Do e-cigs need Propylene Glycol?

[Mitey]

Hello All,

New here and can't find answer to my ? on forum. Here it is. I am new (approx 3 weeks) to ecigs and from what I have read here and elsewhere, the PG is needed to produce the vapor. I have now found a two part ecig I want to try that claims to use only vegetable glycerin for vapor.

Is this possible? I would rather use the VG I think. It seems to be more natural and the PG seems to bother my lungs a little. Or maybe thats the kind of ecig I have. I have the GreenSmoke brand and want to try the blucigs brand which has the VG.

Please advise this newb. I am not convinced that PG is totally safe in my ecig or my body lotion either.

Thanks so much

Jen

 

[madjack]

PG and VG are both used in e-juice...some have reactions to one, some to the other...you can read up on health and safety issues in that section of this forum board...if you want good advice, it would be to get rid of GreenSmoke or Blu and get a "real" e-cig...oh yeah...WELCOME.................
madjack
http://www.liberty-flights.com/products.asp
http://hoosierecigsupply.com/main.sc
http://smokelessimage.com/
http://bloogplanet.com/
http://v4l.com/home.php

 

[Theken]

Your fear of PG might be due to a misinformation campaign used by tobacco lobbyist which likened Propylene Glycol to Ethylene Glycol, which is chemically similar (Ethylene Glycol is a chief ingredient in Antifreeze). It is close enough for them to scare people unaware of chemistry. PG is approved and deemed safe for inhalation since the 40s.

PG is organic and once ingested into the body is metabolized into pyruvic acid which is part of the transformation of glucose into energy. PG is also used in lotions (as you mentioned) as well as cosmetics, soaps, baking goods, sour cream, popcorn. Truth is we ingest PG and use it on our skins daily, and have for quite sometime. There is no scare about how the fog from a fog machine is unsafe to inhale but now all of a sudden, its dangerous in e-cigs.

Your concern is smart but think about the ingredients in a tobacco, these include some of the following (there are hundreds to dangerous additives): Carcinogen (defined as a substance that can cause/exacerbate cancer), TSNAs (carcinogens in the smoke), Benzene (pesticides and gasoline), Pesticides (obviously bad there), Formaldehyde (used to preserve the tissues in a dead person), Metals (Cadnium), Arsenic (rat poison), Lead, Polonium, Ammonia, Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Cyanide, and lets not forget about the second hand smoke dangers.

Sorry if this is detracting from your question...

 

[badmofo666]

No. PG is supposed to produce a stronger "throat hit" (slight irritation like a cigarette), and VG is supposed to produce more vapor.

I've been vaping 100% VG liquid since I started a few weeks ago. VG is generally thicker than PG liquids, and don't work well in some cartomizers/cartridges/atomizers/etc. I've got some clearomizers that I can't use because the liquid I use is too thick.

Also, I could be wrong, but I think I've read that Greensmoke and Blu e-cigs are overpriced pieces of crap. I bought an Elite 808 from Cig Easy, and I'm happy with it, but have nothing else to compare it to. Cig-Easy sent me some some free pre-filled, cigarette size sample cartomizers with my order; but they sucked. So, I'd say stay away from the thin e-cigs, and get a pen sized one or bigger.

Before bought my e-cig kit, I learned alot about them from this guide:
The Wonderful World of Vaping | Vaping Guides to the Electronic Cigarette
Extremely informative. It's hard to find good information on e-cigs that isn't full of marketing crap.

Edit: Yeah, I have reservations about inhaling PG too. But, it is FDA approved for inhalation to deliver at least one drug (can't remember what it was). And as far as I know, VG has never been used to deliver a drug through inhalation. But, still I have a feeling that a vegetable product is better than a petroleum product. I wish more research was done on the health effects of e-cigs, the impurities in them, the flavorings used, etc.

Edit2: Mis-typed "PG has never been used to deliver a drug through inhalations." I meant VG has never been approved to deliver a drug through inhalation as far as I know.

 

[Dalton63841]

The basic point is, PG and VG are both carriers for Nicotine and flavor. That is all, just carriers. Each has its own set of pros and cons that you should be aware of.

PG = more throat hit, more dehydrating(although still not bad), more flavor, more likely to have allergy problems(although it is WAY overplayed), less vapor

VG = smoother throat hit, less flavor than PG(but still sufficient), silkier thicker vapor, more natural

In the end most people settle on a PG/VG blend, to reap the benefits of both.

If there's anything I missed, or need to be more clear on, I'm sure someone will point it out.

 

[mooreted]

Yeah, I almost got sucked into the blue cig/greensmoke/white cloud scam too. If you want a good e-cig that looks more like a cigarette to start with you should probably try a Joye 510 and some decent juice.

 

[Michael Curry]

... And as far as I know, PG has never been used to deliver a drug through inhalation.

Actually, it's used for that very purpose, thousands of times a day. (Read up on Albuterol and other inhaled meds, inactive ingredients) It's also used as a carrier for several injected meds as well.

ETA: And if you were referring to illicit drugs, as the contradictory nature of the edit suggests, well, there has been talk of that. But not at ECF.

 

[Mitey]

Thanks all,

So the PG isn't the only thing that makes vapor. Why not greenSmoke or blu? I like the ease of use.

I am not intending on making a big production out of this by spending all kinds of time being a chemist, just want less "smoke" in my body.

Also, I don't really take to heart the FDA approval thing. Thanks for all the good info. It's much appreciated. I have been smoking for almost 37 years and have been rolling my own American Spirit Organic for 2 years now and they are REALLY smooth. I smoke them filterless. Thats probably why the PG seems to be bothering my throat and lungs since my ryo's are really tasty. I can't even smoke a real cigarette anymore.

Thanks again. I will visit some of the links provided and check them out.

Jen

 

[WomanOfHeart]

The Blu and GreenSmoke might be easy to use, but the quality for the price you pay is awful. I started out with GreenSmoke and by the end of the second week I was spending more time charging the batteries than actually vaping them. Replacement parts are also expensive and hard to find. Think about it....do you really want to pay $35 for a new battery? That's almost half the price you'd pay for a quality kit with replacement parts that are easy to find. Believe me, there are much better kits out there for a fraction of what Blu and GreenSmoke are charging.

 

[Skeetergirl]

Blu replacement batteries are only $12.95 and are guarnteed for a year.

No, I don't use mine anymore, I moved on to a Riva 510 and Joye 510 manuals for when out and about. but hey... they got me started on the right road. Bad is bad but I hate to see it exaggerated.

 

[Stownz]

PG is the better flavor carrier of the two. VG mutes flavors but produces more vapor. The reason PG is used is due to this fact. High VG juice doesn't wick very well in a lot of cartos, and is also harder on attys.

 

[Mitey]

Cool.

Thanks again to all of you for the info. Lots to absorb on this site!

Peace

J.

 

[ironslave]

If your concerned about just buying prefilled carts then you could buy an ego battery and use the prefilled blu/voclano cartomizers in it. Blu is just a horrible choice for anyone that smokes more than socially. You will regret it in the long run.

 

[carpedebass]

If your concerned about just buying prefilled carts then you could buy an ego battery and use the prefilled blu/voclano cartomizers in it. Blu is just a horrible choice for anyone that smokes more than socially. You will regret it in the long run.

That is assuming the prefilled cartos are the same thread. The eGo batt is a 510 thread...not too sure about the blu or volcano cartos, but you may need an adapter.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

Blu replacement batteries are only $12.95 and are guarnteed for a year.

No, I don't use mine anymore, I moved on to a Riva 510 and Joye 510 manuals for when out and about. but hey... they got me started on the right road. Bad is bad but I hate to see it exaggerated.

I apologize for not being more specific, but I was referring to the GreenSmoke batteries. They really are $35 and they're horrible. Blu and GreenSmoke are often what get people started and it brings a lot of us here to ECF. I just hate to see new people come to this forum having all but given up on vaping because they're still spending a small fortune on bad products.

 

[ironslave]

That is assuming the prefilled cartos are the same thread. The eGo batt is a 510 thread...not too sure about the blu or volcano cartos, but you may need an adapter.

They are the same thread. The blu runs a lower voltage and the polarity is backwards so you have to get an ego charger.

 

[carpedebass]

They are the same thread. The blu runs a lower voltage and the polarity is backwards so you have to get an ego charger.

I see...but what advantage does this give an average eGo user over using a regular carto or even an EMDCC? Just out of curiosity...I've never tried any of the Blu stuff.

 

[ironslave]

Just having prefilled cartomizers is the advantage. I have yet to find prefilled cartos for a 510.

 

[Skeetergirl]

I apologize for not being more specific, but I was referring to the GreenSmoke batteries. They really are $35 and they're horrible. Blu and GreenSmoke are often what get people started and it brings a lot of us here to ECF. I just hate to see new people come to this forum having all but given up on vaping because they're still spending a small fortune on bad products.

...and I apologize for not looking to see what replacement batteries cost for the GreenSmoke.

I just know I felt more like giving up because everyone was calling what I was thinking of as a prize I'd won on the getting off analogs show "junk" and "crap" and then I thought WOW am I stupid or what for not knowing better and almost shied away from the forum altogether from embarrassment, sure glad I didn't!

I'm not trying to be rude or defensive, like I said I now use a Riva! LOL

 

[DaveP]

I second the 510 suggestion. You might think that you want an ecig that looks like a cigarette, many people do (at first). What makes us change over to a larger battery model is the constant need to recharge a small battery. The 510 will need a battery change every hour and a half. The Ego battery will last you 5-6 hours and the 1000mah model will likely last you all day and into the night, about an hour or more per 100mah of capacity depending on vaping frequency and length of hit.

PG is also a component of most tobacco cigarettes. It's a humectant (moisture absorber) that keeps tobacco moist and fresh. In the ecig, it's the component that allows creation of vapor.

VG is a much milder, but slightly less tasty vape. The ultimate combo is a mix or PG and VG, typically somewhere between 80pg/20vg to 50/50. A mix gives the benefit of taste and vapor and can be controlled to suit your particular taste.

Backwoods Brew juices are typically 70pg/30vg, with the exception of certain sweet flavors that are more VG than PG. Lots of vendors let you pick the mix at purchase, some give you a complete range.