One in four teenage e-cigarette smokers has tried risky ‘dripping’

Vaping has become a huge trend among teenagers – even among youngsters who have never smoked a ‘real’ cigarette.

But a new, alarming trend is emerging – with one in four teenagers ‘dripping’ e-liquids directly onto heating coils and inhaling the vapour, rather than using the e-cigarette mouthpiece.

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Teenagers are ‘dripping’ because it produces thicker clouds of vapor, a stronger hit in the back of the throat when inhaled, and a more pleasurable taste, Yale researchers found.

But it could increase exposure to nicotine and other toxins, the researchers found – as the liquid is heated to a higher temperature – possibly increasing exposure to harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein in the vapour.

Researchers reviewed survey responses from 1,080 e-cigarette users at eight Connecticut high schools and learned that 26.1% had tried dripping.

‘One of the concerns I have is when you are looking at the safety and risk of e-cigarettes, one really has to look at the risks of alternative uses also,’ said Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, professor of psychiatry at Yale.

‘What we are discovering with our work with youth is that kids are actually using these electronic products for other behaviors, not just for vaping e-liquids from cartridges or tanks.’