Some of our FAQs
Is there really any major difference in any of these manufacturers' platforms besides price?
Yes. Since 2014, eAerosols has provided the only commercially available published POSITIVE PRESSURE platform for e-cig aerosol generation. No other company provides stabilized power with the ability to monitor ALL parameters of ENDS aerosol generation in one device.
Why positive pressure aerosol generation?
In the simplest sense, positive pressure aerosolization allows you to study and generate what can be considered the PUREST e-Aerosol or e-vapor possible. Researchers are able to study and characterize aerosols directly at the exhaust tip of the e-cig or e-vapor device, providing a clearer picture of the initial point of contact of exposure.
Can you replicate realistic smoking topographies found in users of large tank e-cigs and cannabis devices like those found in EVALI patients?
Yes. Aside from being able to generate and conform to ISO-like and Coresta-like puff profiles in a positive pressure fashion, we’re able to generate some of the largest puff volumes in the industry without special modifications. Our platforms are designed to replicate the various different smoking behaviors found in all types of e-Cig, e-Vape, Heat-not-Burn, and cannabis products.
Do users actually smoke these devices so differently?
Yes. Depending on the particular device or biologically-active substance generated, some users may take low volume puffs, primarily using their mouth to draw in air. However, users of cannabis and large tank devices will normally take large, high volume, “Direct to Lung” puffs that are close to or equal to their tidal volume. The flow rates required to generate these large puffs are much higher than ANY International standards and are NOT standard features of e-cig machines manufactured by our competitors.
Why isn't this an ISO standard?
Current Cannabis research and many e-cigarette studies rely on archaic smoking protocols built around principles crafted by the tobacco industry in 1936. For years, ISO (International Organization of Standardization) has acknowledged their own deficiencies in these standards such as the following:
- Many human smoking behavior studies show that many smokers take larger and more frequent puffs than the standardized smoking machine.
- As a result of their more intensive puffing behavior smokers may obtain higher smoke yields than those reported using standard methods.
- Some smokers have been observed to alter their smoking behavior when switching to a lower yield cigarette e.g. increasing puff volume. This phenomenon is frequently referred to as “compensation”. All cigarettes are tested using the same parameters under the ISO/FTC method. Consequently, declared ISO/FTC yields would provide misleading information to smokers on the ranking of brands by smoke yields if they compensate to such an extent that rank order of yields is no longer maintained.
- The filter ventilation zones are unblocked when cigarettes are smoked using the ISO and FTC methods. However smokers may block some of the ventilation holes with their fingers or lips when smoking. Ventilation hole blocking may result in increases in smoke yields. “
Why can’t I just hook up a pump, some tubing, and make something like this myself?
Go for it! As researchers ourselves we encourage ingenuity. We are always happy to see positive pressure being chosen for your ENDS aerosol generation because of less loss of particulate emissions in the downstream tubing and pumps of negative pressure e-cig generators. We believe that we’ve inspired numerous labs to move towards that particular method of generation. Please keep in mind that our precision delivery platforms are used by Government and University labs around the world. And with over 30 years of combined research experience in nicotine aerosol exposures, our platforms and ideas have been cited in some of the most impactful ENDS studies to date. While homemade contraptions, high school science projects, or low-grade imitations may be ok for pilot studies, please let us work with you for your more impactful research.