# Understanding the Association Between Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Emissions, Tobacco Product Characteristics and User Topography and Consumption Behavior

> **NIH NIH R21** · ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $188,937

## Abstract

Summary: The proposed research, “Understanding the Association Between Electronic Cigarette Aerosol
Emissions, Tobacco Product Characteristics and User Topography and Consumption Behavior,” is comprised
of three specific aims: (1) conduct screening design of experiments for 24 e-cig products and 8 e-liquid
compositions; (2) evaluate the dependence of total particulate mass concentration as a function of product
characteristics and user topography behavior, and (3) evaluate the dependence of nicotine mass fraction of
emissions present in the whole aerosol as a function of product characteristics and user behavior
characteristics. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges that previous protocols for testing
tobacco products, influenced by the tobacco industry, did not represent actual use behavior and yielded
emissions that did not represent actual exposure. Although new protocols have been adopted in FDA
guidances for reporting harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHC) in cigarettes, informed protocols
for alternative tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are needed. This project addresses this
gap, emphasizing the metrics used by Tobacco Regulatory Science (TRS) investigators when reporting
emissions from electronic cigarettes. Analysis of TRS literature demonstrates lack of consensus regarding
metrics for reporting emissions and report various, sometimes apparently conflicting, dependence of emissions
upon User Topography Behavior (UTB) and Product Characteristics (PC). We propose a theoretical framework
defining HPHC mass concentration, CHPHC [mg/mL], as the product of the total particulate mass concentration,
CTPM [mg/mL], of whole aerosol emissions delivered to a user and the mass ratio of HPHC constituents, fHPHC
[mg/mg], present in the whole aerosol emission. The proposed framework permits experimental decoupling of
investigations and provides a means for consolidating results from independent TRS researchers into a
comprehensive understanding of emissions from e-cigs and e-liquids. This project is related to the “Behavior”
scientific domain. This investigation will (1) propose a standardized test protocol for e-cigs and e-liquids; (2)
proposed standardized emissions outcome measures; and (3) inform guidelines for substantial equivalence
products and modified risk criteria to distinguish low- and high-dose ENDS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9935054
- **Project number:** 5R21ES029984-02
- **Recipient organization:** ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Edward Charles Hensel
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $188,937
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9935054

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9935054, Understanding the Association Between Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Emissions, Tobacco Product Characteristics and User Topography and Consumption Behavior (5R21ES029984-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9935054. Licensed CC0.

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