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New research has found that one in four teens who used e-cigarettes has experimented with dripping. It is an alternative technique that produces thicker clouds of vapor that gives stronger sensation in the throat and makes flavors taste better.

The study was published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Suchitra Kirshnan-Sarin, lead author from Yale University School of Medicine said it is the first systematic evaluation of dripping use among teens.

The team surveyed teens from eight southeastern high school of Connecticut during spring 2015. Out of 7,045 high school students, almost 1,100 had used e-cigarettes and 1,874 students were reported to have tried an e-cigarette. Those who vaped reported more than 26 percent tried dripping.

A regular e-cigarette produces inhalable vapor by gradually heating liquid through an automatic wick. In dripping, users manually apply drops of e-liquid directly to the exposed heating coil of the e-cig then immediately inhale the cloud vapor produced. These teen aficionados prefer to bypass the battery-operated process and use a more hands-on approach, a more artisanal version of vaping according to Fox6Now.

Some teens prefer dripping as it allows them better cloud, more flavors as they can change from one liquid flavor to another and a stronger hit. Dripping generates higher heating coil temperatures and poses a safety concern. Users are exposed to increased levels of toxins and carcinogens.

It leads to greater emissions of harmful chemicals called volatile aldehydes. Formaldehyde and acrolein are known to cause cancer in humans. The chemicals are also linked with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Inquirer Daily News reported Dr. Karen Wilson, chief of general pediatrics for Mount Sinai Health System, said the stronger nicotine hit produced by dripping could harm the developing brains of teenage users.

The Food and Drug Administration with its intention to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products has prohibited the sales of e-cigarettes to youths under 18 in August. They have identified 134 incidents of batteries overheating, catching fire or exploding in the US during a seven-year period ending in January 2016.