Any Current Studies 2014 and possible outcome chit chat?

[Way2Gone]

I am concerned for this e-cig industry as I am 100% sure I am not the only one who is, honestly. I stress everyday of what the future holds from using e-cigs and possibly people around us -> bystanders (second hand) as well, since they do have to be around it sometimes. I assume its not that harmful compared to cigarettes(going by reading some of the test studys I have read about, I assume they are less harmless, or should be as the study's show..) but still, I have OCD(obsessive compulsive disorder), so I am a super stressful person that thinks about things way to much and that seems to be something I stuggle with on a day to day basis.

Back to the topic though - Does anybody know if there is still research going on for this industry(I am quite sure there is)? I figure CASSA is probably still looking into research along with other vapers who fight for this alternative..I imagine at least. I dream everyday that I could finally just have a vape and relax knowing I am not hurting myself or anybody else. I know there are already tons of studys out there, but still, no'one is still sure about alot of things and it still leaves that worryness(isn't a word, I know) in me thinking all the time. Thats my problem though, as most of you might say to me. And your right. I am the one who seems to care to much and stress myself half to death over my addiction and overall love of the e-cig. Thats my own problem though as I should be the one to change it if it bothers me that much. But that is where I have a hard time, because the e-cig really helps me get by.

Anyways. I am really trying to figure out if I want to stick with vaping for the long haul or not. I like doing it and it might be a smoke free alternative, but to me it definately is not a stress free alternative...

I guess I could always switch to the nicotine gum or just change my life totally around and find new hobbies, but passtimes are passtimes and one of my favorite things is to relax and have a vape. I mean, hmm. I'm lost, honestly.

 

[AndriaD]

I worry about it too, mainly because I have asthma, which doesn't seem to be improving very quickly, mainly from too-high VG levels, possibly diketones in one of the juices I was vaping, and I do worry, if I can't get my asthma to improve, what then? I'm well and truly addicted, so if I can't vape, I know I'll go back to smoking, and I already know what that does to my asthma -- I didn't wheeze so much (as I am now) but it sure left a lot of nasty stuff in my lungs that I had to continually cough up, and of course I know all too well the long-term prognosis for smokers -- lung cancer! -- or, for asthmatics who smoke, COPD.

I'm enjoying being a non-smoker, and certainly my husband likes that I don't smell like an ashtray anymore, but it *is* worrisome, especially for those of us who already have some kind of lung dysfunction. "Just quit" just doesn't work for me, so for now, at least, I'm a vaper and probably will remain one for the indefinite future.

Andria

 

[Way2Gone]

I hope the best for you Andria, concerning your asthma. I am going to continue to stay on this website doing research as much as I can and reading all the information i can, for my own knowledge and well being. I hope we continue to fight for known answers and not just concerns. It seems like that is all we have anyways is studys/concerns, it hasn't been around long enough to know actual proof. I find that vaping does have potential as it actually works and I hope that we find better ways in the future to make juices or devices, whatever it may be, to make this industry a 100 percent sure thing that can be said as safe!

 

[AndriaD]

I hope the best for you Andria, concerning your asthma. I am going to continue to stay on this website doing research as much as I can and reading all the information i can, for my own knowledge and well being. I hope we continue to fight for known answers and not just concerns. It seems like that is all we have anyways is studys/concerns, it hasn't been around long enough to know actual proof. I find that vaping does have potential as it actually works and I hope that we find better ways in the future to make juices or devices, whatever it may be, to make this industry a 100 percent sure thing that can be said as safe!

I've been using WTA since I got smoke-free the 2nd time, after my appendectomy -- in fact, today's smoke-free total is the same day I was on when I had my relapse and returned to smoking briefly, and I'm 100% sure I won't be doing that today -- it's freaking cold outside, and I'm really glad I can vape indoors and not have to go out and suffer!

But anyway... I've noticed something even more useful about using WTA than preventing cravings or mood swings; it also helps me cut way down on the amount that I vape, which is really good for my breathing. I noticed it first when I had just added a fresh dollop of WTA to my cartotank, and that morning, I didn't feel the need to vape much, which meant I didn't feel breathless or wheezy either. I figured if it can help me in the mornings, when my breathing is worst, why not try it all the time? I have to be careful not to forget and over-vape, because it's stronger than my usual, so it can give me the nic-sick feeling if I'm not careful, but I get more out of each puff, so I don't feel the need for it as often. Since it is stronger than my usual, I figure that towards bedtime, I'll add a little of the regular to this, to bring down the nic/WTA just a little before I need to sleep.

I'm getting on the 'no diketones' train myself, as far as safety concerns. It's true that there are a lot of other potentially problematic chemicals in the flavors than just diketones, but we have to start with what we know -- that inhaling diketones is a bad thing -- and get rid of that problem, before we try to tackle the whole ball of wax. A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step and all that. Of course there's still the problem of the ANTZ and the orgs that hate vaping because it threatens to upset a lot of financial applecarts, and I try to do what I can there, too. There's quite a network of outraged vapers building on twitter, and many websites devoted to all things vapor.

Andria

 

[Way2Gone]

Awesome! Dont give up and go back to smoking! I finally quit myself just like a couple weeks ago and I am doing very good. I don't even feel the need for a cigg no more. I just vape when I need too. I have never tried the WTA's but know and have read a little bit about them. I don't feel the need for them, but that is just me. I am sure they would help me as well, but I ain't going to worry about using it. I just stick with my normal vape.

Yeah vaping bothers my breathing too, that is one thing I do hate about it sometimes. But I ain't going back to smoking... I just try to vape less when I don't need it! So its a Win Win situation In my opinion. In my possible future I might totally quit vaping as well and I will be set! I don't know though, because I do enjoy my vape...so we will see how I feel down the road.

 

[BigEgo]

There's always research going on relating to e-cigs. Some of it is conflicting (that's science), some of it is controversial. I don't think any expert on the issue can say for certain what the relative safety is. I do know that at a recent e-cig conference in Europe, a panel of scientists mostly agreed that e-cigs are much safer than analogs (their estimate was 20 times safer, if not more).

There has been more than one study that shows that high voltage vaping produces more harmful particles than lower voltage vaping. Depending on the solvents used in the juice, vaping above 4v can produce as much formaldehyde as regular cigs (but still fewer overall harmful particles). Also, we learned that PG based juices seem to produce more harmful particles than VG juices (I assume this is because the flash point of PG is much lower than VG). Here's a quote from one recent study about this:

We also showed that levels of carbonyl compounds in EC vapors are strongly affected by product characteristics, like type of nicotine solvent and battery voltage. In general, the highest levels of carbonyls were observed in vapors generated from PG-based solutions. This finding suggests that PG in ECs is more susceptible to thermal decomposition than VG. The presence of carbonyls in flavor-free control solutions indicates that the primary sources of these toxicants are nicotine solvents. An interesting finding of our study is that no toxic carbonyls were detected in a single sample with reduced content of VG and PG. In this product (A6), the primary solvent was polyethylene glycol (PEG). It would suggest that PEG-based e-liquids might have reduced toxicity from decomposition products. Further research should explore this hypothesis.

They then talk about voltage:

Our findings show that increasing voltage from 3.2 to 4.8V resulted in 4 to over 200 times increase in formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone levels. The levels of formaldehyde in vapors from high-voltage devices were in the range of levels reported in tobacco smoke (1.6–52 µg/cigarette; Counts, Morton, Laffoon, Cox, & Lipowicz, 2005). This finding suggests that in certain conditions ECs might expose their users to the same or even higher levels of carcinogenic formaldehyde than tobacco smoke. This finding is essential for the product safety and in the light of forthcoming regulation of the devices

There's been 3 or 4 other studies (I know of) that tackle the vapor safety and voltage aspect, most of which were referenced in the above paper (and all the studies more or less agree).

Then you have Farsilanos study concerning ejuice flavorings. Basically they found that about 70% of the juices they tested (total of 150+ vendors) had unacceptable amounts of diacetyl, AP, or diketones in general (lower than an analog, but higher than safety standards). This includes vendors who openly advertise that their juice as diacetyl free. The researchers refuse to release the list of vendors, unfortunately (they might have randomized the samples to avoid bias in testing, so they may not be able to actually produce a list).

These studies have been probably the biggest "breakthrough" in research (in my opinion) in the last year or so. However, without epidemiological and longitudinal studies, it's still too early to draw that many conclusions. It's not a good sign for the cloud chasers, though.

I predict in 2015 we'll see more talk about safe temperatures (Evolv is already tackling it with the DNA-40 and I guarantee the Chinese follow suit). I think we'll see talk about whether we should dump PG and go back to PEG 400. We'll also probably see a lot of talk about coil and wick material (we do already, but I hope there's real research done on this topic).

 

[Way2Gone]

There's always research going on relating to e-cigs. Some of it is conflicting (that's science), some of it is controversial. I don't think any expert on the issue can say for certain what the relative safety is. I do know that at a recent e-cig conference in Europe, a panel of scientists mostly agreed that e-cigs are much safer than analogs (their estimate was 20 times safer, if not more).

There has been more than one study that shows that high voltage vaping produces more harmful particles than lower voltage vaping. Depending on the solvents used in the juice, vaping above 4v can produce as much formaldehyde as regular cigs (but still fewer overall harmful particles). Also, we learned that PG based juices seem to produce more harmful particles than VG juices (I assume this is because the flash point of PG is much lower than VG). Here's a quote from one recent study about this:



They then talk about voltage:



There's been 3 or 4 other studies (I know of) that tackle the vapor safety and voltage aspect, most of which were referenced in the above paper (and all the studies more or less agree).

Then you have Farsilanos study concerning ejuice flavorings. Basically they found that about 70% of the juices they tested (total of 150+ vendors) had unacceptable amounts of diacetyl, AP, or diketones in general (lower than an analog, but higher than safety standards). This includes vendors who openly advertise that their juice as diacetyl free. The researchers refuse to release the list of vendors, unfortunately (they might have randomized the samples to avoid bias in testing, so they may not be able to actually produce a list).

These studies have been probably the biggest "breakthrough" in research (in my opinion) in the last year or so. However, without epidemiological and longitudinal studies, it's still too early to draw that many conclusions. It's not a good sign for the cloud chasers, though.

I predict in 2015 we'll see more talk about safe temperatures (Evolv is already tackling it with the DNA-40 and I guarantee the Chinese follow suit). I think we'll see talk about whether we should dump PG and go back to PEG 400. We'll also probably see a lot of talk about coil and wick material (we do already, but I hope there's real research done on this topic).

Thank you for the post! I am going to continue to do my own research as well. Cheers.

 

[alopezg1]

it's almost definitely safer than smoking .... also how do you feel? if you feel better physically it is a good indication you are doing yourself less harm
if you can vape and stay off cigs then you have done yourself a huge favour , I wouldn't worry too much if possible . Also as time goes by you might just find
the need to do it less and less... especially if your just using regular e-liquid... i don't think just nicotine on it's own is hugely addictive , nothing compared to
tobacco anyway