According to research from the University of California, Riverside, skin damage may result from dermal contact to nicotine amounts observed in third-party smoke, or THS, and e-cigarette spills.
THS is produced when smoke from burned cigarettes and exhaled smoke settle on items including clothing, hair, furniture, and cars. Nicotine is a primary component of THS.
THS refers to the byproducts of smoking and is not technically speaking smoke. When e-liquid leaks from electronic cigarette products or when customers and suppliers mix e-liquids for refillable electronic cigarettes, the term “e-cigarette spills” is used.
Study results appear in Atmosphere, a journal.
“We found dermal contact with nicotine may impair wound healing, increase susceptibility to skin infections due to a decrease in immune response, and cause oxidative stress in skin cells,” said Giovanna Pozuelos, who graduated earlier this year from UC Riverside with a doctoral degree in cell, molecular, and developmental biology.
Human keratinocytes were cultivated, and EpiDermTM, a 3D model of the human epidermis, was used in the study. Keratin, the protein that makes up hair and nail polish, is produced by keratinocytes, which are epidermal cells.
For 24 hours, the researchers subjected EpiDermTM to various nicotine concentrations that are usually present in THS environments and spills from electronic cigarettes. The next step was for the researchers to pinpoint the processes and pathways that the exposure had changed. They looked examined how nicotine affected the mitochondria and peroxisomes, two cellular organelles that contain enzymes important for numerous metabolic processes.
Both THS and electronic cigarette spills and leaks can be damaging. THS exposure may be chronic for someone living in a THS-contaminated household, which can lead to persistent dermal exposure. Vendors and consumers who handle or use electronic cigarettes that contain high nicotine concentrations could also become highly exposed.
Giovanna Pozuelos
According to Pozuelos, the most susceptible individuals include those with skin conditions such as diabetic-related ulcers or arterial ulcers.
“Dermal contact with nicotine residue may impair wound healing of such skin lesions and increase susceptibility to pathogenic skin infections,” she said. “Toddlers and infants, who tend to crawl on contaminated surfaces or have frequent contact with indoor surfaces, are particularly susceptible to high dermal exposure. Employers who work in heavily THS-contaminated environments, such as casinos where indoor smoking is permitted, can be exposed for months or even years.”
Fortunately, the changes in the mitochondria of human keratinocytes exposed to nicotine for 24 hours are reversible.
“Skin may recover by avoiding continual dermal exposure to THS-contaminated environments and properly handling electronic cigarettes e-liquid,” said coauthor Prue Talbot, a professor of cell biology who advised Pozuelos on the study. “It’s important to note that a relatively short exposure of 24 hours in our study is sufficient to cause skin damage.”
Pozuelos stressed that the severity of skin damage depends on both exposure duration and nicotine concentration.
“Both THS and electronic cigarette spills and leaks can be damaging,” she said. “THS exposure may be chronic for someone living in a THS-contaminated household, which can lead to persistent dermal exposure. Vendors and consumers who handle or use electronic cigarettes that contain high nicotine concentrations could also become highly exposed.”
In order to reduce dermal contact, Pozuelos urges customers and suppliers who work with electronic cigarettes to wear the appropriate protective gear and thoroughly clean contaminated areas.
“Restrictions on indoor smoking and vaping, and policies for remediating contaminated environments need to be implemented,” she said.
The study was funded by the UC Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program and the UCR Academic Senate. The study’s design, data collection and analysis, publication choice, and article preparation were all done independently from the funders.
Pozuelos and Talbot were joined in the study by Matine Rubin, Samantha Vargas, Erik Ramirez, Dhiresh Bandaru, and Jihui Sha at UCR; and James Wohlschlegel at UCLA.
