“We were concerned that menthol and synthetic compounds or artificial compounds that are similar to menthol are also in e-cigarettes,” Sven-Eric Jordt, PhD, associate professor in anesthesiology and associate professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University School of Medicine, told Healio during the American Thoracic Society International Conference. “These compounds have the same cooling effect as menthol. We wanted to see what the levels are, how much is added to the e-cigarettes and whether there might be some concerns about toxicity in these compounds. They are permitted for use in foods, but we don’t know their safety when you inhale them in tobacco products. Some international regulatory organizations have issued threshold values for raising toxicity concerns.”