A recent story about a man in Florida who was injured by an explosion in his electric cigarette has given rise to many questions about the safety of these products. His injuries included the loss of all of his teeth, part of his tongue and severe burns all over his face. New evidence in this case is suggesting that this accident may have been the result of “modding,” the vaping parlance for tampering with a product to create a higher nicotine yield.

The Rarity of Exploding E-Cigs is Telling

First of all, an “off the shelf” e-cig has never exploded in the history of these devices. Manufacturers take pains to ensure that these incidents do not happen. However, there is a long history of modified vaping devices exploding, particularly if it is the battery or safety control circuitry that has been tampered with.

Modifications to these parts are geared toward prolonging the allowed inhalation time and providing more charge to the vaporizer. This can cause an electric fire inside the casing. Pressure can build up inside casing, which can cause an explosion.

Evidence of Electronic Cigarette Tampering

According to the North Bay Fire District Chief, Butch Parker, there was possible evidence of Mr. Holloway, the accident victim, tampering with his devices. While the e-cig and its battery were damaged beyond recognition, there were other signs. For one thing, the device—possibly a cigar-styled one—had a scorched charging case. There were also multiple 3.0V CR123A batteries being charged in the same room as the accident.

The investigation is not complete, but the scorched charging case is telling. Batteries could only achieve this kind of heat if they were being overcharged, which is often the case with battery modification accidents.

These days, there is little need to mod electric cigarettes. Nicotine solutions come in different strengths and different flavors. In the end, this case can certainly illustrate just what a vaper risks when they make modifications to their e-cigs.