Highlighting Specific Features to Reduce Chemical and Thermal Risks of Electronic Cigarette Use through a Technical Classification of Devices

Currently, the emission generation protocol of electronic cigarettes has only one standardized vaping regimen that is consistent with mouth-to-lungs inhalation. Recent works show the significant increase in performance of the device with the use of a direct lung vaping regimen (167 mL s−1, consistent with direct lung inhalation). However, requirements are needed for its use in a laboratory. This work aims at identifying mechanical characteristics of a device and providing a classification based on recommended power range, electrical resistance, heating surface, and air resistance of twenty-six tested devices. The electrical resistivity relation allows the estimation of the wire surface using its diameter and its length. The air resistance is obtained by measuring the pressure drop of the tested device with airflow rates ranging from 1–10 L min−1. Through the wide panel of tested devices, results allow separating them in two categories: classical and sub-ohm electronic cigarettes consistent with the two inhalation behaviours. Differences up to 71 mm2 for the wire surface and up to 4.8 Pa 0.5 min L−1 for the air resistance are observed between them. This limit seems to correspond to a required power of 25 W and an electrical resistance of 1.1 Ω.