E-Cig Explosions Targeted in New Safety Standard

U.S. and Canadian standards institutes have their first safety standard aimed at preventing e-cigarettes from catching fire and exploding, according to UL LLC, which developed the requirements.

The performance standard, ANSI/CAN/UL 8139, covers the electrical systems of electronic cigarettes with built-in, non-removable battery cells, UL official Michael Sakamoto told Bloomberg Law May 18.

E-cigarettes use lithium-ion battery technology, which provides steady energy in a small package. But they’re subject to overheating and the number of incidents involving e-cigarettes continues to grow.

“The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products has identified around 274 incidents of e-cigarette overheating, fires, and explosions” through June 2017, Michael Felberbaum, an FDA spokesman, told Bloomberg Law in an email May 18. And incidents are underreported, he said.

Some 68 percent of fire and explosion incidents have resulted in acute injury, a July 2017 U.S. Fire Administration report found.

“No other consumer product places a battery with a known explosion hazard such as this in such close proximity to the human body,” the report said.

The standard essentially applies to the whole e-cigarette device, except for the “pod” or tank for nicotine liquids, said Sakamoto, a business development manager at UL’s Consumer Technology Division in San Francisco. And it requires that the cells themselves be certified to one of several standards, he said.

Testing would ensure that the cells operate “within the prescribed range” and that the device’s electrical system presents no hazards or risks in normal use, he said.

Anti-Counterfeiting Label

UL, formerly known as Underwriters Laboratories, will use a gold hologram label to protect its certification mark, Sakamoto said.

“This industry has been plagued with counterfeiting,” said Sakamoto.

The use of gold hologram labels has been an effective anti-counterfeiting measure in other industries, identifiable at customs checkpoints, Sakamoto said. The labels will also include other technologies to help with traceability, he said.

The degree of change in the market is up to e-cigarette makers, he said. Smaller makers, who were included in the standards process, gave overall favorable feedback on it.

The American National Standards Institute completed its consensus process in January, and the Standards Council of Canada recently gave its approval, according to Sakamoto.

Leading e-cigarette makers include Juul Labs Inc., British American Tobacco Co., which owns the Vuse and Vype brands, and Altria Group Inc., which owns Mark Ten and APEX.