1. Lora Reinhardt’s son chosen for prestigious
summer internship at N.Y. cancer institute
By Amanda Compton, Dolan People staff writer
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Skyler Reinhardt and his mentor, Dr. Maciej L. Goniewicz
Counsel Press Senior Appellate Consultant Lora Reinhardt is one proud mama.
Lora’s son, Skyler, was one of 25 high school students selected to participate in a prestigious
summer internship cancer research program at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
Skyler, who is known for his strong performance in both advanced chemistry and science, was
nominated to participate by his high school mentor, Dr. Maciej L. Goniewicz, as well as the head
of the Department of Education Affairs at Roswell Park.
“Roswell is a well-respected institution with very talented people,” said Skyler. “They only
select the top students, so this was quite the honor. This opportunity meant a lot more exposure
and experience in the field.”
The RPCI internship program ran from June 24 to Aug. 9. During that time, Skyler’s job was to
conduct research on the consistency of nicotine labels involving various brands of electronic

2. cigarette refill cartridges, document his findings and then present those conclusions at the
RPCI internship graduation ceremony on Aug. 9.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered reusable products that allow users to inhale nicotine vapor
without fire, smoke, ash or carbon monoxide. They are marketed as safer, cheaper and
environmentally- friendlier than traditional tobacco products.
The purpose of this research, according to Skyler, was to determine the validity of the Federal
Drug Administration’s argument that e-cigarette cartridges should be federally regulated due to
nicotine labeling inconsistencies among the different brands. Skyler said that the FDA’s goal is
to regulate e-cigarettes as medical devices, similar to the nicotine patch or gum.
“They lost a case a few years ago on the grounds that e-cigs are simply an alternative to
traditional tobacco products and therefore fall under the same laws as regular cigarettes,” he
explained. “The judge also ruled that e-cigs should not be advertised as tools to help quitting and,
if they are, they are open to regulation.”
He continued, “That was in 2010 and the ruling still stands today. There is no real standard to be
met since the FDA isn’t involved. There have been cases of discrepancies in labeling, reports of
bad manufacturing practices and shady testing of these products.”
Additionally, he said, there is enough nicotine in one of these cartridges to kill a child, if digested
directly.
Due to these claims, the FDA is currently conducting extensive studies in an effort to take the
issue back to court. “Because the e-cigarettes have only been on the market since 2007, there
hasn’t been enough research done to determine the long-term health effects it [e-cigarettes] could
have, especially with the nicotine solutions varying from brand to brand,” he said.

3. Lora Reinhardt and her son Skyler
On the other side of the argument, according to the E-Cigarette Reviews website at
www.ehefs.org, e-cigarette users fear that higher prices would accompany additional federal
regulations. Additionally, the website noted, that many companies would be unable to meet these
stringent requirements and would have to eventually close down their factories.
To analyze nicotine content in each of the cartridges, Skyler collected 32 refill solutions from 16
different brands. He then ran these chemicals through a Chromatographer, a medical device that
separates chemicals and reveals how much of a particular chemical is in the original solution.
This process enabled Skyler to form his own calibration, which he utilized to determine how
much nicotine each cartridge contained. “Once I found my results, I compared them with the
labeled concentrations,” he said.
Skyler’s research revealed the following: 1) Labeling of nicotine content on e-cigs refill
solutions was accurate in most products, plus or minus 20 percent. Only eight out of 32 were
relatively inaccurate. 2) Refill solutions with fatal amounts of nicotine for children were
common. And as a result, the errors of refill production may enforce accurate labeling of e-cigs.
3) The e-cigarette companies need to map out their standards, accuracy and warnings – or the
FDA needs to get involved.
He also found that three of the labeled “nicotine free” samples did have a traceable amount of
nicotine when ran through the Chronographer machine. Skyler determined this by running the
solutions through a coil. This, he explained, enabled him to find the retention time of each
chemical.
“The machine spikes when a detectable amount of a particular chemical is detected,” he said.
“According to my mentor, it’s difficult to see the FDA not getting involved at some point.”
“This extraordinary and prestigious opportunity has helped him learn, experience and broaden
his knowledge in the sciences, an area he is very passionate about pursuing in college,” said
Lora, Skyler’s mother. “My husband Kelly and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Lora also pointed out that Skyler participated in an engineering camp last year and lectures at
their local church and is currently obtaining his Eagles Scout badge. She said he also recently
completed an entrepreneurial course in which he and four teammates had to develop a full
business plan and then present it to a panel of CEOs.
To view Skyler’s final abstract, along with a poster, of how he came to his e-cigarette
conclusions, click here.
UPDATE: Dr. Goniewicz recently contacted Skyler asking permission to submit his work to the
Society of Research of Nicotine and Tobacco’s 2014 annual conference, which will be held in
February in Seattle, Wash.

4. Photo below: Skyler graduated from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s High School Summer
Cancer Research Program on Aug. 9, 2013 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Photo below: Skyler’s certificate from RPCI’s 2013 Summer High School Cancer Research
Program