Scott, perfect.
I hope as a professional you can appreciate why I wouldn't want to entertain a discussion about 'heat transfer' from somebody who was simply throwing around a term they had heard.
I have the Intellicig Evo which I believe is based on a 401 design. There is an arch wire mesh under which quite visibly sits a white arch which has been confirmed as "plastic" by the aforementioned representative from Intellicig. Mr Johnson was unable to tell me what type of plastic it is, so I assume there's not a lot more that can be done with that information. Although, personally I feel his unwillingness to get that information is dodgy to say the least.
I think these devices certainly have the potential to be safe but I question whether the appropriate resources and knowledge have gone into making them so.
If you have specific information about the 510 please describe what you know about the materials used and temperatures they experience. This information should be publicly available anyway, so you would be doing the community of people use these things a service.
In looking at the picture of the 401 which were posted earlier in this thread (which I will note look significantly different than the atomizer used in the Intellicig Evo) my main concerns would be the release of carcinogens or other toxins from the material which encases the wires preceding the coil, and the release of same from the semi-translucent cylinder upon which the porcelain coil housing sits, and release of same from the solder and coil itself, especially through the process of erosion into
e-liquid if they are exposed to moisture as you have suggested. Note that in the posted pictures it appears that the semi-translucent is discolored and appears to have either undergone chemical transformation itself or has been exposed to a residue from the breakdown of another material within the
device. Could you also name the material used for the wire mesh?
So if you have specific knowledge about the 401, please share that as well.