Are E-cigs bad for you?

[Dob_Bobolina]

Ok guys, I edited the article, hopefully it sounds more correct to you all. I also went ahead and pulled my intentional grammar mistakes =). Here it is: Are E-Cigs bad for you? | eCigology

Thank you for the links too, they were very helpful in clearing up my own ignorant blog owner statements =)

 

[kristin]

Now, propylene glycol is used in the juice almost all the time, and it is sometimes also found in antifreeze… Its actually used in antifreeze to make it less toxic if swallowed. This chemical is ok for human consumption, in fact besides antifreeze it is also found in tea plants, black pepper, parsley, poppy seed, amaranth, spinach, chard, beets, cocoa, chocolate, most nuts, most berries, and beans. It is also 7x safer than caffeine. How much caffeine do you drink? I drink like 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day. You know, using the logic of these guys, I guess that means drinking coffee is 7x more deadly than drinking anti-freeze…. I guess I’d better learn how to brew the stuff.

Seriously, this chemical is not dangerous… Well, thats not true, in crazy high dosages it is, but so is caffeine, heck, even water can kill you. This is just a terrible lie they are telling you.

I think you accidentally mixed together paragraphs about propylene glycol and nicotine with this? Additionally, where did you get that list? I've never heard of nicotine or propylene glycol being in any of those items?

Also, e-cigarettes are not currently regulated at all. The recent court case indicated that the FDA can't regulate them as drug delivery devices and SHOULD regulate them as tobacco products, but that hasn't been settled. However, MOST e-cig sellers already refuse to sell to minors even without regulation. A couple of municipalities/states have legally banned the sale to minors, though.

Just FYI.

 

[Dob_Bobolina]

"Now, propylene glycol is used in the juice almost all the time, and it is sometimes also found in antifreeze... Its actually used in antifreeze to make it less toxic if swallowed. This chemical is ok for human consumption, in fact besides antifreeze it is also found in a lot of what we ingest daily, including chocolate and other foods.

Nicotine is also about as dangerous for you as caffeine. How much caffeine do you drink? I drink like 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day. I wonder if I should switch to antifreeze?"

Geeze, lessons learned. And thank you... Im just trying to get everything right!

 

[fiercemoose]

C'mon Coop, pull yourself together, son!

All jokes aside, thanks to the valuable input from these folks I'd say you ended up with a very good article.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

Dob, what you're trying to say is wonderful and it's great that you're sharing your experience and trying to get the word out to everyone! You're doing great! Thank you!

 

[Ciego]

This is directed at Woman of Heart,

Just because your juice uses only four flavorings etc. doesn't mean it's limited to that number of chemicals. You need to research each of the flavorings, as each can contain many chemicals, if the flavorings are artificial. For example, one commonly-used strawberry flavoring uses 28 different chemicals, one artificial orange uses 15.
There are reference books which give commonly-used recipes/formulas for many of the artificial flavors we consume everyday. I used to own such a book until it was confiscated...

To the OP and others who have replied here:
Here's the deal: I don't think it's wise for anyone to dispense advice without some serious education in chemistry. I don't have that education, and I suspect most here do not. If one is a medical doctor, compounding pharmacist or process chemist, maybe... others might want to refrain from giving advice.

 

[Traver]

Plus I can't see how inhaling something that is safe to ingest can be as (if not more) harmful than smoking. Could it be bad for you? It certainly could. But is it as bad or worse than inhaling formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone, tar, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide....?(all of these are in analogs + many other chemicals)
I personally don't believe so and I'm willing to take my chances.

That is why I'm for harm reduction and not for a "safe"alternative to cigarettes.

Diacetyl is an example of a chemical that is safe to eat but can destroy your lungs if inhaled. It is an FDA approved butter flavoring.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

This is directed at Woman of Heart,

Just because your juice uses only four flavorings etc. doesn't mean it's limited to that number of chemicals. You need to research each of the flavorings, as each can contain many chemicals, if the flavorings are artificial. For example, one commonly-used strawberry flavoring uses 28 different chemicals, one artificial orange uses 15.
There are reference books which give commonly-used recipes/formulas for many of the artificial flavors we consume everyday. I used to own such a book until it was confiscated...

True, but I'm not a chemist and when you're talking to a lay person it's probably not a good idea to start talking about chemicals and chemistry. IMHO it's best to just keep it simple otherwise people start getting put-off or overly paranoid because they don't understand what you just told them.

 

[Traver]

True, but I'm not a chemist and when you're talking to a lay person it's probably not a good idea to start talking about chemicals and chemistry. IMHO it's best to just keep it simple otherwise people start getting put-off or overly paranoid because they don't understand what you just told them.

I agree, ingredients maybe a better way to put it.

 

[SimpleSins]

Isn't that the same logic that the tobacco company used for not telling us what was in our cigarettes? Because it was too complicated for our little brains and it might scare us away from using them?

 

[Traver]

Isn't that the same logic that the tobacco company used for not telling us what was in our cigarettes? Because it was too complicated for our little brains and it might scare us away from using them?

Links can be posted for those who want more comprehensive information. For this kind of blog I don't think everything is going to be covered anyway so I believe it should be kept as simple and non threatening as possible. I'm not for hiding anything. I am looking for something like this to tell smokers who want know something about vaping or a link I can point to. Of course it's up to Dob to decide what and how he wants to say it but I am interested in seeing how this ends up.

 

[SimpleSins]

I agree with that. I just don't believe that we should fudge the truth- you know, like the "it's just water vapor" sort of thing. People get more upset if they think you've tried to pull one over on them than had you been straight with them to begin with, so to me it's important to mention the ingredients, maybe settling on something like PG, VG, nicotine, and the flavoring chemicals.

 

[Dob_Bobolina]

Well I think I'm going to leave it as it is at this point... Like Traver was saying, Its a blog post, I'm just trying to shed some light on the subject for the uninformed reader.
Are E-Cigs bad for you? | eCigology

 

[TheKingOfKool]

I've been smoking e-cigs for over 2 years now. once in a while Its feels like my either my lungs stop or throat closes and I can't breath for 4-5 seconds. scary feeling of suffocating. It doesn't happen that often and I'm not sure if it's e-cig related. Also sometimes when I wake up theres a strange taste in my mouth, Not sure if it tastes like e-cig liquid or just stomach acid. does anybody else experience this?

 

[Dob_Bobolina]

I've been smoking e-cigs for over 2 years now. once in a while Its feels like my either my lungs stop or throat closes and I can't breath for 4-5 seconds. scary feeling of suffocating. It doesn't happen that often and I'm not sure if it's e-cig related. Also sometimes when I wake up theres a strange taste in my mouth, Not sure if it tastes like e-cig liquid or just stomach acid. does anybody else experience this?

Wow, that sounds bad man... You should see a doctor! One thing I noticed, and this may be gross sounding, is my mucus is sweet.... Kind of like if you were a smoker you would have mucus probably taste more salty or something... It seems like it makes my sinuses make more of it too..... Maybe you are getting that in your lungs? Maybe you are also developing an allergy to PG or VG? Who knows...

 

[Edwv30]

I agree with that. I just don't believe that we should fudge the truth- you know, like the "it's just water vapor" sort of thing. People get more upset if they think you've tried to pull one over on them than had you been straight with them to begin with, so to me it's important to mention the ingredients, maybe settling on something like PG, VG, nicotine, and the flavoring chemicals.

I agree. There are chemicals being used in some juices that can be damaging...and deadly. Once lung tissue is destroyed it's gone..there is no going back. If you want to write an informative blog you should talk about the pros and cons in regards to vaping. It's a great disservice to write something encouraging people to vape by telling them it's harmless like "water vapor" of "fog machines." That's simply not the truth. Remember, a lot of people turn to vaping when they are diagnosed with chronic\end stage lung disease. Vaping may\may not be a better alternative...the truth is..we just don't know at this point in time.

 

[kristin]

Remember, a lot of people turn to vaping when they are diagnosed with chronic\end stage lung disease. Vaping may\may not be a better alternative...the truth is..we just don't know at this point in time.

There is no doubt that vaping is not a good choice for EVERYONE.

While I agree completely they should NEVER be called "harmless" or "100% safe," e-cigarettes are not promoted as a treatment for ANY disease or illness, not just nicotine addiction. They are what they are - a reduced RISK product - but that does not mean that they will be as great of a reduced risk for everyone.

Low-fat ice cream is meant to be reduced risk for obesity, but it is not going to be as great of a reduced risk for people with lactose intolerence. Just because it's reduced risk for SOME things, doesn't mean it's reduced risk for ALL things. The same for e-cigarettes.

Anyone with pre-existing heart or lung disease should take that into consideration when choosing an alternative to smoking. Frankly, I would expect someone with advanced/severe lung disease to avoid inhaling ANYTHING that isn't specifically intended to treat their disease. Regardless, e-cigarettes are intended to be compared with SMOKING, not with breathing clean air. As far as smoking is concerned ANYTHING smokeless is a better alternative.

So, while vaping may not be better alternative to quitting inhaling anything (for those with lung disease) it is most certainly going to be a better alternative than a person with lung disease continuing to SMOKE!

 

[banjo]

I've tried to stop inhaling, but after a few seconds I get that drowning feeling, and have to take a breath so I don't pass out. I say this, because in the chemical environment in which we live, we suck in (also eat & drink) a lot of chemicals that aren't particularly good for us. I do think that vaping may contain more risks than we suspect, or acknowledge, but I am almost certain that there is a lot less risk involved in vaping than with smoking. At any rate, all we can really do is inform ourselves, do a little research, and make the best decisions we can with the information we have available.

 

[Edwv30]

There is no doubt that vaping is not a good choice for EVERYONE.

While I agree completely they should NEVER be called "harmless" or "100% safe," e-cigarettes are not promoted as a treatment for ANY disease or illness, not just nicotine addiction. They are what they are - a reduced RISK product - but that does not mean that they will be as great of a reduced risk for everyone.

Low-fat ice cream is meant to be reduced risk for obesity, but it is not going to be as great of a reduced risk for people with lactose intolerence. Just because it's reduced risk for SOME things, doesn't mean it's reduced risk for ALL things. The same for e-cigarettes.

Anyone with pre-existing heart or lung disease should take that into consideration when choosing an alternative to smoking. Frankly, I would expect someone with advanced/severe lung disease to avoid inhaling ANYTHING that isn't specifically intended to treat their disease. Regardless, e-cigarettes are intended to be compared with SMOKING, not with breathing clean air. As far as smoking is concerned ANYTHING smokeless is a better alternative.

So, while vaping may not be better alternative to quitting inhaling anything (for those with lung disease) it is most certainly going to be a better alternative than a person with lung disease continuing to SMOKE!

I was trying to make a point that the OP should mention the possible chemicals\health risks involved with vaping since he created a blog to educate people. It would be unfair to tell people about the good things involved with vaping without mentioning the dangers. The information needs to be out there so people can make an educated decision about what they put in their bodies.

I agree that people with heart\lung damage shouldn't be smoking or vaping. I also think that people without health conditions shouldn't be smoking and vaping but we do because we have an ADDICTION. That addiction is no easier to break if you have heart\lung conditions.

 

[kristin]

I was trying to make a point that the OP should mention the possible chemicals\health risks involved with vaping since he created a blog to educate people. It would be unfair to tell people about the good things involved with vaping without mentioning the dangers. The information needs to be out there so people can make an educated decision about what they put in their bodies.

I agree that people with heart\lung damage shouldn't be smoking or vaping. I also think that people without health conditions shouldn't be smoking and vaping but we do because we have an ADDICTION. That addiction is no easier to break if you have heart\lung conditions.

I know the point you were making and agreed with you - no one should call e-cigarettes "safe" or "harmless" because that is simply untrue.

But addiction can be handled in other ways other than inhalants. There are NRT products and even smokeless tobacco such as snus reduces the health risks by 98-99%.

My comments were based more on your final statement, "Vaping may\may not be a better alternative" because if you finish that statement with "to smoking" it implies that vaping could be just as bad as smoking. There's just no way that continuing to smoke would be better or the same as vaping - even for people with lung diseases.