A new study has found that more than 84% of youth and young adults who use e-cigarettes have modified their device, often in potentially dangerous ways.
A team of researchers led by Lucy Popova, an associate professor in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, conducted a national survey of nearly 2,000 youth and adult users of electronic nicotine delivery systems, commonly known as e-cigarettes or vapes.
“Many users don’t realize the potential dangers of modifying e-cigarettes.”
Their findings in the journal Scientific Reports provide the first national-level data on the prevalence of vape modifications among different user groups.
“Many users don’t realize the potential dangers of modifying e-cigarettes,” Popova says. “When people adjust the voltage of a device or add substances to the liquid, they can increase their exposure to harmful chemicals like heavy metals.”
She notes that some of the modifications the study identified were benign and even intended—like replacing a battery or heating coil with an authorized part—but that 68% and 61% of youth and young adults, respectively, made modifications to the e-liquid such as making their own flavorings, adding additional nicotine, or adding cannabis.
The researchers note that making unauthorized battery modifications, which 40% of youth users reported doing, can also be dangerous. Wiring a new battery or using an unauthorized replacement battery could lead to overheating, a fire, or an explosion.
A study by another team of researchers identified more than 2,000 e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries from 2015 to 2017 that resulted in a visit to an emergency department.
E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth, and the percentage of adults who vape has increased in recent years. Popova says that in addition to warning about the health risks associated with vaping, public health campaigns should warn about the potential risks of modifying e-cigarettes. Other tactics could include a focus on product labelling and instructions for safe use.
“Educating people is key,” Popova says, “because most people don’t know that modifying e-cigarettes could be dangerous.”
Support for the research came from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Food and Drug Administration.
Additional coauthors are from GSU, the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health and TSET Health Promotion Research Center, Stephenson Cancer Center; the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, Kennesaw State University; and the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences College of Applied Medical Sciences.
Source: Georgia State University
