Can Temperature Control Make Vaping Safer?

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Can Temperature Control Make Vaping Safer?
How Safe is Vaping?
Since e-cigarettes first became available in Western society, millions of smokers have flocked to the new technology. Many people vape in the hopes that they will reduce their disease risk without having to quit smoking forever, a daunting prospect that can be nearly impossible to maintain.
It is verifiable that vaping is 99% safer than cigarette smoking. Even so, there are ways that it can be made even safer. One way is to reduce the incidence of carbonyl production in vapor.
What’s a carbonyl?
A carbonyl is a type of chemical that can form when propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), the main two solvents in e-liquid, degrade. Two of the most common carbonyl byproducts of this degradation are formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both of which are hazardous at high levels.
A study was published back in May of this year in which various liquids were vaporized in an e-cigarette at different voltages using a smoking machine. They used “the most popular device available on the Polish market as of January 2013,” which consisted of a top coil 2.4 ohm clearomizer with a 900 mah variable voltage battery.
They tested the device at 3.2, 4.0, and 4.8 volts using a variety of e-liquids ranging from 100% PG to 100% VG. They found that the levels of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde detected in vapor were fairly low at 3.2 and 4.0 volts, yet rose dramatically at 4.8 volts, often to nearly the same levels as found in cigarette smoke.
Since they did not test any voltage between 4.0 and 4.8, it is impossible to determine the exact voltage at which the carbonyl production will increase. However, determining this voltage may not be necessary – it is unlikely that the higher voltage itself is causing this.
So what’s causing it then??
Many of us began vaping using top coil clearomizers such as the one featured in this study. Most will remember the first time they cranked the voltage up to 4.8 – it led to a nasty, burning, gross taste, which was immediately followed by turning the voltage back down and remembering to never do that again.
This is known as a dry hit, or dry puff. It is when most of the liquid has vaporized, so the wick dries out and starts to burn. When the voltage is cranked that high on a top coil clearomizer, the liquid can vaporize too fast – the wick cannot pull liquid up to the atomizer quickly enough, and it dries out.
When the atomizer dries out, it is able to heat to a higher temperature. It can reach a temperature at which whatever liquid is left on it begins to degrade in a combustion reaction. The byproducts of this combustion can include carbonyls such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
That sounds nasty! Can it be prevented??
Yes, this can definitely be prevented.
The key difference between vaporization and combustion is temperature. All we have to do is heat the coil to a high enough temperature for the liquid to begin to evaporate, or vaporize. If we raise that temperature by a few hundred more degrees, it will begin to combust and produce carbonyls.
Essentially, we need to keep the liquid within a safe temperature range. Luckily for us, this is fairly easy to do.
Many of you have rebuilt coils. You have noticed, then, that if you heat the bare coil it will turn bright red fairly quickly. However, if you wick the coil, soak it in e-liquid, and then heat it, it will not turn red.
Keeping the coil next to a soaked wick keeps it cool. As long as your wick is wet, you will only vaporize the liquid. Once it dries out, however, it may heat to a higher temperature and burn, and this can produce some carbonyls. Fortunately for us, this only happens occasionally, and thus is unlikely to lead to ill health effects.
Technology to the rescue!
It is great that we can avoid dry burning most of the time, but what if we can prevent it altogether?
Last week Evolv announced the release of their new DNA 40 chip for digital mods. It has a new feature never seen before in vaping: it limits the temperature so you can never vape too hot.
Brandon from Evolv said that their company fast tracked the release of this new chip due to safety concerns. He said that when temperature control is enabled, your atomizer will never be able to go above a certain temperature.
This feature requires the use of nickel wire to measure the temperature. This may seem concerning at first, but keep in mind that when controlling the power, the voltage output of the device is automatically adjusted to match the resistance of the atomizer. Thus, the exact resistance of your build matters a lot less.
Brandon also noted that with this feature, you will be able to vape your wick completely dry without it ever burning. This is because the temperature will never be allowed to rise that high.
For more information on the new Evolv chip, as well as a link to Phil Busardo’s interview with Brandon from Evolv, click here.
More research is on the way
In addition to this technological advancement, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a noted researcher of vapor products, announced a new crowdfunding campaign for his next research project. In this study, he and his team will attempt to determine at exactly what temperature carbonyl compounds are produced in vapor, among other things. The following is a breakdown of his research goals:
Measure temperatures of evaporation under various puffing conditions (different wattage levels and puff duration).
Determining puffing patterns which would result in less thermal load but maintain level of pleasure and vapor production.
Determine the emission of potentially toxic chemicals in relation to the thermal load.
Determine the development of dry-puff conditions, and how the temperature load is altered in dry-puff conditions.
Evaluate all of the above utilizing numerous resistance levels and wicking materials.
Dr. Farsalinos says that the more money he can raise for his research, the more he can expand it to include different vaping conditions. In addition to laboratory testing, he plans to observe real vapers and collect information from them in his study, rather than rely solely on puffing machines. He also has plans to investigate sub ohm vaping.
Overall the goal of this study is to provide the most realistic and relevant information on vaping and production of potentially hazardous substances so that we are better informed on how to keep ourselves as safe as possible. He has stated explicitly that this study is for us, not for regulators.
The results of this study, when completed, will give us a very clear picture of what temperature and under what conditions we can vape safely or if temperature control plays a role in safe vaping.
A safer vape
As I said earlier, vaping is 99% safer than smoking. The production of carbonyls in vapor falls in that 1% of lingering hazards. However, it is not hard to vape more safely.
Above all, keep your wicks wet. This will keep your coil cool and your vapor safe. If you do experience a dry hit now and then, do not fret – you are still highly unlikely to get sick from a small amount of short term exposure to carbonyls. If you have any doubt about this, compare that one dry puff to the number of drags in all the cigarettes you used to smoke in a day, and remember that each of those are more dangerous.
In the end, there is still not much to worry about. As long as it keeps you from smoking, keep on vaping on.

E-cigarette research: temperature of evaporation
Temperature of evaporation, liquid consumption and vapor analysis in realistic conditions.
We are introducing Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos, a well-known and respected researcher on electronic cigarettes safety/risk profile.
A previous crowdfunding campaign (" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) proved to be extremely important and crucial in confirming the less harmful potential of e-cigarettes but also in identifying an avoidable risk (much smaller than smoking). That study has been already published in a peer-reviewed medical journal (http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/e ... 6.abstract" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and we are certain that it will contribute significantly to the development of even safer products without restricting acceptability, variability and pleasure.
Continuing our commitment for unbiased research on e-cigarettes, we are now launching a new campaign for what we consider to be THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect in e-cigarette safety and future development: TEMPERATURE OF EVAPORATION. Although e-cigarettes do not combust any material, heat is necessary to generate the vapor (aerosol) which is subsequently inhaled by the users. This can result in thermal decomposition of some e-cigarette ingredients, releasing potentially toxic chemicals (most commonly aldehydes, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein). Until now, no study has systematically evaluated temperatures inside the wick, while we have observed several methodological mistakes in assessing aldehydes release (e.g. ingoring that higher wattage is associated with less puff duration in realistic use). Our team has initiated this research, and has already completed preliminary experiments evaluating temperature of evaporation in realistic settings, by introducing a sensor inside the wick, and by having the atomizer fully assembled and used by a vaper.
We now initiate this crowdfunding campaign to expand our research. This is probably the most exciting field in e-cigarette research that will generate valuable information not only for scientists and regulators but also for consumers (vapers) who will be provided with information on the best way to use the devices (especially the new generation devices), without sacrificing pleasure. Temperature evaluation is one of the most crucial factors in determining safety of e-cigarette use, and any improvements in this field will further reduce any small residual risk associated with e-cigarette use.
The main goals of this research project are:
Measure temperatures of evaporation under various puffing conditions (different wattage levels and puff duration).
Determining puffing patterns which would result in less thermal load but maintain level of pleasure and vapor production.
Determine the emission of potentially toxic chemicals in relation to the thermal load.
Determine the development of dry-puff conditions, and how the temperature load is altered in dry-puff conditions.
Evaluate all of the above utilizing numerous resistance levels and wicking materials.
Key issues:
Our goal is to test temperature elevation under variable settings of puff duration and power delivery (wattage) to the atomizer (including high-wattage vaping).
Temperature evaluation is one of the most crucial factors in determining safety of e-cigarette use, and any improvements in this field will further reduce any residual risks associated with e-cigarette use.
THE MORE FUNDS WE RAISE, THE MORE WE WILL BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR RESEARCH. This is a complex protocol, with a variety of laboratory and clinical studies performed in order to fully explore this research field.
We have the equipment to measure temperatures inside the wick, at a rate of 1 measurement every 0.4 seconds. We have already initiated the experiments (a video will be uploaded in the next few days).
Besides testing temperature in laboratory conditions, we plan to proceed with a clinical study, evaluating the patterns of e-cigarette use in a group of dedicated vapers and the interaction between puff duration and wattage delivery to the atomizer. This will give us realistic information, avoiding conditions such as dry puffs which are detected by the users but cannot be detected in laboratory conditions. We believe it is a crucial mistake to evaluate e-cigarette use at higher wattage by keeping the same puff duration as in lower wattage levels. This does not represent realistic conditions.
We plan to associate the temperatures measured under realistic conditions with the release of potentially hazardous chemicals (aldehydes). For this, a laboratory study will be organized, replicating the e-cigarette use patterns observed in the clinical study and evaluating the presence of selected chemicals in the aerosol (vapor).
We will evaluate dry-puff conditions separately, to determine the magnitude of elevation in toxic emissions.
As always, all results will be compared with the relative exposure from smoking.
The study will also assess novel methods of reducing the temperature of evaporation without restricting the use patterns and the pleasure experienced by vapers.
The study will expand to sub-ohm vaping, which is very popular among dedicated users.
An important goal of this research project is to try to determine dry-puff conditions in any atomizer through a simple predictive model, without the need for complex and expensive experiments and tests.
The purpose of the study is NOT to restrict e-cigarette use and variability of devices, atomizers and power delivery-potential, but to provide valuable information to vapers so that they make informed decisions on how to use their devices. We strongly believe that variability in devices, atomizers and liquids are crucial factors in satisfying every individual need. We believe that new-generation devices are the future in e-cigarette use.
The Impact
THIS IS A HEALTH-RELATED ISSUE.
Temperature evaluation is one of the most important areas of research in e-cigarettes, since it is a major determinant in thermal decomposition of e-liquid ingredients.
This research will evaluate methods of further reducing exposure to thermal decomposition products.
We believe that it is not just the peak temperature that matters but the integral of temperature over time of puff.
It may be preferable to vape at higher wattage with shorter puff duration rather than take prolonged puffs at lower wattage levels.
We want to address crucial methodological errors observed in many studies, where the realistic puffing patterns in relation to wattage use are not taken into consideration.
The assessment will be expanded to sub-ohm vaping, evaluating the patterns of use of experienced-advanced users.
The level and quality of information will contribute to the understanding of e-cigarette function and properties.
This study will provide valuable information to regulators and the scientific community. Our preliminary experiments confirm once again the significantly lower risk potential of e-cigarettes compared to smoking, and show that evolution and development of new products should NOT be restricted by tough regulations. On the contrary, we think that new-generation products not only contribute to the pleasure perceived by consumers but could potentially be a safer way to vape relative to the efficacy of the devices as smoking substitutes.
The study will allow vapers make informed decisions on how to use the devices.
The study will address any methodological errors of previous publications on toxin release to the vapor, by ensuring measurements will be performed in realistic conditions, avoiding overheating (which is easily detected by the user).
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people may not be able to contribute, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help:
The crowdfunding campaign is addressed mostly to professionals and not e-cigarette consumers
We encourage you to get the word out and make some noise about our campaign, especially to e-cigarette professionals.
Please use social media and Indiegogo sharing tools.
All professionals (as well as individuals) can mention in their website that they have contributed to this crowdfunding campaign.
Thank you.
*UPDATE
Many of you know that some new devices with the ability to control temperature of evaporation have ben developed. Two such devices have been announced. We have already obtained one of these devices, and we expect to get the other device soon.
We are going to test these devices, not only to see that temperature control is indeed a reality, but also (and most importantly) to see the levels of vapor production (which is a measure of satifaction for the vaper) and the effect of temperature control on aldehyde emissions to the vapor. The latter will show the true impact of temperature control on safety...

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