In recent years, electronic cigarettes have become a very popular and fashionable device, which people used mainly as an alternative way to deliver nicotine to the body. There are already more than 500 brands of unique e-cigs and about 700 different liquids for them.
However, the question whether electronic cigarettes are harmful, and how safe they are, is still open, because due to the novelty of the product, long-term studies have not been carried out. Numerous manufacturers produce electronic cigarettes of different capacities, and the composition of liquids is also different. Therefore, it is hard to say how safe is each e-cig (check out here).
Accidents
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To date, there are actually registered cases of victims and burned and injured people from the explosion of electronic cigarettes. Sad events happen in different countries of the world.
So, the publication on Facebook of the vaper from USA was a joke to the public. Going to work, 30-year-old Andrew Hall habitually smoked an e vapor in the bathroom, when suddenly it exploded.
Later it turned out that it was the cigarette battery which exploded. The injured man lost 7 teeth, received face, neck and mouth burns, was injured by splinters of the shell, which broke from the explosion.
Andrew makes a horrific picture to his post and encourages the vapers to think about the need to use this device. He also noted that he did not do anything that could lead to an explosion of a cigarette, and this message wants to shed light on the fact that electronic cigarettes can explode for no apparent reason. However we cannot know for sure whether he was careful with charging the device or if he maintained the battery. Also, there were recorded cases of fires caused by these electronic devices.
In the UK, a fatal case involving the use of an electronic cigarette was recorded. According to firefighters, 62-year-old man David Thompson used an unoriginal charger for a cigarette, which turned out to be faulty and caught fire. The ignition led to an explosion of the oxygen condenser, which was used in the house.
Another tragic event occurred with 63-year-old physician Joseph Cavins, who lives in California. One evening, resting after work, man was using electronic cigar . Suddenly, an explosion occurred that deprived Joseph of the opportunity to see for a while. As it turned out later, doctors could not save the left eye.
Why are there explosions of electronic cigarettes?
Experts do not agree on why electronic cigarettes explode and spontaneously burn. More precisely, it is known that the batteries are exploding, but what is the catalyst is not yet clear. After all, exactly the same lithium-ion batteries are literally everywhere around us and the cases of spontaneous combustion of the same smartphones are several times smaller than electronic cigarettes. While e-cigarettes produced much less than smartphones.
In fact, the causes of the vape devices explosions are the same as those of other devices.
First you need to understand how the device works. This electronic device on batteries or battery, when the button is turned on, the flavored liquid is heated, which delivers nicotine through steam. Liquids with different flavors are sold in replaceable cartridges.
Possible causes of explosions:
- Use of damaged or low-quality batteries that are not suitable for use.
- Use of unsuitable counterfeit chargers.
- Incorrect care of the battery (dirt and leaking liquid can lead to a short circuit).
- Non-observance of temperature during charging.
- Low quality: the original devices are equipped with a protective mechanism and in the event of a closure, block the device.
- Use self-made wakes, manufactured unprofessionally.
How to avoid risks?
Observing simple safety rules, you can protect yourself and others from unpleasant consequences, which can lead to improper operation of the device:
- Buy electronic cigarettes only from registered sellers, take into account product reviews and pay attention to the brand.
- In case of battery replacement, only purchase original batteries that are suitable for your device, do not carry or store them with metal objects.
- Do not charge electronic cigarettes with an unsuitable charger or even with minimal mechanical damage.
- Watch the unit if it overheats, the liquid is bitter or leaking – this is an occasion to worry and take action.
- Do not overheat and do not overcool it.
- Do not disassemble the device yourself unless this is provided for in the instruction manual, which must also be read.
- Do not try to fix the device, take it to the store where it was purchased, for exchange and / or troubleshooting.
- Do not leave the device on charging longer than the time required to fully charge the battery.
- Do not soak up a cigarette while charging, if this function is not claimed by the manufacturer.
The likelihood that an electronic cigarette will explode is no more likely to explode another electronic device, such as a smartphone. It is impossible to trace and count the number of victims from an explosion or a fire of a , since not every case is recorded and widely covered by the press. E-cigarettes are used by millions, and the cases that caused the ignition or explosion of the device dozens.
Thus, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, from 2009 to 2015, 37 electronic cigarettes exploded. Against the background of the frenzied popularity of e-cigarettes in the United States, this amount is negligible. It is difficult to say unambiguously which electronic cigarettes can explode and for what reason, after all, theoretically it can happen with the device of any manufacturer and brand. Therefore, adhering to the above recommendations, you can protect yourself from possible negative consequences.
Statistics
Of all the cases it has been concluded that:
- 60 took place in the process of using the devices
- 48 occurred during charging
- 18 happened during storage, transportation and under unclear circumstances
- 50 were caused by spare batteries. However, it is crucial to note that e-cigs with removable battery mods use common batteries for other devices including flashlights too.
Based on the above analysis, the extent of the damage caused by e-cigarettes explosions varies. It is also apparent that e-cigarettes explosion has different causes.
With the growth in demand for paper, the number of studies aimed both at studying the effect of electronic cigarettes on human health and on how safe this device is growing. But today, studies that answer these questions, clearly not yet, because it’s been a very short time since the release of the device. Just follow the basic rules of safety and operation of an electronic cigarette, like any other.