Vapvana's Commitment to Safety: A Deep Dive into EMF and PIDs

In his review, Lee used a TRIFIELD meter and accurately measured pulsed magnetic fields from the Natural's PID controller, with peaks around ~9 milligauss (mG) when the meter was held directly against the unit.

It is completely understandable to see these numbers and have questions. So, what do they mean in the context of safety?

To answer this, we must look at the established international safety standards and the specific nature of the exposure.

The leading global authority on non-ionizing radiation protection is the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Their guidelines are designed with significant safety margins to protect against all known adverse health effects from acute exposure, primarily nerve stimulation[1].

To put these numbers into context, the ICNIRP sets the general public reference level at  2,000 mG [1].

The peak emissions measured at the source of the PID were just ~9 mG. This means The Natural PID operates at a level that is more than 222 times lower than the established international safety guideline.

Furthermore, magnetic fields from a small source like this decay rapidly with distance. At a typical user distance of 1-3 feet, the actual exposure is significantly lower than the peak measured at the source.

Conclusion: The Natural PID & our other kits operates far below the established international safety guidelines for preventing acute health effects.

So where does the "3 mG" concern level often discussed online come from?

This informal threshold is derived from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifying ELF magnetic fields as "Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans"[2]. 

It’s important to note this is the same classification given to common items like coffee and pickled vegetables, indicating the evidence is limited and not conclusive[3].

Crucially, this classification was based on a statistical association found in some epidemiological studies between childhood leukemia and chronic, 24/7 residential exposure to average fields exceeding 3-4 mG[2].

The usage of The Natural & PID vaporizer is fundamentally different from this context:

• User Population: Users are adults, not the specific child population group from the studies.

• Exposure Pattern: Use is intermittent (a few minutes per session), not chronic (near-continuous for years).

• Exposure Level: The time-averaged exposure for a user is extremely low and well below the 3-4 mG average level of concern from those studies.
  
  

While we respect every individual's approach to safety, it is scientifically inaccurate to apply a chronic, 24/7 exposure metric for children to the intermittent use of an appliance by an adult.

While The Natural, and our other vape kits, are engineered to be safe and compliant with all relevant international standards, we believe in empowering our users. 

We hear the community's interest in the principle of "prudent avoidance" - reducing exposures where possible, even when they are already well below established limits.

Based on these recent developments, we have started researching ways to offer an optional EMF shield for our PIDs.

This is now an active project for our engineering team. Our goal is to investigate solutions using scientifically-validated materials to offer a significant reduction in emissions for those who want it.

We are committed to transparency and will update you when we have more info available. To stay informed, please subscribe to our newsletter or follow our social media channels for the latest news on this initiative.

Your trust is our most important asset. We will always be transparent, lead with science, and listen to our community. 

The Natural was designed to be a pinnacle of performance and flavor, and we will ensure it continues to be a benchmark for safety and thoughtful engineering.

Thank you for being part of the Vapvana family and for pushing us to be our best.

Happy Vaping,
Cal & The Vapvana Team

1. ICNIRP Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric and Magnetic Fields (1 Hz to 100 kHz) (2010)

   • This factsheet from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection summarizes their official guidelines. It establishes the 200 µT (2,000 mG) reference level for the general public and explains it is based on preventing acute nerve stimulation, stating evidence for long-term effects is too weak to serve as a basis for guidelines.

2. IARC Monograph Vol. 80: Non-Ionizing Radiation, Part 1: Static and Extremely Low-Frequency (ELF) Electric and Magnetic Fields (2002)

   • This is the foundational report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that classified ELF magnetic fields as "Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans." The classification is based on limited epidemiological evidence for childhood leukemia with chronic average exposures above 0.3-0.4 µT (3-4 mG).

3. IARC Monographs - List of Classifications

   • This official list from IARC provides context for the Group 2B classification, showing it includes a wide array of agents where the evidence of carcinogenicity is not conclusive, such as coffee, pickled vegetables, and gasoline engine exhaust.

4. Magnetic Shielding Materials - K&J Magnetics

   • A clear technical explanation of the principles behind magnetic shielding. It details why high-permeability materials like Mu-metal are effective at redirecting low-frequency magnetic fields, while conductive materials like aluminum are not.

5. Biological effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields - Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (2021)

   • A peer-reviewed scientific review that discusses how pulsed fields (often used therapeutically) can affect cells. It underscores that biological effects are highly dependent on specific parameters like intensity, waveform, and duration, highlighting the complexity of the science beyond simple peak measurements.