There is a new way to vape that is trending among teenagers, and according to a new study, 1 in 4 teens who smoke e-cigs have already tried it.
The method is called "dripping," and it could potentially be a more harmful way to smoke on an e-cigarette or to vape.
What Is Dripping?
Dripping is the method of smoking that consists of applying the liquid used to vape directly on the heated atomizer coil, and then inhaling the cloud of vapor.
Vaping vs. Dripping
Vaporizers consists of a battery pack, a coil that can be removed and replaced, the cartridge or tank (the part that vaporizes the liquid) with an atomizer head which serves as the mouthpiece. The user fills up the tank with their favorite e-liquid juice that may or may not contain nicotine.
Dripping on the other hand consist of the battery pack and just the atomizer. The main difference is that the smoker is not using the part that holds the liquid when inhaling the vapor.
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Instead of putting the e-liquid into the tank, it is dripped directly onto the coil. The smoker then inhales directly from the atomizer.
Why Drip?
Smokers prefer dripping because it is said to provide them with a better taste for a stronger
"hit."
The vapor clouds created are also bigger. This entices those the community calls "cloud chasers" who want to be able to make and inhale big clouds.
Dripping is also a more customizable way to vape because it consists of rebuilding the coils.
The Study
The rising trend among e-cigarette smoking teens was found as a result of a study conducted by Yale researchers.
Led by Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, a professor of psychiatry at Yale, researchers surveyed more than 7,000 students at eight different high schools in Connecticut.
Published in the journal Pediatrics, the researchers found that more than 1,000 students smoked e-cigarettes before. 26.1 percent, or 1 in 4 teens, reported to have tried dripping.
The study, which is the first look at dripping among teens, also discovered that males and white teens were among those who were most likely to drip.
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64 percent of teens reported that big clouds was the main reason why these teens tried dripping, whereas 28 percent did it for the stronger hit it produces in the back of their throats. 22 percent did it out of curiosity.
Health Risks
While many smokers go to e-cigarettes or vaping under the assumption that it is healthier than traditional cigarettes, there is still a lack of studies done on these forms of smoking to conclude whether this is true or not.
Dripping could cause increased exposure to toxins in the juice and more nicotine depending on how much is used and how often the smoker is dripping.
The FDA recent revealed plans to regulate e-cigarettes, classifying them as tobacco products, but has not yet released its rules.
More studies need to be done about the health risks of the chemicals inhaled while vaping.
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