A Review of the Toxicity of Ingredients in E-Cigarettes, Including Those Ingredients Having the Fda's "generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)" Regulatory Status for Use in Food.

Authors

Nada O F Kassem, San Diego State University
Robert M. Strongin, Portland State University
Andrea M. Stroup, Behavioral Health and Health Policy Practice
Marielle C. Brinkman, The Ohio State University
Ahmad El-Hellani, The Ohio State University
Hanno C. Erythropel, Yale University
Arash Etemadi, National Cancer Institute
Vernat Exil, St. Louis University
Maciej L. Goniewicz, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Noura O. Kassem, San Diego State University Research Foundation
Theodore P. Klupinski, Battelle, Columbus
Sandy Liles, Hookah Tobacco Research Center
Thivanka Muthumalage, Purdue University
Alexandra Noël, Louisiana State University
David H. Peyton, Portland State University
Qixin Wang, University of Rochester Medical Center
multiple additional authors

Published In

Nicotine & Tobacco Research : Official Journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-24-2024

Subjects

Vaping Machines, Vaping -- toxicity, Electronic cigarettes -- Health aspects

Abstract

Some firms and marketers of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes; a type of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS)) and refill liquids (e-liquids) have made claims about the safety of ingredients used in their products based on the term "GRAS or Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS). However, GRAS is a provision within the definition of a food additive under section 201(s) (21 U.S.C. 321(s)) of the U.S. Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Food additives and GRAS substances are by the FD&C Act definition intended for use in food, thus safety is based on oral consumption; the term GRAS cannot serve as an indicator of the toxicity of e-cigarette ingredients when aerosolized and inhaled (i.e., vaped). There is no legal or scientific support for labeling e-cigarette product ingredients as "GRAS". This review discusses our concerns with the GRAS provision being applied to e-cigarette products and provides examples of chemical compounds that have been used as food ingredients but have been shown to lead to adverse health effects when inhaled. The review provides scientific insight into the toxicological evaluation of e-liquid ingredients and their aerosols to help determine the potential respiratory risks associated with their use in e-cigarettes.

Rights

Copyright (c) 2024 The Authors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae123

DOI

10.1093/ntr/ntae123

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41842

Citation Details

Kassem, N. O. F., Strongin, R. M., Stroup, A. M., Brinkman, M. C., El-Hellani, A., Erythropel, H. C., Etemadi, A., Exil, V., Goniewicz, M. L., Kassem, N. O., Klupinski, T. P., Liles, S., Muthumalage, T., Noël, A., Peyton, D. H., Wang, Q., Rahman, I., & Valerio, Jr., L. G. (2024). A review of the toxicity of ingredients in e-cigarettes, including those ingredients having the FDA’s “Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)” regulatory status for use in food. Nicotine and Tobacco Research.