Hearing Misinformation About Cotton From Vape Store Clerks

[brekec88]

I simply don't understand that the fact we used to smoke precludes us asking if how we are vaping could be made relatively more safe by a change in method or materials.

All i'm saying is no one gave a crap when smoking cigarettes which they directly put thousands of poisonous chemicals on to the tobacco before they sold them to you. Now people are nit picking if the people who picked the cotton had clean hands or what pesticides they used in the field even though they sterilize it before they sell it and then usually you sterilize/boil it yourself as well. Thats absolutely hilarious to me and if you don't get that (or the hypocrisy in that), you never will. You guys do know they use the same pesticides on the food you eat every single day, right? Cooking on teflon releases carcinogens in your food. A lot of plastic coatings can cause birth defects. We pretty much walk around all day eating, breathing, touching and smelling things that are known to be poisonous in some form or cause cancer ect ect.

 

[brekec88]

No, you're inferring me putting the cart before the horse when it wasn't implied -- at all. I never stated anything about being "worried" about "using cotton" or "vaping itself."




Not really the point at all. Did you read the column?

You do know that just because you made the OP doesn't mean every reply in this thread is direct response to you, right?

 

[InTheShade]

All i'm saying is no one gave a crap when smoking cigarettes which they directly put thousands of poisonous chemicals on to the tobacco. Now people are nit picking if the people who picked the cotton had clean hands or what pesticides they used in the field even though they sterilize it before they sell it and then usually you sterilize/boil it yourself.

I switched to vaping because I was worried about all those chemicals in cigarette smoke. Now I have made the switch, I continue to think about vaping and its effects on my body and health, and I want to vape in the safest possible way. Just because I smoked does not mean I cannot ask these questions.

The main issue is that there are thousands of studies on cigarettes and so their use and effects on the human body are mainly understood.
With vaping, that's not the case.

I agree, this thread might come off as bordering on the obsessional as they continue to discuss the effects of workers and their harvesting habits on the cotton, but I still think it's a legitimate discussion and the fact that we were smokers has no bearing on the validity of the discussion.

Thats absolutely hilarious to me and if you don't get that, you never will.

Not sure what you mean by this, I thought the whole point of being a member here was to discuss. I am completely open to other points of view and am open to changing my own views as I receive new information.

 

[brekec88]

No, by all means ask questions, I didn't mean you shouldn't or even that its a bad question. All Im saying is it is very ironic because we all didn't give a crap very recently when we put 3,000 known poisonous chemicals in are body 20+ times a day. Now people are nit picking about possible nano particles of pesticide in their medically sterile cotton.

If people are that worried about it stop vaping (if you thought vaping was healthy, your wrong, its just less bad than cigs), I mean I don't know what other answer people are looking for.

 

[ScottP]

I simply don't understand that the fact we used to smoke precludes us asking if how we are vaping could be made relatively more safe by a change in method or materials.

It doesn't preclude asking necessarily, but personally I do find it humorous. Smoking for 20+ years then switching to vaping and asking "is it safe" is kind of like jumping the Grand Canyon on your motorcycle 100 times in a row, then asking if a Volvo is safe to drive to the corner store. It's kind of like "NOW you are worried about safety?!?!" lol

 

[InTheShade]

No, by all means ask questions, I didn't mean you shouldn't or even that its a bad question. All Im saying is it is very ironic because we all didn't give a crap very recently when we put 3,000 known poisonous chemicals in are body 20+ times a day. Now people are nit picking about possible nano particles of pesticide in their medically sterile cotton.

If people are that worried about it stop vaping (if you thought vaping was healthy, your wrong, its just less bad than cigs), I mean I don't know what other answer people are looking for.

I see the irony too, I really do. I just like the fact that we can discuss the nano-particles of pesticides in cotton... I know, maybe I am weird...

 

[InTheShade]

It doesn't preclude asking necessarily, but personally I do find it humorous. Smoking for 20+ years then switching to vaping and asking "is it safe" is kind of like jumping the Grand Canyon on your motorcycle 100 times in a row, then asking if a Volvo is safe to drive to the corner store. It's kind of like "NOW you are worried about safety?!?!" lol

I get it, and I too see the irony in this discussion (and many like it on the forums) - but just because it's humorous or ironic doesn't make the questions any less valid or not worth asking. That's my only point.

 

[ScottP]

I get it, and I too see the irony in this discussion (and many like it on the forums) - but just because it's humorous or ironic doesn't make the questions any less valid or not worth asking. That's my only point.

Oh I understand that too. I also wonder why those questioning safety always question the coil or the wick (that we aren't really inhaling), or they question the PG (that has been used in inhalers since the 1950's) but no one seems to ever ask "Is this cinnamon flavor going to lead to the next 'popcorn lung' disease?".

 

[db13berry]

This whole concern with cotton just blows my mind. Im from the south. My parents, grand parents, and great grand parents worked in the cotton mills. Basically that mill was the main source in our small town for putting food on the table.
Anyway, my parents/grandparents came home everyday covered in cotton. I still remember my grandmother having what looked like spider webs in her hair. They didnt wear masks or respirators in the mills. They breathed in the fibers that floated around for the duration of their shift. They all lived very long lives and none of them died from pulmonary related issues.
So, I build with 100% cotton straight from the bag that I buy at the store. And I enjoy it!

Sent from my couch using Tapatalk.

 

[RPadTV]

You do know that just because you made the OP doesn't mean every reply in this thread is direct response to you, right?

My bad. It's really hard to tell when you don't use the quote function. The thread is getting long and there are a lot of posts.

 

[brekec88]

I get it, and I too see the irony in this discussion (and many like it on the forums) - but just because it's humorous or ironic doesn't make the questions any less valid or not worth asking. That's my only point.

And I agree with that, I just was thinking out loud that it was funny. Earlier I said hypocrisy and thats totally the wrong word I used, I was looking for ironic.

 

[brekec88]

My bad. It's really hard to tell when you don't use the quote function. The thread is getting long and there are a lot of posts.

Its fine, and sorry, I read my response again and it came off real d-baggy (not my intention). What do you use for wicks? I use mainly cotton (balls and yarn) but have tried pretty much everything besides ceramic rods and ss mesh. I find you need to change them a lot more frequently because the taste will go bad quicker but I feel they preform better and are cheaper than anything else I have tried.

 

[supermarket]

Pipe down B1sh0p, if you want entertainment go play with a Provari

It irks me that if someone posts anything slightly quizzical about the safety of vaping that some members jump on the "well I was smoking before so it must be safer than that" defense mechanism. That's really not the point. I think we all have a duty to ask these questions and try to find out the answers by reasoned logic, discussion and research.

I think we should all take a step back in these threads and ask how vaping has moved forward. The answer is, in part, by normal vapers like everyone here on this forum asking questions like these. This wouldn't happen if we all just agreed that because we all did something a particular way or used a particular product that it was safe and we should maintain the status quo.

You dared suggest it might not be good for us you ANTZ - I hate that knee-jerk almost spasmodic reaction. I think ECF is better than that.

It's a legitimate discussion - not particularly exciting I agree, but important.

I agree with you, and I am often the FIRST person to call out people who get their panties in a wad if you mention vaping might not be safe.

I've seen that attitude on these forums a LOT. Not just that....but if you DARE mention anything negative about people's favorite batteries, mod (provari anyone?), vendor (I mentioned a negative experience with fast tech, and had quite a few people JUMP down my throat).

People DEFEND what they relate with. If they like something, they often defend it, even irrationally.

Having said that, my response did include the line you mentioned , that I was a smoker before, and vaping is WAY healthier than that.


I personally KNOW that the long-term health risks of e-cigs is UNKNOWN. I do not argue that. That goes for vaping PG, VG, the artificial flavorings used, and the wicking materials we use.

I just think this thread was made out of context. The guy who made this thread saw someone at a vape store tell someone that cotton is safe. But WHAT WAS REALLY THE CONTEXT?

I still have a feeling that the guy at the vape store meant cotton is as safe as silica, or ekowool.

I think this whole argument is based on taking things out of context.


Vaping itself isn't known to be safe, so why on earth should we focus on cotton itself?

 

[supermarket]

So your worried about the long term unproven effects of using cotton, but you have no hang ups on the long term unproven effects of vaping itself? I think your putting the cart before the horse (or something like that).


Bottom line (using cotton wick) is WAY healthier than cigarettes. It makes me laugh how .... some people are about every little possible thing like this. You used to smoke cigarettes that have like 4,000 different deadly chemicals in them (and didn't say a word) and some people are afraid to boil there cotton balls in tap water? Gimme a break.


BTW silica is made out of fiber glass so what would you rather wick with?

Great comment.


Again, whether or not cotton is safe in the short-term is NOT an issue. It IS safe in the short term....and THOUSANDS of vapers can attest to that FACT.

Whether or not cotton is safe in the LONG-TERM, is another issue. However, it is NO MORE IMPORTANT of a question then whether or not silica, ekowool, or vaping in general is safe.


If someone comes to a vape store, and asks , "If cotton safe to use?" I would say, in CONTEXT of the question, the answer is an obvious, "YES!"

Why yes? Why answer yes, when the affects of vaping cotton in the long-term is unknown?

Because if someone already vapes....and is in a VAPE STORE asking about the safety of using cotton.....it is ASSUMED that they ALREADY KNOW that vaping itself is new, and not studied in the long-term.

Therefore, someone asking about the safety of cotton, someone who ALREADY VAPES....in a VAPE STORE.....is NOT asking about the possible long-term health risks....which may or not exist....and which would include ALL wicking material.

They are , instead, asking if people use cotton as wicking material, and if it is AS SAFE as using silica or ekowool.

Everything is relevant....including the answers to questions. Everything has to be understood in the proper CONTEXT.

 

[kiwivap]

but using cotton for wicking is far safer than getting a bunch of edgy vapers riled up not to mention getting thermal engineers on a tangent over kanthal coil temperature variances... think of the children...

I see nothing wrong with pursuing some science. It has proved beneficial in the past and I applaud the people who give up their time to run experiments. These experiments, if results are achieved, can be very beneficial for vapers.

This study which was done in 2012, has showed that vapers are not exhaling toxicity into the environment like smokers do. By extension we can say that is because they are not inhaling toxicity like smokers are. Yes, we know this as vapers, but others don't. I'd like to see more like this, with a focus on some common vaping gear being used, e.g. silica, cotton etc. It could dispel doubts some may have. Recently there was a newspaper article here claiming vapers inhale more poisons than smokers. This statement came from a "scientist", although the article gave no data to back up his claim - newspapers usually don't. Experiments that show the truth of the matter aren't tangents to me - but it does require some patience in getting results.

Aside from that, some of us do find the technical stuff interesting to talk about, and this is the place we know we can come to do that.

 

[brekec88]

i'm real curious (not even anything to do with health concerns or for argument sake) what does every one use for wicking?

 

[zahzoo]

I see nothing wrong with pursuing some science. It has proved beneficial in the past and I applaud the people who give up their time to run experiments. These experiments, if results are achieved, can be very beneficial for vapers.

Aside from that, some of us do find the technical stuff interesting to talk about, and this is the place we know we can come to do that.

I agree wholeheartedly...

I can only add... I see nothing wrong with pursuing science with a little humor thrown into the mix!! Don't overlook the power of a smiley...

 

[kiwivap]

I agree wholeheartedly...

I can only add... I see nothing wrong with pursuing science with a little humor thrown into the mix!! Don't overlook the power of a smiley...

Ok. Depends on where the humor is thrown (thinking of crazy movies I've seen here).

 

[Equilibrium]

i'm real curious (not even anything to do with health concerns or for argument sake) what does every one use for wicking?

I use cotton.

 

[skoony]

Great comment.


Again, whether or not cotton is safe in the short-term is NOT an issue. It IS safe in the short term....and THOUSANDS of vapers can attest to that FACT.

Whether or not cotton is safe in the LONG-TERM, is another issue. However, it is NO MORE IMPORTANT of a question then whether or not silica, ekowool, or vaping in general is safe.


If someone comes to a vape store, and asks , "If cotton safe to use?" I would say, in CONTEXT of the question, the answer is an obvious, "YES!"

Why yes? Why answer yes, when the affects of vaping cotton in the long-term is unknown?

Because if someone already vapes....and is in a VAPE STORE asking about the safety of using cotton.....it is ASSUMED that they ALREADY KNOW that vaping itself is new, and not studied in the long-term.

Therefore, someone asking about the safety of cotton, someone who ALREADY VAPES....in a VAPE STORE.....is NOT asking about the possible long-term health risks....which may or not exist....and which would include ALL wicking material.

They are , instead, asking if people use cotton as wicking material, and if it is AS SAFE as using silica or ekowool.

Everything is relevant....including the answers to questions. Everything has to be understood in the proper CONTEXT.

the point is you are not vaping cotton.there is nothing in the cotton to harm you.
any small particles of cotton they my be present will be soaked in PG or VG and to heavy to enter the vapor stream.
same with silica.any contaminants that may remain in the cotton if any at all will be all most undetectable
and totally harmless even over a lifetime.
even the ANTZ will concede vaping is 99% safer than combustible tobacco.
do you know what that means statistically?
it means it is safe as the water you drink.yep that's right drinking water is statistically 99% safe.
this is why the ANTZ are changing there arguments to nicotine being addictive,glamorizes smoking,
and think of the chillin'.
there is not one thing on earth that is 100% safe period.
that is why these debates on cotton wicks,and silica wicks also are so inane.
in the grand scheme of the vaping experience as a whole its much to do about nothing.

regards
mike