I was chatting with my company's doctor this afternoon. She recently released an company-wide statement reminding employees that vaping is not allowed indoors. "I'm awfully sorry to have to enforce that policy" she said, "I know e-cigarettes only release harmless water vapor, but it's the law".
And I thought to myself: "you *know* eh? I think not, else you wouldn't say it's water vapor". The sad thing is, she's a doctor, someone who's supposed to stay informed about current health issues. And I'm also thinking, it's the same kind of douche in government who think they know, who come up with idiotic laws against vaping - and those aren't even doctors...
Yet the water vapor myth is convenient: it sounds better than "nicotine-laced propylene glycol and glycerol vapor" when trying to convince someone that second-hand vape is harmess. The good doctor seemed genuinely sorry to have to impose a ban on vaping. I'm not sure she would've felt that way, had she known juice contains chemicals with Bhopal-sounding names. So I let her comment slide.
Frankly, I use the water vapor lie myself when I ask permission to vape indoors. It's a lot easier than launching into a lecture on the safety of PG, VG and nicotine at the concentrations they're found inside the room around a vaper. And if I ever run into someone who knows better, I can always play ignorant: who's gonna blame me for thinking juice turns into steam inside the atomizer? After all, I'm not a chemist...
Do you use that white lie too? Do you feel bad about it? Me, I feel I knowingly keep people misinformed on vaping, and misinformation isn't helping the cause. I'd rather people - and our powers-that-be - knew what vaping really is, and decided whether or not it's okay based on correct premises. But in daily social situations, it's just not very practical to educate people.
And I thought to myself: "you *know* eh? I think not, else you wouldn't say it's water vapor". The sad thing is, she's a doctor, someone who's supposed to stay informed about current health issues. And I'm also thinking, it's the same kind of douche in government who think they know, who come up with idiotic laws against vaping - and those aren't even doctors...
Yet the water vapor myth is convenient: it sounds better than "nicotine-laced propylene glycol and glycerol vapor" when trying to convince someone that second-hand vape is harmess. The good doctor seemed genuinely sorry to have to impose a ban on vaping. I'm not sure she would've felt that way, had she known juice contains chemicals with Bhopal-sounding names. So I let her comment slide.
Frankly, I use the water vapor lie myself when I ask permission to vape indoors. It's a lot easier than launching into a lecture on the safety of PG, VG and nicotine at the concentrations they're found inside the room around a vaper. And if I ever run into someone who knows better, I can always play ignorant: who's gonna blame me for thinking juice turns into steam inside the atomizer? After all, I'm not a chemist...
Do you use that white lie too? Do you feel bad about it? Me, I feel I knowingly keep people misinformed on vaping, and misinformation isn't helping the cause. I'd rather people - and our powers-that-be - knew what vaping really is, and decided whether or not it's okay based on correct premises. But in daily social situations, it's just not very practical to educate people.
In OP's case it was probably pointless, so yeah let her believe water vapor.
