Study Led By Huntington Medical Research Institutes, UCI Researchers Links Heating Element in Vaping Devices to Lung Injury

Early results of a new study led by researchers from the Huntington Medical Research Institutes and the University of California, Irvine, has linked nickel-chromium alloy heating elements in vaping devices to incidents of lung injury among those who use the devices.

The research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found similar results, regardless of what type of liquid was being vaporized, the HMRI said in a written statement.

“While conducting experiments, researchers observed [e-cigarette] or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) immediately after switching from a vaping device with a stainless steel heating element, to one that used nickel-chromium alloy,” the statement said.

“The findings were consistent, with or without the use of nicotine, vitamin E oil or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which have previously been thought to contribute to the life-threatening respiratory problem,” according to the statement.

The study was led by Huntington Medical Research Institutes Chief Science Officer and USC Professor of Medicine Dr. Robert A. Kloner and UC Irvine School of Medicine Professor Michael Kleinman, who were joined by a team of researchers, according to the HMRI.

Partial funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes for Health.

The research paper, titled “E?cigarette or Vaping Product Use–Associated Lung Injury Produced in an Animal Model From Electronic Cigarette Vapor Exposure Without Tetrahydrocannabinol or Vitamin E Oil,” can be viewed online at doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.120.017368.