Context:
The RCP announcement got widely publicized as meaning that vaping was 95% safer than smoking, however the detail and context of the entire report has not been talked about nearly as much.
From the Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LE
"E-cigarettes and long-term harm - the possibility of some harm from long-term e-cigarette use cannot be dismissed due to inhalation of the ingredients other than nicotine, but is likely to be very small, and substantially smaller than that arising from tobacco smoking. With appropriate product standards to minimise exposure to the other ingredients, it should be possible to reduce risks of physical health still further. Although it is not possible to estimate the long-term health risks associated with e-cigarettes precisely, the available data suggest that they are unlikely to exceed 5% of those associated with smoked tobacco products, and may well be substantially lower than this figure."
Please note the part highlighted in green. What they are saying is that there is "probably" more we can do to make vaping even safer!
Also note this statement from the University of Cambridge Cancer Institute:
"We also know that different users use different devices and liquids. So it could be that some are safer or more harmful than others. And people also use the devices in different ways. So further work needs to be done to understand these differences, so that each vaper is using their device as safely as possible."
Now, two new studies have come out by Wang and Guiss that suggest that carcinogens (like formaldehyde) start getting produced at high temperatures. I have proven, in some of my other blog posts, that our coils can indeed reach these temperatures quite easily (without being Dry Hits).
IMHO, the best way to avoid high temperatures is to use a TC mod and set the temp below 450f (ish). However, if you dont choose this option for whatever reason, I have attempted to compile a set of "Best Practices" that a VV/VW mod user can employ to help keep their temperatures at lower levels.
"Best Practices"
Using these "Best Practices" will greatly reduce the probability of venturing into the questionable higher temperature ranges.
There are actually about 18 variables that affect coil temperatures in a VV/VW mod. A major one is air flow across the coil. Please see this blog for more info if you are interested.
©2017 Mike Petro. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The RCP announcement got widely publicized as meaning that vaping was 95% safer than smoking, however the detail and context of the entire report has not been talked about nearly as much.
From the Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LE
"E-cigarettes and long-term harm - the possibility of some harm from long-term e-cigarette use cannot be dismissed due to inhalation of the ingredients other than nicotine, but is likely to be very small, and substantially smaller than that arising from tobacco smoking. With appropriate product standards to minimise exposure to the other ingredients, it should be possible to reduce risks of physical health still further. Although it is not possible to estimate the long-term health risks associated with e-cigarettes precisely, the available data suggest that they are unlikely to exceed 5% of those associated with smoked tobacco products, and may well be substantially lower than this figure."
Please note the part highlighted in green. What they are saying is that there is "probably" more we can do to make vaping even safer!
Also note this statement from the University of Cambridge Cancer Institute:
"We also know that different users use different devices and liquids. So it could be that some are safer or more harmful than others. And people also use the devices in different ways. So further work needs to be done to understand these differences, so that each vaper is using their device as safely as possible."
Now, two new studies have come out by Wang and Guiss that suggest that carcinogens (like formaldehyde) start getting produced at high temperatures. I have proven, in some of my other blog posts, that our coils can indeed reach these temperatures quite easily (without being Dry Hits).
IMHO, the best way to avoid high temperatures is to use a TC mod and set the temp below 450f (ish). However, if you dont choose this option for whatever reason, I have attempted to compile a set of "Best Practices" that a VV/VW mod user can employ to help keep their temperatures at lower levels.
"Best Practices"
- Avoid "Stock Silica Coils".
- Silca has been proven in test after test to be sub standard in transporting juice. If you starve a coil for juice, the temperature WILL rise on a non-TC mod. "Stock" silica wicks have proven to be horrible performers and will almost always result in potentially dangerous high temps.
- Avoid Chain Hitting
- Chain hitting a non TC mod will definitely, and sometimes very significantly increase the coil temperature, regardless of voltage or wattage settings. I have proven this with direct thermocouple measurements. What happens is the coil doesnt get a chance to cool between chain hits, so subsequent hits are already starting with a preheated coil. The more chain hits in a row, the hotter the coil will get each time.
- Diligently replace/clean your coil when they get gunked.
- Gunked coils inhibit heat transfer, and the most common reaction is for a user to increase their power to compensate for the weaker hit, resulting in higher coil temps.
- There is also data that suggests that burning the carbonized junk on a coil gives off its own set of extra nasties.
- Juices with high percentages of flavoring, certain specific flavors (often darker ones), and high levels of sweeteners, are known for gunking coils faster.
- If your hit seems to be getting weaker, check your coil for gunk.
- Gunked coils inhibit heat transfer, and the most common reaction is for a user to increase their power to compensate for the weaker hit, resulting in higher coil temps.
- Ensure good coil saturation via good wicking
- If you starve a coil for juice, the temperature WILL rise on a non-TC mod. The more power hungry your coil, the better your wicking needs to be. Silica is a bad choice for wicking, if you have the option, do select something else.
- Select a lower boiling point juice if you have a "variable" (VV or VW) mod.
- What a lower boiling point juice allows you to do is "lower your settings" to achieve a similarly satisfying hit, which will result in lower temperatures. Lower point liquids include those with lower VG content, or if high VG then diluted with 5-10% of distilled water.
- If using a top coil tank, take a few extra precautions
- Refill when tank is no more than half empty.
- ALWAYS do a swirl to ensure that the exposed wick is fully saturated before every hit.
- Take shorter, even if more frequent, hits.
- The longer the hit the higher the temperature gets, this has been proven via accurate instrumentation.
- As Dr. Farsalinos suggests.
- It’s better to vape less with higher nicotine than to decrease your nicotine and vape more often to feel satisfied.
- It’s probably best to choose a more capable atty but not reduce your nicotine to compensate; reduce your number of puffs instead.
- Less puffs equals less PG and/or VG by-products.
Using these "Best Practices" will greatly reduce the probability of venturing into the questionable higher temperature ranges.
There are actually about 18 variables that affect coil temperatures in a VV/VW mod. A major one is air flow across the coil. Please see this blog for more info if you are interested.
©2017 Mike Petro. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
