Jamie, it's easy to be scared by one negative report. Until recently, it is my belief that the last regime wanted to ban vaping or tax it on the basis that it's as harmful as cigarettes. Often, vape equipment was tested under conditions of heat and actual burning of the coil (IMO on purpose) to generate those "OMG" reports. There were several coming out and in my opinion much of the research was political or driven by big tobacco. There are many scientists and doctors who have looked at this research and blogged about the findings, and how they were "skewed" to make vaping look bad, and I read some of those blogs when I showed up because I always remember that the most important thing about research is who pays for it, who solicits it, where it turns up (the Tobacco Control journal and site aren't going to be very pro vaping, for example) as well as methodology to see if outcomes are realistic. Seriously one study about off-gassing and harmful chemicals was done under mechanical conditions where they overheated the equipment so much that not a single vaper would vape under those conditions voluntarily (even if they could).
That said, it's good to look at both sides of the research and there are several threads about it here that you could do a search for.
The main thing though? I was headed toward COPD, some of my doctors are former smokers who vape themselves, they have noted health improvements and I have not had a cold, flu, pneumonia (end run of cigarettes I pretty much had pneumonia straight for 18 months, it sucked, in fact it is what got me to switch, I was like, "I am going to get COPD if I continue." ) Every one of my docs has noted health improvements with vaping, I have not had to use a single inhaler, I no longer have a wheeze, and I have more energy than I know what to do with!!!
IF COPD happens and you can't quit, vaping will probably work for you rather than cold turkey. I know several vapers with COPD who switched and noted health improvements and sometimes even slight regression of symptoms. I just spent a long time talking to a gentleman who had severe COPD and asking about e-cigs, I did refer him to his doctor, but I also explained vaping, and how it can be helpful, and he is interested, and is about to purchase his first setup after talking to his doc. (Most docs are cautious about recommendations, but every single one of my docs said, "Anna, the way you smoke and where you are now, I don't believe ANY harm reduction product could be worse than continued smoking.")
I do not believe there is harm in second hand vape, but I wouldn't vape it around a small child-- that's what outdoors is for. But, even if you vape indoors at home, the vapor really probably isn't going to linger around and harm your grandchild, it's just good modeling (that I myself was not able to do with cigarettes, I smoked in the car with my kid, but not in the house, it still sucked) not to vape in front of children, though others may feel differently about that.
Don't freak out. Science, the media, and politics have an interesting relationship these days.
Anna
