Esophageal Cancer and Vaping-killing yourself to be healthier?

[StormriderTN]

A very dear friend was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the summer (2015) and has passed already (December). He had tried to quit smoking and had quit but was vaping pretty much continuously. My own e-cig experience has been that it burns the heck out of my throat and gives me a smoker's cough that I never had before. I don't think that cancer ran in my friend's family and I don't have a history of it in mine. My mother has smoked for 60 years and yes she does have mild COPD, but no cancer...as have many others in my family. I worry that in trying to quit the stinkies, are we actually hurting ourselves worse than smelling bad and having stained teeth? Smoking kills, we all know that, but we also know how and why. Since E-Cigs are not FDA approved, are mostly made in China and the delivery medium is usually propylene glycol (component of anti-freeze)...are there any INDEPENDENT studies being done to find if there is a link to esophageal cancer specifically? People get lung cancer that have never smoked in their lives, so one should not always assume that the victim is at fault. Ten years of smoking may not cause cancer, or 60 years for that matter, but the questions become, "What effect does propylene glycol have on the human body when inhaled in vapor form? Does it combine with the nicotine to create a more harmful substance than it would otherwise be? Is it the smoke and tar that causes the cancer, or the nicotine itself? Does anyone know?" I would truly like any links that you may have to any research on this subject that is not sponsored by special interests and corporate dogs. My friend's body has been donated to the CSI school at UT Memphis and I don't know if they are going to look at the cancer issue or not...that is my next email...I'll let you all know what I find out. As for me, I'm laying off the e-cig until I can find out more about what it is that I'm actually inhaling. Besides, it's good to be outside, even in a freezing rain, smelling bad with ugly teeth, than giving myself cancer trying to be healthy.

 

[dhood]

Seeing as how propylene glycol is one of the suspension agents in asthma inhalers, and have been used for decades, I'm pretty sure we would have seen massive numbers of cases in asthmatics if that were the case. Also, propylene glycol was added to antifreeze as a replacement for ethylene glycol, which was responsible for all the antifreeze poisonings. It has mostly the same temperature characteristics as EG but isn't a poison.

 

[daviedog]

Look up nicotine in the FDA website.
Can't see MDs prescribing a carcinogen patch.
Condolences to your friends family..

 

[Susan~S]

Hello and welcome to the forum @StormriderTN. Glad to have you here!

Sorry to hear about your friend.

Is it the smoke and tar that causes the cancer, or the nicotine itself? Does anyone know?"

It's the burning of tobacco that is responsible for heart disease & cancer.

My own e-cig experience has been that it burns the heck out of my throat and gives me a smoker's cough that I never had before.

What are you using to vape with?
Are you priming your coils?
A list of symptoms when quitting tobacco and changing to an ecigarette

Nicotine

A "general guideline" for nicotine concentration in e-liquid to the number of cigarettes smoked per day. If you are subohming (resistance under 1.0Ω) cut these nicotine levels by at least 50%.

06 mg = 10 cigarettes or less
12 mg = 20 cigarettes
18 mg = 30 cigarettes
24 mg = 40 cigarettes

eLiquid/Juice

PG = Propylene Glycol - the "flavor carrier" of e-liquid. A secondary source of "throat hit", but not as strong as the nicotine concentration. Some people have a sensitivity or even an allergy to PG. It's very thin.

VG = Vegetable Glycerin - the "vapor maker" of e-liquid. Used as a sweeter in many food sources, and also as a skin emollient. It's very thick. Often labeled just "Glycerine"

PG and VG are often used together in different ratios in e-liquid. For example, a 50/50 PG/VG ratio. Some juice vendors offer a range of different ratios as far as PG/VG.

 

[suprtrkr]

The short answer is, nobody knows. People haven't been vaping long enough for long term effects to be known. I don't worry about it because I used to smoke 2PAD and anything has to be better than that. Welcome to the board.

 

[djsvapour]

Where to start?

I guess, Welcome.

I deleted my first reply. This is all very sad to read.

No lecture from me. If you believe smoking (rather than vaping) is the sensible route when there is so much evidence to say otherwise (if that's what you are saying in your last paragraph) then so be it.

My Grandmother lived to 112 and smoked.
My best friend died at 37 from Lung Cancer... never smoked or did anything unhealthy.

The world is not a fair place. e-cigs are a safer alternative. To say anything else at this time would be provocative or troll-ish.

May you find some peace.

 

[Marc411]

My experience has been exactly the opposite, I had a terrible hacking cough and trouble breathing. After to years I have no cough and can do a 7 minute mile again.

Search the web, there are many studies that were completed by objective medical professionals that confirm vaping is a better alternative.

 

[TraceyS]

My experience after 3 + years is exactly the opposite also. My mod, eliquid, and wick are all made in the USA, I have no China gear. Find peace and by all means please do more research. Start at CASAA.

Tracey

 

[PilotNY]

First off WELCOME. I am glad you found us.
From my own experience, I was a pack and a half smoker for over 40 years. Started when I was 14, now 57. During that time I almost always had a nagging cough. Nothing unbearable, just a PITA. After years of going to bed and trying to go to sleep but all I could hear is wheezing, I figured it was time to stop smoking. October the year, I made the switch to vaping. Laid down smokes in 2 days. Within 1 week, wheezing stopped and now I can go to sleep peacefully. IMHO - almost anything in this world can be bad depending on your body. My grandmother started smoking when she was 7 years old and lived to be 102. Go figure !!!!
I am happy that I am starting to feel better physically. Can breathe again and starting to smell and taste the world again. Again, IMHO - Hands down vaping is safer than smoking. Everyone has their own opinion for doing what they do and also have their reasons for doing it. Do alot of reading (which is what I did) and make your own decisions.

Sorry for the loss of your friend!

 

[suprtrkr]

My experience after 3 + years is exactly the opposite also. My mod, eliquid, and wick are all made in the USA, I have no China gear. Find peace and by all means please do more research. Start at CASAA.

Tracey

Beautiful

 

[Alien Traveler]

A very dear friend was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the summer (2015) and has passed already (December). He had tried to quit smoking and had quit but was vaping pretty much continuously. My own e-cig experience has been that it burns the heck out of my throat and gives me a smoker's cough that I never had before. I don't think that cancer ran in my friend's family and I don't have a history of it in mine. My mother has smoked for 60 years and yes she does have mild COPD, but no cancer...as have many others in my family. I worry that in trying to quit the stinkies, are we actually hurting ourselves worse than smelling bad and having stained teeth? Smoking kills, we all know that, but we also know how and why. Since E-Cigs are not FDA approved, are mostly made in China and the delivery medium is usually propylene glycol (component of anti-freeze)...are there any INDEPENDENT studies being done to find if there is a link to esophageal cancer specifically? People get lung cancer that have never smoked in their lives, so one should not always assume that the victim is at fault. Ten years of smoking may not cause cancer, or 60 years for that matter, but the questions become, "What effect does propylene glycol have on the human body when inhaled in vapor form? Does it combine with the nicotine to create a more harmful substance than it would otherwise be? Is it the smoke and tar that causes the cancer, or the nicotine itself? Does anyone know?" I would truly like any links that you may have to any research on this subject that is not sponsored by special interests and corporate dogs. My friend's body has been donated to the CSI school at UT Memphis and I don't know if they are going to look at the cancer issue or not...that is my next email...I'll let you all know what I find out. As for me, I'm laying off the e-cig until I can find out more about what it is that I'm actually inhaling. Besides, it's good to be outside, even in a freezing rain, smelling bad with ugly teeth, than giving myself cancer trying to be healthy.

[Removed]
It is well known that one of the main risk factors for esophageal cancer is smoking. You friend smoked for a long time, but you do not blame it on smoking, only on short term vaping. Not good.

My father, life long smoker, died of esophageal cancer.

P.S. If you can stop smoking without vaping, do it. [Removed]

 

[Hans Wermhat]

Dr F (Farsalinos? Sp?) has been doing a lot of research. Look him up for the best chance at unbiased information.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Your friend died from smoking not from vaping. Sorry for your loss.
And if your vaping to too hot you may be vaping at too high of a wattage.

 

[Susan~S]

Dr F (Farsalinos? Sp?) has been doing a lot of research. Look him up for the best chance at unbiased information.

Dr. Farsalonis' Scientific Blog: E-cigarette Research

 

[NightShadow]

I am sorry for your loss.

You of course will need to decide for yourself if smoking is better than vaping, I have been following this since 2009 when I stopped smoking and started vaping myself. I did my due diligence first by reading everything I could on both subjects (smoking/vaping) in order to make my own informed judgement. Others have already provided some information and links, there are many here and on the internet I would urge you to investigate.

I can't help but note that your friend was a smoker, and it is proven that smoking can cause cancer. It is also known to the FDA that PG does not. I wonder why you would suspect his vaping over that simply because that is what he was doing at the time? There are things we are exposed to either by ourselves or environment or just bad luck that can affect us in very bad ways a long way down the road after the exposure. Knowing some people here that vape well in excess of 30-60ml or more a day (several bottles) I would think we would have heard of vaping related issues since 2007 by now if the long term effects are killing people, I know BIG TOBACCO sure would LOVE to spread a message about that just to bolster their profit margins. Nobody will make me believe if there was even a shred of real proof that vaping was dangerous that big tobacco wouldn't be spending tens of millions of dollars shouting it from the rooftops.

In the first weeks after switching to vaping from smoking you will likely develop a cough, not from the vaping but from your lungs trying to clear out all the tar etc from the cigarettes. This can happen if you simply go cold turkey also.

As far as the burning in your throat from vaping, I would ask what type of device are you using, at what power level/temperature/voltage/wattage etc, what type of tank/coils are being used at what ohm reading, and what e juice are you using, flavor, mg strength, brand, vg/pg composition etc.

With that information we could make an educated guess as to what might be causing the burning, if the vapor itself is very hot...that is a first guess. You could also have a sensitivity to something in the e liquid itself, the nicotine level could be too high etc. Granted you would probably also be having light headiness or nausea/sweats if you are overdoing it on the nicotine but I only mention it as it is possible. A self test you could perform if you have stopped vaping and restarted smoking would be to wait until the cough goes away, and stop smoking cold turkey for a few days to a week and see if the cough reappears.

While we are at it, just because something is used in something that is not safe for us to consume, does not mean that it is bad for us by itself. Anti freeze is not FDA approved to drink. Propylene Glycol however is FDA approved and in so many products we use every day I would think we would be hard pressed to avoid it.

Some informational links to browse:
8 Foods That Share an Ingredient With Antifreeze
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21
Antifreeze - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Propylene glycol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/SCOGS/ucm261045.htm

Given what is available today, I honestly believe that vaping is MUCH safer than smoking. Especially if you make your own liquid or know what is in it (buy from reputable / tested sources).
I also believe it is safer to simply not do either.

Given the choice of smoking or vaping, I chose vaping back in 09. I also had a cough the first week-10 days after switching, it was not the vaping it was the cigarettes. How do I know that for a fact? Well I stopped vaping after about a year and half, because I had tapered my nicotine usage down from 16-18mg, to 12 mg, to ..0 mg in the first 6 months and was able to take it or leave it after that. In the past few months I started vaping again, because I do enjoy it at times. Guess what, no cough.

While I am on the subject of stopping cigarettes, My sense of smell and taste improved, mt breathing improved, I stopped getting colds that turned into the flu that turned into bronchitis all the time. But you will need to decide what is your best course of action for yourself.

I simply do not want anyone making snap decisions without the actual facts / best information currently available.

Good luck, and best wishes.

 

[Vchick]

FDA approval does not guarantee no ill side effects. From what I understand, if a side effect is experienced in less than 3% of users for a particular item it does not have to be reported. What about those 3%? Chantix is FDA approved and I can tell you from personal experience had I not discontinued it, it would have killed me. The only thing in my opinion that the FDA wants is to get their fingers in the pie.

 

[Susan~S]

The only thing in my opinion that the FDA wants is to get their fingers in the pie.

Along with states and many other special interest groups.

 

[bigdancehawk]

Besides, it's good to be outside, even in a freezing rain, smelling bad with ugly teeth, than giving myself cancer trying to be healthy.

What does this mean? What is good about being outside in the freezing rain, smelling bad with ugly teeth? Are you trying to say those are bad but at least they're preferable to cancer--that vaping might be more likely to cause cancer than continuing to smoke?

You say you have a sore throat and have started coughing. These are common symptoms of smoking cessation and typically go away after a week or so. Have you quit smoking entirely? If so, when? It's also possible that you are among a small percentage of people who are allergic to PG. What equipment and e-liquid are you using?

 

[Alien Traveler]

FDA approval does not guarantee no ill side effects. From what I understand, if a side effect is experienced in less than 3% of users for a particular item it does not have to be reported. What about those 3%?

Are you sure about 3%? May be it is 0.03%? Or any statistically significant number?

 

[Racehorse]

A very dear friend was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the summer (2015) and has passed already (December).

I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

Esophageal tissues/cells are really quite fragile, and certainly any kind of "repeated" assault to that part of the anatomy isn't good.....