Health concerns regarding ecigs? I need clarification, BIG thanks to all for any help.

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torba

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Mar 4, 2017
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Hi,

Firstly, thank you for opening my thread.

My story is I have been smoking cigarettes for 22 years. Last year I switched to vaping for a week. It was fantastic - I wasn't lethargic anymore and had alot of energy from vaping that I was even racing my children to see who could sprint faster and I was very content in my switch. Until a family friend who's a chemical engineer saw me vaping and told me to stop ecigs immediately and that cigarettes were much healthier. His theory was that the juice in ecigs when burnt at high temperatures cause harmful water based toxins including formaldehyde that adhere to the lungs and throat and that VG is a sugar which would feed any cancerous spores in the lungs. He did scare me and I returned to cigarettes again.

I was hoping for a scientific explanation - is my friend right or wrong? Do the ingredients in ejuice burnt at high temperatures change there molecule shape and become more dangerous? Do these molecule toxins stay in our lungs while we breath out water vapor, making vaping seem harmless? He also commented that vapor is heavier than smoke and can do more damage to soft tissue, is he right? I am sorry if maybe my answer is in another thread, if so can you provide a link, thank you.

I am writing this thread for your help because I would love to return to ecigs and wean off all nicotine and have the healthy energy to share with my family.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone who's quit smoking. Hopefully I can join you too soon.

Thank you for reading, kind regards torba
 

Smoke_too_much

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Hi Torba
I can't give you a scientific explanation sinc I'm not a scientist but based on what I've read about it yes e juice burnt at high temperatures can produce those toxins. What your friend didn't tell you though is that the temperature required to do that is far in excess if anything anyone could ever vape at. You physically could not take that vapor/smoke into your lungs it would be so harsh. At the temps we do vape at there are no significant amount of toxins produced.

There was a recent study done exposing lung tissue to vapor and to smoke. The cig smoke was found to actually kill the lung cells whereas no appreciable damage could be seen by the vapor. No testing done so far has shown any significant short term risk with vaping. Long term hasn't been able to be tested as yet.

Why would the relative weight of vapor vs smoke have any bearing at all on its risk? I don't believe e juice is a sugar and nor do I believe it would feed cancer cells. That just sounds too far fetched to be believable.
 

sofarsogood

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Oct 12, 2014
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Hi,

Firstly, thank you for opening my thread.

My story is I have been smoking cigarettes for 22 years. Last year I switched to vaping for a week. It was fantastic - I wasn't lethargic anymore and had alot of energy from vaping that I was even racing my children to see who could sprint faster and I was very content in my switch. Until a family friend who's a chemical engineer saw me vaping and told me to stop ecigs immediately and that cigarettes were much healthier. His theory was that the juice in ecigs when burnt at high temperatures cause harmful water based toxins including formaldehyde that adhere to the lungs and throat and that VG is a sugar which would feed any cancerous spores in the lungs. He did scare me and I returned to cigarettes again.

I was hoping for a scientific explanation - is my friend right or wrong? Do the ingredients in ejuice burnt at high temperatures change there molecule shape and become more dangerous? Do these molecule toxins stay in our lungs while we breath out water vapor, making vaping seem harmless? He also commented that vapor is heavier than smoke and can do more damage to soft tissue, is he right? I am sorry if maybe my answer is in another thread, if so can you provide a link, thank you.

I am writing this thread for your help because I would love to return to ecigs and wean off all nicotine and have the healthy energy to share with my family.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone who's quit smoking. Hopefully I can join you too soon.

Thank you for reading, kind regards torba
Your friend's conclusions from what ever reading he's done are invalid. He assumes vapers are scortching the liquid. That's a rare event because when it happens the taste is so terrible it triggers the gag reflex. Your sense of taste protects you from many ingestion hazards and that happens to be one of them. There are traces of toxic chemicals in every breath you take. They don't make you sick because the dose is too low.

The best language to use is vaping is lower risk than smoking. There is a vast amount of evidence to back tha up. The British Royal College of Physicians, who were the first to warn about cancer risk of smoking 50 years ago stand behind the claim that vaping is 95% lower risk than smoking. (When the Pilgrims stepped onto Plymouthh Rock the RCP had already existed for 100 years.)

Vaping less is probably lower risk than vaping more. May be avoid high flavor concentrations and large daily ml's. Instead of vaping at 100 watts with large coils how about 8-10 watts on a small single coil. Some vapers want to impress the world with their gigantic clouds. Others just want to stop smoking. If you are the latter then vaping 3-4 mls a day at 8-10 watts with 12 mg nic will probably keep you off cigarettes. The health riisks of doing that are almost certainly far lower than smoking.

There is a lot of lying about ecigs because most of the trillion dollars of world wide tobacco sales goes for taxes. The people who benefit from that money know who they are. They want ecigs banned while tobacco remains for sale the same as always. I used to spend $3,000 a year smoking a carton a week. Yesterday I mixed a month supply of e liquid, The cost of ingredients--$2.40. A month of cigarettes would have cost me $240. Of course people are upset.
 

Bullhandbeast22

Full Member
Mar 4, 2017
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Hi,

Firstly, thank you for opening my thread.

My story is I have been smoking cigarettes for 22 years. Last year I switched to vaping for a week. It was fantastic - I wasn't lethargic anymore and had alot of energy from vaping that I was even racing my children to see who could sprint faster and I was very content in my switch. Until a family friend who's a chemical engineer saw me vaping and told me to stop ecigs immediately and that cigarettes were much healthier. His theory was that the juice in ecigs when burnt at high temperatures cause harmful water based toxins including formaldehyde that adhere to the lungs and throat and that VG is a sugar which would feed any cancerous spores in the lungs. He did scare me and I returned to cigarettes again.

I was hoping for a scientific explanation - is my friend right or wrong? Do the ingredients in ejuice burnt at high temperatures change there molecule shape and become more dangerous? Do these molecule toxins stay in our lungs while we breath out water vapor, making vaping seem harmless? He also commented that vapor is heavier than smoke and can do more damage to soft tissue, is he right? I am sorry if maybe my answer is in another thread, if so can you provide a link, thank you.

I am writing this thread for your help because I would love to return to ecigs and wean off all nicotine and have the healthy energy to share with my family.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone who's quit smoking. Hopefully I can join you too soon.

Thank you for reading, kind regards torba
Over and over again, we’ve heard public health officials argue that we simply do not have enough scientific data to be certain that electronic cigarettes are a safe alternative to tobacco. But the truth is that research is abundant and every month, we have new studies that point to the truth. The latest study to hit the scenes is shaming critics and shocking public health officials with undeniable evidence that vaping is safe and effective.

The new study was published in “Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology” and showed what exactly is hiding in ecig vapor compared to the contents of cigarette smoke. Scientists ran tests on three flavors ofBlu ecigs and two flavors of SKYCigs. They also tested Marlboro Golds and Lambert & Butler cigarettes. Finally, they tested the ordinary room air as a baseline to use as they compared the results.

The researchers specifically looked for 8 toxins in this study: carbon monoxide, carbonyls, phenolics, volatiles, metals, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, polyaromatic amines, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. It was no surprise that tobacco cigarette smoke was full of poisonous chemicals. But researchers were shocked to see that the toxins in ecigarette vapor were quite similar to the normal toxins found in regular room air. In fact, there was no major increase in toxins between normal air and ecig vapor.

Instead of deadly toxins, the ecig vapor only contained propylene glycol, water, and small traces of flavoring and nicotine additives. In order to register any degree of toxicity, the scientists had to use 99 puffs of an ecig to get even the tiniest measurement of 0.18 milligrams of HPHC’s. To put that in perspective, a single puff of a Marlboro Gold cigarette measured 30.6 milligrams. In a puff-to-puff comparison, the cigarettes had 2000 times more toxins than the e-cigs.

But researchers were shocked to see that the toxins in ecigarette vapor were quite similar to the normal toxins found in regular room air.

This study makes it clear that ecigs are a far better alternative for smokers. They are now scientifically proven to have harm reduction properties and there is no way that lawmakers can argue that public vaping is harmful after looking at these lab reports. The next time you hear someone complaining that public vaping is dangerous, point them to this study. Science is our number one weapon to stop critics and spread truth about all the incredible benefits of vaping.
 

SnapDragon NY

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It is up to you to read the pros and cons of vaping and make your best decision- you have received some great advice here!
What I cannot believe is that your scientist friend would tell you to keep smoking cigarettes? No way do I believe that! Everyone knows that cigarettes and the second hand smoke from them is dangerous and kills more people, period!
If you are so afraid- then why continue with cigarettes, you know for a fact that they are deadly! Try Nic Gum, patches and or the Cold Turkey method, go to a Doctor, but to continue to smoke cigarettes which you know are 100% deadly?
I have quit my 30+ year cigarette addiction by Vaping and Will Power- I have not had a cigarette in over 2 years and have never felt better! I have read all the pros and cons of vaping and would rather use ecigs which have been found to be at 95% safer than cigarettes from the studies I have read!
Best of luck to you!
 

mongo74

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Your friend must have seen the video about acetylaldehyde production in electronic cigarettes.

For that to occur, you have to quite literally BURN vegetable glycerine. You'd be "vaping" it at termperatres and voltages that are well beyond your tolerable limits, while simultaneously turning your wick into charcloth.

Long term studies not withstanding: I smoked about 23 years and have been vaping for just over 5 years. My lungs and vitals are in better shape now than when I was in my 20s.
 

torba

Full Member
Mar 4, 2017
8
19
46
Thank you very much for your replies and congratulations on your switch to vaping.

Your answers have helped me to make the decision to give vaping another chance. If only my family and friends could be more informed and open minded to vaping, life would be just so much more easier. I just want my energy back so vaping here I come.

I am very grateful for joining this lovely helpful community. BIG thanks, torba
 

Eskie

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May 6, 2016
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Hi,

Firstly, thank you for opening my thread.

My story is I have been smoking cigarettes for 22 years. Last year I switched to vaping for a week. It was fantastic - I wasn't lethargic anymore and had alot of energy from vaping that I was even racing my children to see who could sprint faster and I was very content in my switch. Until a family friend who's a chemical engineer saw me vaping and told me to stop ecigs immediately and that cigarettes were much healthier. His theory was that the juice in ecigs when burnt at high temperatures cause harmful water based toxins including formaldehyde that adhere to the lungs and throat and that VG is a sugar which would feed any cancerous spores in the lungs. He did scare me and I returned to cigarettes again.

I was hoping for a scientific explanation - is my friend right or wrong? Do the ingredients in ejuice burnt at high temperatures change there molecule shape and become more dangerous? Do these molecule toxins stay in our lungs while we breath out water vapor, making vaping seem harmless? He also commented that vapor is heavier than smoke and can do more damage to soft tissue, is he right? I am sorry if maybe my answer is in another thread, if so can you provide a link, thank you.

I am writing this thread for your help because I would love to return to ecigs and wean off all nicotine and have the healthy energy to share with my family.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone who's quit smoking. Hopefully I can join you too soon.

Thank you for reading, kind regards torba

Under normal operating conditions, vape gear/e cigs produce negligible amounts of formaldehyde. Under normal operating conditions, burning tobacco, smoking a cigarette, produces a significant amount of formaldehyde (among lots of other chemicals you're really better off not getting into your lungs). Your chemical engineer friend seems to have a knowledge gap about the toxins released from burning tobacco.

Second, your friend's "theory" about VG "feeding cancerous spores" lacks any scientific foundation. First, cancer cells are not "spores". Second, cancer cells draw nutrients from the same place healthy cells do, your circulatory system. Finally, as to vapor being heavier than smoke and because of that can do more damage to soft tissue, wuh?:confused:

You must make your own decisions about what you wish to put into your body. I can assure you cigarettes are exceptionally harmful. I would encourage you to stop smoking for the sake of your health. How you go about that is your personal decision, whether an e cig, patches, gum, medications, or cold turkey. Whatever works best for you.

Edit: Ah, once again my poor typing skills leave me way behind. Good luck on your attempt to stop smoking with an e cig.
 

SnapDragon NY

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Feb 5, 2017
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Thank you very much for your replies and congratulations on your switch to vaping.

Your answers have helped me to make the decision to give vaping another chance. If only my family and friends could be more informed and open minded to vaping, life would be just so much more easier. I just want my energy back so vaping here I come.

I am very grateful for joining this lovely helpful community. BIG thanks, torba
I get the same thing from my family! I am the only one who vapes, and any time there is a battery explosion or any other negative news, believe me I hear about it! Funny thing is most of them smoke cigarettes!
I just ignore them!
I do what I think is right for me, I have read my own research and I will stay with ecigs!
Those cigarettes have a strong hold on people, they will say anything to keep up their cigarette habit! These people just spout off the scare news- they have not fully looked at both sides or any of the pros to vaping all the while- we all know how deadly cigarettes are!
Big Tobacco, Big Pharma and our Government want to keep cigarettes in our lives- big money for them!
 

zoiDman

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...

My story is I have been smoking cigarettes for 22 years. Last year I switched to vaping for a week. It was fantastic - I wasn't lethargic anymore and had alot of energy from vaping that I was even racing my children to see who could sprint faster and I was very content in my switch. Until a family friend who's a chemical engineer saw me vaping and told me to stop ecigs immediately and that cigarettes were much healthier. His theory was that the juice in ecigs when burnt at high temperatures cause harmful water based toxins including formaldehyde that adhere to the lungs and throat and that VG is a sugar which would feed any cancerous spores in the lungs. He did scare me and I returned to cigarettes again.

...

Hi torba. Welcome to the ECF.

If I take a T-Bone Steak and BBQ it until it is Black as Coal and then tested it, I am sure I could find Cancer Causing Compounds in the Charred Steak.

So I could Concluded that All BBQ Meats cause Cancer. Right? Well No. Because No One is going to Eat a Steak like that. Let along eat a Steak like that Every Day for Year after Year.

Unfortunately, this is what Many/Most studies did. They ran e-Cigarettes at High Temperatures that No e-Cigarette user would use. The hit you would get would taste like Burnt Marshmallows.

They did this so they could Obtain the Results that they Wanted.

When Studies are done using Temperatures that Users actually Use, the Results was Orders of Magnitude Different. And e-Cigarettes in general were shown to be Significantly Safer to use than Smoking.

You might send these Links to your Family Friend.

E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review - GOV.UK

E-cigarettes: an evidence update - GOV.UK

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170207104358.htm

E-Cigarettes and Toxin Exposure | Annals of Internal Medicine | American College of Physicians
 

Two_Bears

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Jul 4, 2015
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Hi,

Firstly, thank you for opening my thread.

My story is I have been smoking cigarettes for 22 years. Last year I switched to vaping for a week. It was fantastic - I wasn't lethargic anymore and had alot of energy from vaping that I was even racing my children to see who could sprint faster and I was very content in my switch. Until a family friend who's a chemical engineer saw me vaping and told me to stop ecigs immediately and that cigarettes were much healthier. His theory was that the juice in ecigs when burnt at high temperatures cause harmful water based toxins including formaldehyde that adhere to the lungs and throat and that VG is a sugar which would feed any cancerous spores in the lungs. He did scare me and I returned to cigarettes again.

I was hoping for a scientific explanation - is my friend right or wrong? Do the ingredients in ejuice burnt at high temperatures change there molecule shape and become more dangerous? Do these molecule toxins stay in our lungs while we breath out water vapor, making vaping seem harmless? He also commented that vapor is heavier than smoke and can do more damage to soft tissue, is he right? I am sorry if maybe my answer is in another thread, if so can you provide a link, thank you.

I am writing this thread for your help because I would love to return to ecigs and wean off all nicotine and have the healthy energy to share with my family.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone who's quit smoking. Hopefully I can join you too soon.

Thank you for reading, kind regards torba
Another "If its on TV it must be true"

I'm not going to convince you of anything.

Just go to tge Royal College of Physicians (on the net) in the UK and see what they say about vaping

Check the Italian doctor Dr. Farsalino. On the net.

This so called scientist in New York was testing eCigs and he heavily modified the mod to produce vapor at 1,100 degrees and Shazam small amounts of formaldehyde was found. No one in their right mind vapes at that temperature!

Ok ok. The Royal College of Physicians tested both vaping and smoking snd determined vaping was 95% safer than smoking.
 

RainSong

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There's a lot of great research out there right now, with new research even bumping the numbers up to vaping being 97% less harmful than smoking. Seek out the research, zoidman posted some great links up there to start, and make your own *informed* decision. I know I feel so much better after 6 months of vaping and the thought of smoking now is as appetizing as the thought of licking the bottom of a dirty ashtray. If you do choose vaping, having support is a huge part in being successful and you can find that support here on ecf. I know when I started and had so many questions I could come here and find lots of answers. There are so many ways to customize the vaping experience that it can be frustrating when trying to dial in *your* ideal vape, ecf helped guide me through those frustrations. At any rate, good luck to you. Leaving cigarettes in any way possible is the best thing you could do for yourself and your children.
 

Lessifer

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People have already pointed you in the right direction, I just wanted to propose a thought experiment for you. You said after a week of vaping instead of smoking you were already feeling much better, had more energy, could run with your kids. Have you ever felt healthier after smoking a cigarette?
 

Two_Bears

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People have already pointed you in the right direction, I just wanted to propose a thought experiment for you. You said after a week of vaping instead of smoking you were already feeling much better, had more energy, could run with your kids. Have you ever felt healthier after smoking a cigarette?
VERY GOOD ONE!

Wish i had thought of that.
 

sonicbomb

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Your friend is incorrect. But in light of the fact that the media is awash with misinformation specifically designed to smear e-cigarettes, I am not in the least surprised.

Consider this. The tobacco companies and those who benefit from their sale have a very specific reasons for besmirching vaping as it is a direct competitor to their deadly merchandise. While we have nothing to gain financially or otherwise from dissuading you from smoking, other than the small joy of knowing that we may have helped someone escape from a life chained to grim reality of tobacco addiction.

The health benefits of vaping rather than smoking are plainly obvious to those who vape, and now the science supports that position. Smoking will kill you you, vaping will not.
 
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torba

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Mar 4, 2017
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Hi once again,

Thank you all for your answers. I have done some research from your links given and I am convinced that conventional cigarettes have a much greater quantity of formelayde, toxins etc in them, which is a big plus to start vaping again .

Although I have come across a few articles regarding metal nano particles found in ecigs that concern me. I am sorry for being such a drama queen but the metal part does scare me. My father worked in an aluminium metal plant and with many other workers like him had died of the same cancer around the same time, all metal related.

I know vaping will improve my overall health but in the long run will my lungs accumulate metal nanoparticles which will bring on disease farther and faster on in life?

I am so sorry for having so many questions. I know many will say, "just go cold turkey" and I have on numerous occassions but my will power just isn't as strong as I always had nicotine cravings which made me grumpy . That's why vaping helped me heaps. I was only planning on vapping for a little while to kick the nicotine habbit.

Are there any links, proving me otherwise regarding metal nanoparticles? Your help is kindly appreciated .

Thank you once again for all your help and I am sorry if I may have upset anyone in anyway. HUGE thanks, torba
 

Eskie

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Are there any links, proving me otherwise regarding metal nanoparticles? Your help is kindly appreciated .

Thank you once again for all your help and I am sorry if I may have upset anyone in anyway. HUGE thanks, torba

Can you please point to the proof about metal nanoparticles and how they are released in vaping? As sonicbomb just pointed out, that's news to now at least two of us. Trying to establish absolute proof of 100% safety with vaping cannot be done. The same can be said for pretty much everything else in our environment and activities.

Everything carries risk. The best one can do is compare relative risks and choose accordingly. The risks of cigarettes greatly outweighs the risks of vaping. But if you are truly looking for some proof that vaping will not harm you, no such proof exists.
 

torba

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Mar 4, 2017
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Here is a link I just stumbled on now:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170207105312.htm
There's many out there. There was a good one which measured the metal dose but I just can't find it now. I will post it if I come across it again. It was related to the heating and erosion of the coils.
I am just researching as much as I can since vaping is very new and there aren't any long term health studies available. I appreciate all you comments, torba.
 
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