Have long-term vapers noticed fewer colds or upper respiratory infections?

[sjrily]

Just curious - In trying to research more about the effects of PG, I ran across this 2008 study: http://healthnz.co.nz/RuyanCartridgeReport30-Oct-08.pdf which includes the following on page 5:

Inhalational safety in children. ​

In a series of experiments to control airborne infections,
over 105 children were subjected to bactericidal concentrations of propylene glycol in the
wards of a children’s convalescent home in experiments conducted over 3 years.​

Method. ​

Six wards of the Children’s Seashore House in Atlanta containing 105 bedfast
children aged 3 to 15 years were divided into 3 control and 3 undergoing vaporization for
3 week periods with 2 to 3 days between, before the control wards become vaporized, and
the vaporized wards became controls. This rotation continued for 7 months. The PG was
heated to vaporize it, but not above 80 degrees C, and vaporization continuously
maintained a concentration of 0.069 mg per liter. (0.07 ppm)​

Results. ​

No ill effects were reported. In the first year, 100 infections occurred in control​

wards without PG, and 5 in wards with PG vaporization, with rates of 0.18 per week and

0.09 per week respectively. Most of the upper respiratory infections in control wards​

were common colds, suggesting the PG is also virucidal.
​

I'm fascinated with the idea that this could actual provide positive benefits or some form of protection. Since you would expect improvement just from smoking cessation, we couldn't really discern the role of PG inhalation - But maybe some long-term, veteran vapers have noticed they seem to avoid these types of illnesses while non-smokers around them don't?? Like when everybody in the house comes down with a cold or the flu, but you don't (and perhaps you always did before)?

 

[NICnurse]

WOW! This is just super interesting! I am really curious to hear what everyone has to say. Personally, I have not had a cold or upper respiratory virus of any type since I gave up analogs in August. My husband has not been sick either, and he does not smoke or vape, so I haven't resided with anyone directly ill. But, I have had a few classmates that have been sick and I have not caught anything yet. knock on wood!!

I will say that usually, by Halloween, I have had at least 1 round of upper respiratory crud. Not this year though!

I wonder if my vaping of PG can possibly benefit my husband as well? I do vape around him in the house and in the car. Maybe I am helping his immunity out too!!

 

[sjrily]

"NICnurse" - very cool user name

I'm interested too. Near the end of the study, in section four, it mentions this again when discussing the possibilities of cross-infection from the mouthpiece or inhalation:

On the other hand, propylene glycol vapor is bactericidal, and virucidal against airborne aerosol particles, and is associated with reduced respiratory infections in children continually exposed to propylene glycol vapor.

How cool would that be? Hey, wouldn't it be ironic if someday instead of smokers being "undesirable," non-vapers found themselves to be the new undesirables? Vapers would consider them "flu factories" *LOL* Just kidding...mostly...

 

[andygee]

Yes. My autumn "cold" only lasted 3 days instead of 6 weeks. My doctor keeps telling me "my immune system is compromised" due to smoking. Maybe I'm now uncompromised or maybe it's the juice. Either way. Keep building that dossier and rub it in the FDA's face!

 

[NICnurse]

"NICnurse" - very cool user name

I'm interested too. Near the end of the study, in section four, it mentions this again when discussing the possibilities of cross-infection from the mouthpiece or inhalation:

On the other hand, propylene glycol vapor is bactericidal, and virucidal against airborne aerosol particles, and is associated with reduced respiratory infections in children continually exposed to propylene glycol vapor.

How cool would that be? Hey, wouldn't it be ironic if someday instead of smokers being "undesirable," non-vapers found themselves to be the new undesirables? Vapers would consider them "flu factories" *LOL* Just kidding...mostly...

Haha I am glad you like my username! I was nicknamed during one round of clinicals as the "nicynurse" because I literally ran for my car to smoke a cigarette after the 12 hour shift. I figured it was only right that I should honor my smoking past! lol

I nearly spit my iced tea on my computer when I read the last part of your post. You are funny!!!!

 

[NCC]

Naw, I wish. Although for the past 10 years I've averaged about one per year. Previous to that, I would go 5 or 6 years between. Whether right or wrong, I attribute the increase to my age ... a bit beyond middle age.

I've only been vaping for ten months, a bit less than my cold frequency. I just got over a moderate chest cold recently. I hope I'm good to go for another cold free 12 months.

Too short a time to note any relationship between colds and vaping. My instinct is that there is none.

 

[slbaker68]

I was just wondering this the other day. Hubby and co-workers have been sick with runny nose, coughing and general blah achy feeling. I felt like I had a cold, but my nose hardly ran and I didnt have a cough. The most I had was I had to clear my throat some. Usually, if anyone around me is sick I get it.

 

[Vaporilo]

very interesting information. I too was just thinking about this. except it's the opposite with me... I've gotten two upper respiratory tract infections in the last 30 days, which is uncommon for me. I don't know if i should attribute it to vaping or the change in weather. I do mostly smoke VG though so maybe it's time to switch

 

[Raisinbrannan]

Ya when I looked up pg on wiki it noted a study from like the 40's where vaporizing pg helped keep away the flu and stuff. All my friends have been sick the passed the month and I've been perfectly fine. Hope it's true, gives us even more reason to vape.

 

[Trioxin]

I'm on my second year of vaping, and this will be my first year of perfect work attendance. Damn vaping.

 

[dave8944]

I've not had a cold since starting vaping almost two years ago. That's not unusual for me, but I think PG does keep the bacteria in your mouth down because my teeth cleanings are MUCH shorter. I'm sure some of it has to do with just not smoking anymore, but it's such a dramatic difference I wonder if the PG is helping too.

 

[CloudBurst]

Just got my first virus in 18 months! Feels like a cold, until then I bragged!

Sent from my Droid

 

[sjrily]

I'd be willing to do a (very) informal study on how non-smoking vapers compare to non-smokers (relative to incident rates) if there's any interest. Probably best to see if this thread goes anywhere, first - I should have thought of that before I started it and considered a better title...

 

[JonnyVapΣ]

My autumn "cold" only lasted 3 days instead of 6 weeks.

Same here. I don't get sick as often as the rest of the family but when I did it would take me down for a long time. Last month I caught a cold but it lasted about 3 days (and stupid me decided to make a batch of juice that I over-flavored because I couldn't taste anything...LOL)

 

[Luvs5rugrats]

These are just my observations for my own household.

When I started vaping on September 12 , I had a bad cold that had moved to my chest and morphed into this god awful coughing fit that I would get thrown into about 10 times a day. So bad that it was really hard to catch my breath. Within 1 week of vaping and after a few days of vaping full-time (there was about 4 days in there where I smoked a few a day while waiting for juice) my cough and cold were completely gone. When I get sick, it goes from my head to my chest to my ears and lasts well over a month. This time, it was gone before it hit my ears and only lasted about 2 weeks total. I have not been sick since. By this time of the year, my twins would usually be on their 3rd or 4th cold and both were sick in September with a light cold. I would normally just go along for the ride, catching whatever they had. My husband got his kit and I started vaping full-time around September 19th or 20th and since that time, neither have been sick at all except for my daughter, who came home with the sniffles yesterday with no fever. I'll have to keep watch on her to see where it goes. She was the worse one, getting sick all the time with nearly back-to-back colds and about 90% of the time, have a pretty high fever to go with it. She used to get really wierd spiking fevers for seemingly no reason, too. She missed several days of school last year due to illness. She has only missed one day this year so far due to a fever and that was before I quit smoking. My son has had only one minor head cold that he got the first week of school. So I would have to say if it's not the chemicals in the vaping making everyone better, it's absolutely the abstinence of smoking. But even when I completely quit when I was pregnant, I still got 2 pretty bad colds, so....? Maybe there's more to it we need to find out with this. Very interesting!

 

[bjannr]

I just got over a head/chest cold. For me colds during this time is inevitable. I am outside for 2hours in the AM and 1hour in the late evening before getting ready for the midnight shift. (We have 20 had of horses to feed). However when smoking analogs, it hurt to smoke. This time I was able to get my nicotine fix with out the burning of my throat, and my chest congestion did not last as long as it usually did. Vape-on.

 

[wv2win]

Most definitely for me!

 

[jiveman]

I work in a group home. The residents there get sick a few times a year, and a nasty flu bug and cold go around every few months. I'm unable to protect myself completely from them because they often cough/sneeze right at me, touch me constantly, etc. Washing my hands repeatedly has never been enough. This is the first time in a long time I've not caught every bug that is going around. The entire staff and residents were coughing up a lung, getting very ill, and I'm the only one who's not gotten it.

Been vaping over 6 months. I suspect it's because I quit smoking the analogs, but it could have something to do with the pg. Either way I'm happy to say I've not had to call in sick for a very long time now. Good stuff.

 

[sjrily]

Yeah, because so much improves when you quit smoking anyway, it would be hard to measure improvement based on something else. You would have to compare vapers to non-smokers. Or maybe better - you could compare non-smokers to two groups of ex-smokers: a group that vapes and a group that doesn't.

I didn't think about the dental thing. We know gum disease and tartar buildup is a common problem with smokers, and that this improves a great deal when we stop. But if the PG 'theory' holds, there would be reduced bacteria, etc.

I know studies are more concerned with proving the actual safety of vaping right now (or disproving, depending on the agenda), but it would be really cool if possible benifits where more actively looked into as well. (Besides, I really wanna say BOOYAH to the FDA)

 

[WomanOfHeart]

I'm one of those people that usually gets sick anytime I'm around someone else who is sick. We have a whole bunch of people in my office who have already had colds, but the worst I've had is a running nose that lasted a couple of days. My sinuses have cleared up completely and I'm looking forward to an anti-biotic free winter!