Guaiacol safety?

[Strangelove]

I am seeing this more and more as an ingredient in juice and am somewhat concerned as to the safety of its use in e-juice. Anyone have any info? I googled it, of course, but found nothing aside from stuff like this:

Guaiacol

(just a standard material safety data sheet)

which kind of scares me. It says:

Potential Health Effects
----------------------------------

Inhalation:
May cause irritation to the respiratory tract.
Ingestion:
Causes irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and ......... May cause mild burning of mouth, throat, and stomach. May cause muscular weakness, paralysis of the vasomotor centers and possible cardiovascular or respiratory collapse.
Skin Contact:
Brief contact may have no effect. Prolonged or repeated contact may cause irritation, redness, itching and pain. Can be absorbed through the skin quite readily with possible systemic effects.
Eye Contact:
Causes irritation, redness, and pain.
Chronic Exposure:
No information found.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
No information found.


Erm...? It also says that as an ingredient, it is used as an expectorant(A medication that helps bring up mucus and other material from the lungs, bronchi, and trachea). Huh? Why would we want that in e-juice?

Can someone more knowledgeable clarify? Thanks!

 

[zombienerd]

Never heard of it... Do you mean Glycol? Propylene Glycol is the base for most e-liquid.

 

[Strangelove]

Nope. I mean Guaiacol which is listed as an ingredient in some juices I have.

 

[Hoosier]

It is used for flavoring, usually tobacco type flavors. It is used in extremely small amounts. (Like about 0.05ml per 100ml)

The MSDS is for full concentrations like you would find in an industrial environment.

You can OD on water. Drink enough of it and it does bad things.

Nicotine is much more toxic than this flavoring.

Or if you want to have real fun, look up the MSDS on Phosphoric Acid and then a can of Coke or Pepsi ingredients list.

Dosage is everything.

 

[zombienerd]

Interesting, according to the Wikipedia entry on Guaiacol, it is used as a flavor enhancer in coffee, as well as used with Vanilla flavorings.

The expectorant, antiseptic, and anesthetic qualites are from a derivative of Guaiacol.

Guaiacol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Being that it is used in common food products (Coffee, etc), I'd say it's probably very safe in the small amounts that would be found in eJuice.

 

[Strangelove]

Seriously. I once had hyponatremia induced by water intoxication and was very, very ill. Vitamin E is sometimes listed as a carcinogen. One can die of anything. It seems silly to worry even a little when one is inhaling nicotine, but I'm trying to be exceptionally informed.

I spoke to Geoffrey at Tasty Vapor and he was very helpful on this matter, providing me with more informational material. It's used as a flavor and scent agent, indeed.

I really appreciate all the patience, help, and info I've been given from everyone as a newb in the PV world

 

[Hoosier]

It is easy to get spooked. There is so much unknown about this when you're starting out.

It is a good thing you are investigating and questioning. It will make you a better PV ambassador.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

Even oxygen in large doses can be toxic.

Oxygen Toxicity

That's why those trendy "O2 bars" were such a bad idea and didn't last long.

Interesting fact: The air we breathe is only 21% oxygen.