How many chemicals are in an e-cig?

[dshack]

We've all heard that cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals.
Does anyone know how many chemicals are contained in the vapor of an e-cig?
I realized this amount my vary depending on PG vs VG and Nic vs no-Nic but a ballpark would be great to tell my smoking friends.

 

[purplxhaze420]

if your getting quality e-juice..

should be: PG or VG , flavor, nicotine. PERIOD.

a LOT LOT LOT of juice companies put all sorts of .... in their juices --- best way to do it is become good friends with a good mixer, or better yet... do it YOURSELF!

 

[dshack]

if your getting quality e-juice..

should be: PG or VG , flavor, nicotine. PERIOD.

a LOT LOT LOT of juice companies put all sorts of .... in their juices --- best way to do it is become good friends with a good mixer, or better yet... do it YOURSELF!

Thanks 420!
But I'm looking for a number. Like is it 20 chemicals vs. 4000 in a cigarette?

 

[NinetyNine]

Thanks 420!
But I'm looking for a number. Like is it 20 chemicals vs. 4000 in a cigarette?

Depends on the flavoring, really. Unflavored juice would be just PG/VG and nicotine. Flavored might be 5 or more additional chemicals. There's no firm answer due to the variance of flavoring agents.

What you need to keep in mind with inhaling flavoring in vaporized form is that it's nearly identical to what happens when you smell food cooking. Those are particles you're inhaling, just in smaller amounts. If the flavoring agents are allowed for ingestion it means they have no(or incredibly limited) mutagenic potential in cells.

I know that's more than you were asking, so my answer to them would be " 2 plus flavoring". Then you can explain the flavoring issue if pressed.

 

[shanagan]

Depends on the flavoring, really. Unflavored juice would be just PG/VG and nicotine. Flavored might be 5 or more additional chemicals. There's no firm answer due to the variance of flavoring agents.

What you need to keep in mind with inhaling flavoring in vaporized form is that it's nearly identical to what happens when you smell food cooking. Those are particles you're inhaling, just in smaller amounts. If the flavoring agents are allowed for ingestion it means they have no(or incredibly limited) mutagenic potential in cells.

I know that's more than you were asking, so my answer to them would be " 2 plus flavoring". Then you can explain the flavoring issue if pressed.

I was thinking about that the other night - one of the most haunting things I ever learned is that "smells are particulate." (It is haunting only when you consider the various unpleasant things you smell in any given week. The aroma of bacon or baking bread? Heavenly and no problem. Mystery dead thing on the side of the road? Ugh ugh UGH! Get outta my respiratory tract, roadkill!!)

So honestly, I'm not that concerned. Our bodies are made to take those particles and create a sensation to relay to our brain to interpret as a message, ie, "don't eat that!" Dr. Lauregen's work on the Ruyan cigarette in New Zealand tells us that we're absorbing most of the nicotine in our upper airways, not our lungs anyway - so it stands to reason that the PG/VG/flavorings are probably also being handled primarily in the same way.

 

[dshack]

Depends on the flavoring, really. Unflavored juice would be just PG/VG and nicotine. Flavored might be 5 or more additional chemicals. There's no firm answer due to the variance of flavoring agents.

What you need to keep in mind with inhaling flavoring in vaporized form is that it's nearly identical to what happens when you smell food cooking. Those are particles you're inhaling, just in smaller amounts. If the flavoring agents are allowed for ingestion it means they have no(or incredibly limited) mutagenic potential in cells.

I know that's more than you were asking, so my answer to them would be " 2 plus flavoring". Then you can explain the flavoring issue if pressed.

Thanks for your answer! I guess that makes the most sense. Sounds like e-cig have about 200 times less chemicals then an e-cig.

 

[GregH]

I just need to offer a correction with the caveat that I am not a chemist. So anyone with a scientific background, please feel free to clarify and/or correct me as necessary. But here is my understanding:

Traditional cigarettes have over 400 approved ingredients. When a cigarette is burned, those ingredients undergo a state change and resulting chemical reaction. Therefore, the combustion process creates and releases about 4,000 chemicals.

Typical e-cigarette juices have about 7 or 8 ingredients. These include PG and/or VG, Nicotine, Distilled Water, Nicotine, and Flavorings. (I'm looking at the ingredient list on my bottle of JC juice.) And since there is no combustion, there should be no additional chemicals created. You're just vaporizing a liquid, not changing the state of matter. Current evidence seems to support this. But the IVAQS study should help alleviate any remaining concerns if sufficient funds are ever raised to actually carry it out.

 

[dshack]

I just need to offer a correction with the caveat that I am not a chemist. So anyone with a scientific background, please feel free to clarify and/or correct me as necessary. But here is my understanding:

Traditional cigarettes have over 400 approved ingredients. When a cigarette is burned, those ingredients undergo a state change and resulting chemical reaction. Therefore, the combustion process creates and releases about 4,000 chemicals.

Typical e-cigarette juices have about 7 or 8 ingredients. These include PG and/or VG, Nicotine, Distilled Water, Nicotine, and Flavorings. (I'm looking at the ingredient list on my bottle of JC juice.) And since there is no combustion, there should be no additional chemicals created. You're just vaporizing a liquid, not changing the state of matter. Current evidence seems to support this. But the IVAQS study should help alleviate any remaining concerns if sufficient funds are ever raised to actually carry it out.

Great point GregH, thank you very much!