"Dripping" –A New Version of Vaping Among Teenagers

New ways to use tobacco are found just as quickly as new products hit the market; so if you haven’t heard of “Dripping,” you’re not alone. With teenager’s use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) on the rise, like e-cigarettes or vape pens, they have experimented with new ways to get stronger hits of nicotine. “Dripping” is the act of manually applying the liquid from an ENDS cartridge—typically called “e-liquid”- directly to the coils of an e-cigarette or other vaporizer product in order to produce thick clouds of vapor. In a recent study among high school students in Connecticut, about a fourth of ENDS users said they had hacked the device to allow dripping to get a stronger throat hit and to make bigger clouds of vapor. Tobacco manufacturers have also caught on to the dripping trend and have begun making vaping devices and e-cigarettes with exposed coils so users can apply the e-liquid directly without necessarily taking the device apart.

Dripping can expose the nicotine liquid to higher temperatures than normal which can release higher levels of the carcinogens found in e-liquid. Direct exposure or ingestion of nicotine has also been documented to cause vomiting, increased heart rate and blood pressure, paralysis of the muscles that control breathing and death. Because ENDS have only recently become regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, there is still much that is unknown about these products so it’s not a good idea to use these devices until more is known about their safety and whether the chemicals in e-liquid are toxic.

The Semper Fit Health Promotion Program can help you learn about the many tobacco products on the market and is here to help you or your teenager throughout the quit process. Call or click the contact information below to find out when the next available tobacco cessation class is available or to speak to a Health Promotion team member.