You can almost hear the smokers smugly announcing that they’ve never been killed by an exploding entjie.

Pity about that new smoking law that’s being considered here in South Africa, though.

38-year-old Tallmadge D’Elia is the unlucky vaper, his pen blowing up and “projecting fragments into his skull”, according to a post-mortem.

He also suffered burns over 80% of his body, due to the May 5 fire caused by the explosion.

The BBC below:

[His] body was discovered by firefighters in the burning bedroom of his family home in the beach resort of St Petersburg, Florida.

It is believed to be the first US death from a vape pen explosion. The television producer’s [below] death has been ruled an accident.

The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner said the official cause of death was “projectile wound of head”, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Christopher D’Elia, the dead man’s father, told ABC Action News it was a “terrible shock”.

“Anybody who has lost a son doesn’t want anybody else to lose a child to something like this,” he said.

The company who manufactured the vape pen, Smok-E Mountain, will surely point to the fact that the pen was modified, which means the user has more access to the battery, and the voltage is not monitored in the same way as other e-cigarettes.

A rep for the company has already blamed the device’s battery during a TV interview, adding that the mouthpiece may have had a role to play.

More on those batteries:

Vape pens use lithium-ion batteries, favoured in smartphones and other portable electronic devices because they can provide high amounts of electricity using little space.

They are used throughout the world with few incidents, but in 2016 Samsung halted sales of the Galaxy Note 7 phone because some were catching fire when the batteries short-circuited.

Those who pay attention will know that vape pens do pop up in the news for the wrong reasons quite often, and the US Fire Administration cites 195 separate incidents of vape pen explosions in the country between 2009 and 2016.

38 of those resulted in severe injuries.

Dan Marchant, Director of Vape Club, has said the following about the occurrence:

It is extremely sad to hear about the death of Mr D’Elia, and our sincere condolences go out to his family.

Any form of explosion with an e-cigarette or vaping device is extremely rare, but in every instance it comes down to mistreating the battery – either from using the wrong charger which is pushing too much power in to the battery, or in very rare instances like this putting too much stress on the battery to cause it to vent and explode.

Unfortunately this is an issue for any product that uses a lithium ion battery, not just vaping products – from mobile phones to power tools. Only recently was a young lady killed in India by an exploding mobile phone.

From the reports I have seen he was using a device known as a mechanical mod (mech mod for short). Unlike the vast majority of vaping devices which have regulated circuitry and a host of safety features, when you push the button on a mech mod you complete a circuit and send raw power from the battery to the heating element. There is no chipset to regulate the power and no safety features which means they are only suitable for very advanced users with a thorough knowledge and understanding of battery safety, battery output and Ohm’s law.

Inhale and relax, vapers (#vapesquad #vapemob #vapenation #vapelife), because we all know smoking cigarettes isn’t exactly keeping the doctor at bay.

You live life as you see fit, but maybe heed some of the recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US:

• using vapes with safety features, like protection against overcharging
• keeping your vape covered and away from loose coins and batteries
• using only the approved charger that came with the vape pen to charge it
• replacing batteries if they get damaged or wet
• not charging your vape overnight

Clears throat – puff puff pass is also a healthier option.

[source:bbc]