Toxicity Confirmed in Some Components of Liquid-Type Electronic Cigarettes

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As a result of the government's investigation into the safety of liquid-type electronic cigarettes, toxicity related to some components was confirmed in cell experiments and animal experiments, respectively. However, no cases of acute lung injury or death related to the use of liquid-type electronic cigarettes have been reported domestically so far.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the progress of the "Liquid-type Electronic Cigarette Safety Management Measures" on the 4th. Following reports of lung injury and death cases related to the use of liquid-type electronic cigarettes in the United States in October last year and suspected cases reported domestically, the government formed a public-private joint investigation team to collect related cases and established and announced the "Liquid-type Electronic Cigarette Safety Management Measures," which include analyzing the components of these cigarettes.

One year after the announcement of these measures, toxicity of some components in liquid-type electronic cigarettes was confirmed through experiments using cells and animals. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, among the components of liquid-type electronic cigarettes, propylene glycol, glycerin, and flavoring substances showed decreased cell viability at certain concentrations.

Propylene glycol and glycerin are used as solvents and were detected in all 112 liquid-type electronic cigarette products distributed domestically. Three flavoring substances (diacetyl, acetoin, 2,3-pentanedione) are warned by countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom as potential causes of lung disease, and were detected in eight domestic products.

In inhalation tests using experimental animals, respiratory toxicity appeared when vitamin E acetate was administered at doses of 3.125 mg/kg or higher. Vitamin E acetate is a substance identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a cause of lung injury.

However, the government explained that vitamin E acetate was not detected in large amounts in domestically distributed products, so actual human exposure is lower than this. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, vitamin E acetate was detected at 0.03 to 0.12 ppm in the liquid of three out of 112 products distributed domestically.

No cases of acute lung injury related to liquid-type electronic cigarettes have occurred in Korea. This is based on the collection and analysis of suspected cases related to liquid-type electronic cigarettes by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Fair Trade Commission, and others through nationwide hospital intensive care centers, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey linked with the National Health Insurance Service data, and the Consumer Harm Surveillance System.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, "To understand the effects of long-term or combined exposure, disclosure of the components contained in cigarettes must precede, so it is necessary to amend related laws such as the 'Tobacco Business Act' and conduct continuous monitoring in the future."

Currently, a bill to amend the "Tobacco Business Act," which includes expanding the definition of tobacco and mandating the submission of component information, has been submitted to the National Assembly. Previously, in the 20th National Assembly, bills to expand the definition of tobacco, mandate submission of information related to additives and other components, and ban the addition of flavoring substances in the "Tobacco Business Act" and the "National Health Promotion Act" were discussed but failed to pass and were discarded due to the expiration of the session.

Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said, "To ensure the safety management of liquid-type electronic cigarettes, we will continue to monitor and supervise illegal activities such as illegal batteries, illegal nicotine imports, and violations of tobacco sales and advertising, and strengthen education and publicity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.