According to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, potentially high levels of a cancer-causing compound have been found in mint and menthol flavored e-cigarette liquids and smokeless tobacco products.
The levels of pulegone, a carcinogenic constituent of mint plant oil, that are inhaled by e-cigarette users are as much as 1,000 times higher than the levels found in menthol cigarettes, according to Duke University School of Medicine researchers.
High margins of exposure associated with pulegone-containing vaping products
The study involved six types of pulegone-containing smokeless tobaccos and e-Cigarette liquids used for vaping. Of these, all were associated with margins of exposure below 10,000; by comparison, in food, the margin of exposure must be above 10,000 to be deemed safe by regulators. Depending on consumption rates, margins of exposure for the e-liquids ranged between 325 and 6,012; for a pulegone-containing smokeless tobacco, they ranged from 549 to 1,646.
The researchers determined that the margin of exposure for one e-cigarette liquid, V2 Menthol, ranged from 3,084 to 325, depending on consumption. For that example, daily exposure to pulegone was 86 to 1,608 times higher with e-Cigarette use than with a menthol combustible cigarette. The researchers noted that the tobacco industry has minimized pulegone levels in cigarette flavorings because of toxicity concerns.
“Our findings appear to establish health risks associated with pulegone intake and concerns that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should address before suggesting mint- and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products as alternatives for people who use combustible tobacco products,” the researchers concluded.
Previously, the FDA barred the use of pulegone as a food additive after receiving petitions from health and environmental groups.
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