Article ul li { list style: drive; padding: 5px 0; The type of heating coil used in e-cigarettes and the amount of voltage passed through it may contribute to vaping-related lung damage, a new animal study suggests. Researchers report that lab mice suffered lung damage when exposed to the fumes of a device that used powerful nickel-chromium alloy heating coils, something that had not been seen in earlier experiments using stainless steel heating coils.
A new animal study suggests that the type of heating coil used in e-cigarettes and the amount of voltage passing through it may contribute to vaping-related lung damage.
Researchers report that lab mice suffered lung damage when exposed to the fumes of a device that used powerful nickel-chromium alloy heating coils, something that had not been seen in earlier experiments using stainless steel heating coils.
“When we examined their lungs, we found that they had very severe damage to their lung structure,” said lead researcher Michael Kleiman, professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the University of California, Irvine. “We found that coils containing nickel and chromium were the least efficient, which is a typical coil.”
According to Kleiman, e-cigarettes use toaster-like heating coils to turn liquid into vapor. The coil is surrounded by liquid, which quickly heats up as voltage passes through the coil.
Kleiman and colleagues made the discovery while conducting vaping studies on lab rats using a device equipped with a stainless steel coil.
Kleiman recalls that manufacturers discontinued the specific device they were using, so they had to switch to compatible models with nichrome coils.
“When we received the new coils and turned them on at high power, we immediately noticed that the animals were really panting after the first series of exposures,” he said. “They lie at the bottom of the cage and just pant. Their coloration looks terrible. Their noses, which are usually pink, now look a little pale.”
Kleinman noted that the e-liquid used in the rat experiments was a mixture of 50-50 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin – the two main ingredients in most e-liquids – with a small amount of tobacco flavor added. It contains no nicotine, THC, or vitamin E supplements.
Vaping advocates counter that such experiments are achieving their results by using vaping devices in a way that consumers have never done before.
“This is in a situation where a regular vaper would never use it,” says Lindsey Stroud, board member of the Smokeless Alternatives Trade Association. “Vapers are not going to use a burning product. They will taste it burning.” “
She added that the most popular vaping products — pod-based or disposable — do not have power settings that users can change.
“With any pod-based device, you can’t change the heat,” Stroud said. “It was done under very strict conditions to get these results.”
However, the American Lung Association said the study is a great example of why the FDA needs to regulate these products more strictly.
”The FDA has the ability to conduct studies like this and only authorize products that have been proven to protect public health,” said Erica Sward, assistant vice president of national defense for the Lung Association.
“Obviously higher wattage will be a problem, so when they review the product they can say that this is our limit. We will not allow a product with more than X wattage to remain on the market,” she said.
Sward said the scope of regulation should go beyond the type of liquid used in e-cigarettes and consider the overall design of each device.
“We don’t know enough about the products people use to inhale chemicals into their lungs,” she said. “I think this is really the tip of the iceberg. It’s not just about the chemicals that people inhale into their lungs, it’s about the materials that the device is made of, the heat, and with it the power, the type of battery – all of these things converge.
“The FDA really needs to look at this and understand, as Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, that these products are guilty until proven innocent. evidence,” he added.
Kleiman said there are several possible reasons why high-pressure nickel-chromium coils could emit toxic fumes.
Metal types, high voltage, and the main components of e-liquids can combine to cause toxic chemical reactions.
”At these high temperatures, a chemical reaction occurs and some of the diols polymerize to form new compounds,” Kleiman said. “Some of these compounds may have oxidized or become toxic in some way.”
“The coil releases metal ions when heated, so there can be iron, nickel and other substances” that come off when you vape, Kleiman said. “Stainless steel generally does not stain or oxidize easily, while nichrome coils oxidize more easily.”
Post time: Jul-18-2023