Is vaping safe?

Status
Not open for further replies.

nyiddle

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 9, 2014
2,826
2,692
USA. State: Inebriated.
Oooh boy, you dun opened up a can of worms this time! I'd grab the popcorn but I'm trying to lose weight.

In seriousness: Nobody really knows if vaping is safe or not yet. The science just isn't there, we need more long-term evidence. We can assume that it's safer than cigarettes, and evidence seems to point in that direction. The biggest point of questionable nature is flavorings. There are flavorings that contain known naturally-occurring chemicals that are bad for you (ie: diketones, although there may be others we haven't figured out yet), and I recommend staying away from them if you can. Some people argue that we were inhaling far more diketones when we smoked cigarettes, but the levels of e-liquid consumption seem to make a rather drastic difference on the potential hazard that diketones may/may not present.

The truth is, it's a big question mark. Some people will tell you that vaping is "as safe as walking down the city street", and maybe they're right, but you can't really say with 100% confidence until science comes out to back that up. Beware of biased articles/research, there is a lot of propaganda-slinging from both sides of the fence.

As a general rule of thumb, however, I think it's safe to say that "not vaping is safer than vaping", and "vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes." Still, evidence may be revealed which proves contrary.

The question always on my mind is, "if vaping was found to be equivalently bad for you as cigarettes for one reason or another, would the die-hard vapers quit?"
 

AndriaD

Reviewer / Blogger
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jan 24, 2014
21,253
50,807
64
LawrencevilleGA
angryvaper.crypticsites.com
The above seems right... all we can really say at this point is that vaping is safer than smoking. If you weren't a smoker, then that really doesn't mean too much; I would say that vaping is probably safer than drinking alcohol or driving a car in any populated area -- but that's just my opinion, not a "study" or anything like that.

But, you're an adult, and as such, you probably engage in quite a few potentially-risky activities -- cooking, breathing city air, drinking that alcohol or driving that car in a populated area; if you choose to vape for whatever reason, as an adult, you have that option, and *I* would never say that you don't have that right. But be aware that vaping *may* carry some risks; certainly the flavors, whose risks we don't yet really know or understand, since those flavors were designed for eating/drinking, not inhalation. I would also say that "extreme vaping" (cloud chasing, high wattage, low ohms, etc) is probably riskier than "tootle puffing" (using a more moderate device for a more moderate style of vaping). Those who need to go to extremes with vaping so that they can stay smoke-free, for them vaping is still probably safer than smoking, but if one is not seeking to escape a pernicious addiction, then that type of extreme vaping is probably not a very good idea.

There may also be *some* risk associated with PG/VG, though those risks seem to be very individual -- allergies, sensitivities, intolerances. Only you can decide if either of those is causing you a problem.

Andria
 

Alien Traveler

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 3, 2014
4,402
5,789
United States
I dont see why everyone (the media) is worrying about vaping, its all organic compounds,

Organic compound is not a synonym to safe compound. Take apricot stones with cyanide. Potato turned green. Cassava.

Another thing to consider is that lungs were not developed to digest food additives.
 

AndriaD

Reviewer / Blogger
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jan 24, 2014
21,253
50,807
64
LawrencevilleGA
angryvaper.crypticsites.com
Of couse vaping is unhealthy. I do it because I'm addicted to nicotine and it may be a safer option but if I wasn't hooked, I would not inhale toxic vapor just for the taste.

This may be your opinion, but there is no "of course" about it -- no one has yet shown that there is ANY hazard in vaping, when one is not BBQing one's wick. In fact it may even be beneficial, thanks to PG's antimicrobial effect, nicotine's beneficial effects on the brain and the intestines.

Don't go spreading that "vaping is unhealthy of course" because that is simply not true.

Andria
 

nyiddle

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 9, 2014
2,826
2,692
USA. State: Inebriated.
Organic compound is not a synonym to safe compound. Take apricot stones with cyanide. Potato turned green. Cassava.

Another thing to consider is that lungs were not developed to digest food additives.

This is probably the most important note for OP to take from this thread. People have been inhaling VG/PG for a while now, and we're pretty positive there's no harm from that. Nicotine's obviously fine to inhale, because we were doing it in cigarettes literally forever. Flavoring, though? We've been using it in food for a long time, sure, but we've only been inhaling it for what.. 10 years tops?

there has been no evidence that vaping damages the lungs, heart or arteries, infact... There has been studies that it doesnt harm any of them... Which is great for everyone ;);)

Think about how long it took for people to connect "black lungs during autopsy" to "lifelong smoker" -- it took a long, LONG time. Even if people were dying today as a direct result of their vaping, what're the odds that the coroner will be able to say, "Well he started vaping 2 months ago, and he died because of a lung issue, maybe those two are linked?" Slim. Even in this hypothetical situation where vaping IS bad for you, it'd still take years for the connection to be drawn.

Vaping in my opinion shouldnt be under the name as 'electronic cigerette' as it has become its own hobbie

I think it's an argument of semantics, really, there have been a lot of threads made where people petition that it shouldn't be called electronic cigarettes. Some people are even opposed to the term "vaping"! But I think at this point it's the easiest way to explain it to someone who might not know what that big black box in your hand is, or what those large plumes of (what appears to be) smoke are. Rather than saying, "It's my personal electronic nicotine inhalation system," it's a lot easier to say "e-cigarette" and give them an explanation depending on their interest. I'll usually correct people when they say, "that's a lot of smoke" but I'm not about to correct people when they say, "that's an e-cigarette."

There is also a study that there is no toxins in vapour...

Where, what study, by what definition of "toxins", etc.?
 

nyiddle

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 9, 2014
2,826
2,692
USA. State: Inebriated.
Aslong as its not smoking thats the main thing right? As far as teens are concerned... the vapour doesnt damage the lungs, heart or arteries... Thats why teens have taken it up as a hobby

You keep saying this, but there isn't evidence to really back it up.

Yes, vaping is probably safer than smoking, and yes, I'd rather see a teen pick up an e-cigarette than a real cigarette, but that doesn't excuse the fact that "not vaping is safer than vaping." There is a potential risk with anything in life, you can't say that vaping is "100% risk free".

It's an avoidable risk that you're willingly taking on, just as smoking is. Furthermore, you seem to be fixated on this "teens" thing. A big concern of mine is that a lot of these teens wouldn't have picked up a cigarette, they're choosing to vape because it "looks cool" or it has some sort of appeal in their circle of friends. That's the wrong reason to start vaping, in my opinion. In fact, I'm of the opinion that most people who haven't used nicotine probably shouldn't pick up e-cigarettes as a hobby.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread