BOX S-3Research Needs: E-Cigarette Devices, Constituents, and Exposures

The following specific suggestions illustrate the range of priority research areas provided in the body of the report:

Recommendation 6-1: The committee recommends that the Food and Drug Administration and other federal research sponsors and/or device manufacturers prioritize e-cigarette research that addresses key gaps regarding knowledge about e-cigarette devices, constituents, and exposures. This might include rapid response funding opportunities.

• Study the stability of e-liquid ingredients when heated, identify potential byproducts of thermal degradation and of compounds that were not initially present in the e-liquid, and ascertain determinants of change in aerosol composition.
• Study the impact of e-cigarette use on indoor air quality and biomarkers of secondhand e-cigarette exposure in scenarios and exposure surveys that are relevant for the populations exposed, including workers in vape shops and vaping convention attendees, children, pregnant women, and patients with cardiorespiratory disease who live with adults who use e-cigarettes.

Recommendation 6-2: The committee recommends that the Food and Drug Administration and other federal research sponsors and/or device manufacturers prioritize research that improves the quality of e-cigarette research to better understand the devices, constituents, and exposures. This includes protocol and methods validation and development and use of appropriate study design, including the use of the appropriate control groups.

• Develop and validate methods to produce aerosols and to analyze target constituents in e-cigarettes; the standardized method should reflect not only the average puffing conditions observed among the users in real-life settings, but also intensive puffing behaviors.
• Use exposure conditions and animal models that are relevant to real-life inhalation exposure in humans.