Considerations on dosimetry for in vitro assessment of e-cigarette toxicity

Abstract Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) can be used as smoking cessation aid. Some studies tend to show that they are less hazardous than tobacco cigarettes, even if it does not mean they are completely safe. The huge variation in study designs assessing in vitro toxicity of e-cigarettes ae...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Valérie Forest, Clément Mercier, Jérémie Pourchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2022-12-01
Series:Respiratory Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-022-02286-1
Description
Summary:Abstract Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) can be used as smoking cessation aid. Some studies tend to show that they are less hazardous than tobacco cigarettes, even if it does not mean they are completely safe. The huge variation in study designs assessing in vitro toxicity of e-cigarettes aerosol makes it difficult to make comparisons and draw robust and irrefutable conclusions. In this paper, we review this heterogeneity (in terms of e-cigarette products, biological models, and exposure conditions) with a special focus on the wide disparity in the doses used as well as in the way they are expressed. Finally, we discuss the major issue of dosimetry and show how dosimetry tools enable to align data between different exposure systems or data from different laboratories and therefore allow comparisons to help further exploring the risk potential of e-cigarettes.
ISSN:1465-993X