Effects of Manufacturing Variation in Electronic Cigarette Coil Resistance and Initial Pod Mass on Coil Lifetime and Aerosol Generation

Saleh, Qutaiba; Hensel, Edward; Eddingsaas, Nathan C.; Robinson, Risa J

doi:10.3390/ijerph18084380

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is important to note that there was variation in the experiments, which we attribute to manually firing the e-cigarette and to small variations in the air flow rate between experiments, both of which may have affected metal concentrations. Additionally, Saleh et al [ 58 ] noted that there may be variations between the coils used due to manufacturing differences. Regardless of these sources of variability, the average trends in the measurements were observable regardless of the dilution factor, method used to perform the measurements, and variation of volume of e-liquid in the tank and aerosol added from run to run.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfer of Metals to the Aerosol Generated by an Electronic Cigarette: Influence of Number of Puffs and Power

Rastian

Wilbur

Curtis

2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasing in popularity despite uncertainties about their health hazards. Literature studies have shown that e-cigarettes may be a source of toxic heavy metal exposure to the user, but the mechanism by which metals are transferred from the e-cigarette parts into the aerosol plume that is inhaled by the user is poorly understood. The goal of this study was to quantify the potentially harmful heavy metals chromium, nickel, copper, and lead systematically during the simulated use of a mod-type e-cigarette in order to better understand the mechanism of metal transfer from the e-cigarette parts into the aerosol plume and into the liquid in the storage tank. Aerosol was collected and aliquots of the remaining liquid in the storage tank were collected from 0 to 40 puffs in 10 puff increments and analyzed with atomic absorption spectroscopy. It was found that the concentration of metals increased in both the aerosol and tank liquid the more times the e-cigarette was puffed, but at varying rates for each element and depending on the power applied to the heating coil. For copper, lead, and nickel, the concentrations of metals in the aerosol and tank increased with increasing power but for chromium, the concentration varied with power. Additionally, it was observed that chromium and nickel concentrations were greater in the aerosol than in tank liquid, consistent with the direct transfer of those metals to the aerosol from heating of the nichrome coil element used in this study. For copper and lead, the concentrations were similar or greater in the tank compared to the aerosol, consistent with transfer first into the storage tank liquid, followed by vaporization into the aerosol.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfer of Metals to the Aerosol Generated by an Electronic Cigarette: Influence of Number of Puffs and Power

Rastian

Wilbur

Curtis

2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, individuals have their own unique vaping/puff topographies which contributes to the complexity of coil lifetime. The short life expectancy of the TFV16 Mesh 0.17 Ω coil [28], as well as variations in the resistance of the coils resulting from the manufacturing process [29,30], could account for the variations in the electrical parameters we noted over time (i.e., 300 consecutive puffs) within a channel and between channels. Regardless, discovering imperfections associated with coil production is not the aim of this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High atomizer temperatures can be an issue, particularly when puffing continuously (4 puffs/minute for 75 min or 300 puffs). High temperatures make it uncomfortable to handle the atomizer and, more importantly, are known to generate harmful chemicals which are released with the ECIG-generated aerosol [29][30][31][32][33]. For this reason, the target wattage of the ECIG generator was set at ≈120 W or 60 W for each atomizer in parallel, despite the company's recommendation of 120 W for each atomizer.…”

Section: Temperature Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication and Validation of an Economical, Programmable, Dual-Channel, Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Generator

Palazzolo

Caudill

Baron

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vaping (inhalation of electronic cigarette-generated aerosol) is a public health concern. Due to recent spikes in adolescent use of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) and vaping-induced illnesses, demand for scientific inquiry into the physiological effects of electronic cigarette (ECIG) aerosol has increased. For such studies, standardized and consistent aerosol production is required. Many labs generate aerosol by manually activating peristaltic pumps and ECIG devices simultaneously in a predefined manner. The tedium involved with this process (large puff number over time) and risk of error in keeping with puff topography (puff number, duration, interval) are less than optimal. Furthermore, excess puffing on an ECIG device results in battery depletion, reducing aerosol production, and ultimately, its chemical and physical nature. While commercial vaping machines are available, the cost of these machines is prohibitive to many labs. For these reasons, an economical and programmable ECIG aerosol generator, capable of generating aerosol from two atomizers simultaneously, was fabricated, and subsequently validated. Validation determinants include measurements of atomizer temperatures (inside and outside), electrical parameters (current, resistance and power) of the circuitry, aerosol particle distribution (particle counts and mass concentrations) and aerosol delivery (indexed by nicotine recovery), all during stressed conditions of four puffs/minute for 75 min (i.e., 300 puffs). Validation results indicate that the ECIG aerosol generator is better suited for experiments involving ≤ 100 puffs. Over 100 puffs, the amount of variation in the parameters measured tends to increase. Variations between channels are generally higher than variations within a channel. Despite significant variations in temperatures, electrical parameters, and aerosol particle distributions, both within and between channels, aerosol delivery remains remarkably stable for up to 300 puffs, yielding over 25% nicotine recovery for both channels. In conclusion, this programmable, dual-channel ECIG aerosol generator is not only affordable, but also allows the user to control puff topography and eliminate battery drain of ECIG devices. Consequently, this aerosol generator is valid, reliable, economical, capable of using a variety of E-liquids and amenable for use in a vast number of studies investigating the effects of ECIG-generated aerosol while utilizing a multitude of puffing regimens in a standardized manner.

show abstract

“…HPHCs, especially from lower quality and copycat devices, are presumably present at relatively high levels due to poor wicking and heat transfer. Many of the manufacturers advertise high device lifetime puff numbers, and it is well known that heating quality can be compromised with increasing puff number, leading to higher HPHC emissions, especially metals 25. This will lead to elevated HPHC exposure, especially towards the end of the device lifetime.…”

Section: New Ends Products and Research Agendasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging ENDS products and challenges in tobacco control toxicity research

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) continue to rapidly evolve. Current products pose unique challenges and opportunities for researchers and regulators. This commentary aims to highlight research gaps, particularly in toxicity research, and provide guidance on priority research questions for the tobacco regulatory community. Disposable flavoured ENDS have become the most popular device class among youth and may contain higher nicotine levels than JUUL devices. They also exhibit enhanced harmful and potentially harmful constituents production, contain elevated levels of synthetic coolants and pose environmental concerns. Synthetic nicotine and flavour capsules are innovations that have recently enabled the circumvention of Food and Drug Administration oversight. Coil-less ENDS offer the promise of delivering fewer toxicants due to the absence of heating coils, but initial studies show that these products exhibit similar toxicological profiles compared with JUULs. Each of these topic areas requires further research to understand and mitigate their impact on human health, especially their risks to young users.

show abstract

Effects of Manufacturing Variation in Electronic Cigarette Coil Resistance and Initial Pod Mass on Coil Lifetime and Aerosol Generation

Cited by 6 publications

References 39 publications

Transfer of Metals to the Aerosol Generated by an Electronic Cigarette: Influence of Number of Puffs and Power

Transfer of Metals to the Aerosol Generated by an Electronic Cigarette: Influence of Number of Puffs and Power

Fabrication and Validation of an Economical, Programmable, Dual-Channel, Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Generator

Emerging ENDS products and challenges in tobacco control toxicity research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About