E-cigarettes continue to increase in popularity around the world. They vary in design, but a popular device in Australia is the “mod tank” E-cigarette which allows you to modify the temperature at which the e-liquid in the E-cigarette vaporizes. The temperature range able to be used is dependent on which metal the coil is made from, commonly Nickel or Titainum coils. In this study, Dr Ween and her team investigated coils made from Titanium or Nickel used in a 3rd generation mod tank E-cigarette and the temperature setting could contribute to the negative effects seen when lung cells are exposed to E-cigarette vapour. It was observed that flavoured e-liquids that had low toxicity when tested in a vape pen in earlier studies had increased toxicity in the mod tank E-cigarette with both coils. It killed more lung cells and affected the ability of immune cells (macrophages) to clear away bacteria. The titanium coils maximum operating temperature was the lowest operating temperature of the nickel coil. It was also observed that one nickel coil had increased cellular toxicity than the titanium coil when tested at the same temperature. With both coils, the toxic effects increased as the temperature increased from lowest recommended temperature to the highest. This study has identified that there a range of possible factors with E-cigarette usage that could increase the risk of doing harm. The flavour you use, the device you use, the coil you choose, and the temperature setting used could all lead to increased risk. It is important that non-smokers understand how harmful E-cigarette vapour could be to their health. For smokers, work like this is important to identify what components and settings of an e-cigarette contribute most to toxicity levels to avoid unintentionally continuing similar levels of damage as smoking by using E-cigarettes.
