Cannabis vaping devices have a battery-powered heating element that heats a solution, usually cannabis oil, to produce a vapor. Low quality or misused lithium batteries have been known to cause fires and explosions related to vaping devices.
Health Canada requires ANSI/CAN/UL 8139 for any battery-containing cannabis vaping device. It is also poised to become a requirement for any vaping device, whether nicotine or cannabis, in the United States.
What is UL? Underwriters Laboratory
Underwriter Laboratories has a long history in the product safety testing and certification business, having been established over 125 years ago. It isn’t only the most widely-known Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), it’s also the only testing laboratory operating in 46 countries and recognized worldwide.
UL has evolved from its electrical and fire safety roots to address broader safety issues, including hazardous substances, water quality, food safety, performance testing, safety and compliance education, and environmental sustainability.
How was UL 8139 developed?
UL has developed a voluntary industry standard, UL 8139, published on April 28, 2018, to help manufacturers overcome the hazards of lithium batteries for electronic cigarettes and vapor devices by evaluating the safety of the electrical, heating, battery, and charging systems of these products.
These standards have been developed by the vaping industry, in conjunction with the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada, and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
UL 8139 testing and added value to clients
Ensuring that your battery-powered cannabis vaping devices are UL 8139 certified not only minimizes battery-related injuries and mitigates potential risks but will also protect your brand reputation and boost consumer confidence in your products.
UL identifies known lithium battery failures and design flaws with certification, which allows our teams to rectify potential design flaws to prevent serious injury from lithium battery explosions and fires.
UL 8139 testing procedures include:
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- Battery management system evaluation for everyday use and foreseeable misuse
- Mechanical stress testing
- Accidental activation
- Compatibility with interconnected systems
- Environmental resilience
If you are interested in purchasing the full UL8139 standard, you can find it here.
UL 8139 implementation for Blinc cannabis vaping products
UL certification must be thought during the initial steps when creating original designs and specifications of products as the raw materials in cannabis vaping devices need superior quality. A few of these materials are:
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- Outer casings, which need to resist fire
- PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), which need to provide protection
- Battery cells, which need to have a safe battery management system
- Internal wiring, which needs to conform to safety criteria.
Furthermore, it is necessary to design a venting mechanism to channel the pressure wave in a direction where potential harm is minimized in a short-circuiting or an overheating battery.
Our team has been working since 2019 on implementing and investing in UL 8139 certifications across all of our products containing batteries. We currently have certified our Puffstik variable voltage batteries, our Puff Activated battery, and our AiO Flex ready-to-use vaporizers (both rechargeable and non-rechargeable versions).
These certifications enable Blinc to continuously provide safe and quality-controlled products to clients. Please contact us for more information about UL 8139 certified cannabis vaping products to fulfill your regulatory and compliance needs.
