the comparatively low temperatures, the filter systems, and physical design. The composition of what is produced is complex. The main toxicants found in the emissions of cigarette smoke are also found in the emissions of these products in varying concentrations. The aerosol generated contains levels of nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals that are comparable to regular cigarettes. The emissions contained 84% of the nicotine found in regular cigarettes.
Exposure to nicotine, from conventional or electronic cigarettes during adolescence can impair the developing human brain. E-cigarette use is recognized as a substantial threat to adolescent behavioral health. The use of tobacco products, no matter what type, is almost always started and established during adolescence when the developing brain is most vulnerable to nicotine addiction. Young people's brains build synapses faster than adult brains. Because addiction is a form of learning, adolescents can get addicted more easily than adults. The nicotine in e-cigarettes can also prime the adolescent brain for addiction to other drugs such as cocaine. Exposure to nicotine and its great risk of developing an addiction, are areas of significant concern.
An outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) started in 2019 among users of illegal, unregulated cannabis vaping products, almost exclusively in the United States. The first cases of this particular outbreak were identified in Illinois and Wisconsin in April 2019; as of 18 February 2020, a total of 2,807 hospitalized cases, including 68 deaths, have been confirmed. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Vitamin E acetate is strongly linked to the EVALI outbreak...Evidence is not sufficient to rule out the contribution of other chemicals of concern, including chemicals in either THC or non-THC products, in some of the reported EVALI cases".
Vaping-associated pulmonary injury (VAPI), also known as vaping-associated lung injury (VALI) or e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (E/VALI), is an umbrella term, used to describe lung diseases associated with the use of vaping products that can be severe and life-threatening. Symptoms can initially mimic common pulmonary diagnoses, such as pneumonia, but sufferers typically do not respond to antibiotic therapy. Differential diagnoses have overlapping features with VAPI, including COVID-19. According to a systematic review article, "Initial case reports of vaping-related lung injury date back to 2012, but the ongoing outbreak of EVALI began in the summer of 2019." EVALI cases continue to be diagnosed. "EVALI has by no means disappeared," Dr. Kligerman said. "We continue to see numerous cases, even during the pandemic, many of which are initially misdiagnosed as COVID-19."
salt nic
Elf Bar is an electronic cigarette brand manufactured by the Chinese firm iMiracle Shenzhen. Also sold as EBDesign and EBCreate, the vapes are characterized by their fruity flavors and colorful appearance. Although the brand is best known for its disposable vapes, reusable variants are also available but are not as popular.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
This article incorporates text by Brian P. Jenssen and Rachel Boykan available under the CC BY 4.0 license.| General topics | |
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