Login to Access Video or Poster Abstract: MP88-14
Sources of Funding: none

Introduction

Traditional cigarette smoking is a well-established cause of bladder cancer. E-cigarette use is gaining popularity in part due to the perception it represents a safer alternative to smoking. Initial studies have shown the composition of e-cigarette liquids to be complex and may contain nitrosamines, formaldehyde, acrolein, metals, and acetaldehyde many of which are known bladder carcinogens. We compared the urine of e-cigarette users to non-smoking, non e-cigarette using controls by liquid chromactography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for known bladder carcinogens.

Methods

Urine samples were collected from 13 e-cigarette users and 10 non-smoking, non e-cigarette using controls. Samples were acidified, hydrolyzed, extracted, dried and resuspended for LC-MS analysis. Five molecules known to be bladder carcinogens that are either present in traditional cigarettes or common solvents believed to be used in some e-cigarette formulations were targeted for analysis. These included benz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, o-toluidine and 2-naphthylamine (limit of detection 10-100 ng/ml).

Results

Subjects were predominantly male with a mean age of 39.4 years. All subjects had abstained completely by self-report from traditional cigarettes for at least 6 months prior to specimen collection (Table 1). Analysis of e-cigarette user urine was positive for two of the carcinogenic compounds, o-toluidine and 2-naphthylamine (limits of detection 100 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml respectively), in 12/13 e-cigarette users but none of the ten controls (Fischer's exact = 0.0069). The other 3 tested urinary carcinogens were not identified.

Conclusions

E-cigarettes are historically unregulated with a wide variety of formulations. Previous studies have identified nitrosamines in low levels in e-cigarette formulations as well as a variety of solvents such as formaldehyde. Twelve of the 13 subjects studied had carcinogenic 2-naphtylamine and 0-toluidine present. Many of these subjects (9/13) were long term nonsmokers (>12 months). Further study is needed to clarify the safety profile of e-cigarettes and their contribution to the development of bladder cancer given the greater concentration of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the urine of e-cigarette users in this pilot study.

Funding

none