How can nicotine by it self be no more harmful than caffeine but also be toxic?

[RedSeve]

I'm just wondering how I can explain this to people, because when I tell them how when using an e cig all your get is the nicotine (and flavor and pg/vg) and by itself nicotine isn;t supposed to be anymore harmful than caffiene, they're both just addictive stimulants. (well thats what the e cig companies and doctors they have say for them at least)

but people keep saying they've always heard nicotine is toxic, and all the warning labels that come with liquid and e cigs say nicotine is toxic.


my guess is it has something to do with how you take it in, that inhaling with the vaporizing agent allows your body to take it in without it being toxic, that OR that when you vape your only taking in a tiny amount way below the toxicity level. in fact the latter is probably the case huh? it's just it would be easy to calm skeptics if you could just say it's not toxic when inhaled.


anyway, if anyone knows I'd love to hear

 

[lo4th]

Caffeine can also be toxic. If you consume pure caffeine it can be just as toxic.

 

[NCC]

Nicotine IS toxic. A deadly poison, in fact. But, so is Botulinum toxin (Botox), and a load of other substances ... table salt, for example.

 

[brokenbrains]

Yeah, pretty much.


The dose makes the poison.

 

[Maxine]

The poison's in the dose. Google water toxicity.

 

[StormFinch]

Caffeine can also be toxic. If you consume pure caffeine it can be just as toxic.

Exactly. The LD50 Oral for pure caffeine is 192mg per kilogram in a rat and 50mg per kg of pure nicotine. So yeah, uncut nicotine is almost 4 times more poisonous as uncut caffeine, but as Paracelsus was fond of saying, the poison is in the dosage. At maximum DIYers are handling 100mg per ml nic base, or 10% nicotine in a carrier fluid. That's then cut down to the .6 to 3.6 % that we vape. In comparison, the average amount of caffeine in an 8 oz cup of coffee is around 135 mg.

 

[wv2win]

Nicotine is toxic in it's pure full strength. But what we use, even 36mg+ is just a fraction of full strength. I would tell people if it was toxic at the levels we use, then why are nicotine gum, patches, inhalers, etc sold over the counter? But it is NOT carcinogenetic. People are ignorant.

 

[clark8876]

As the others have said the dosage is the key.

The liquid we vape is a very low dosage eg. 36mg = 3.6%, 24mg = 2.4%, 18mg = 1.8% etc.

 

[Bizrad8381]

I work for a pharmacuetical manufacturer and a temp worker thought it would be a good idea to eat some pure caffeine lets just say this person is lucky to be alive.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

The poison's in the dose. Google water toxicity.

Google oxygen toxicity, too!

Too much of anything can hurt you, if not kill you. It just depends on how much and sometimes how much over time.

 

[Terraphon]

Well, I was going to post an answer but.

tons of people beat me to it

 

[Critter Man]

To add my , toxicity has to do with the level of a substance in your body and how that level affects the normal operation of your systems. If the amount in your body has toxic effects, then you've had a toxic dose. This is also known as an overdose. How severe the overdose is depends on how toxic the substance has become to your body at that level. Toxic effects can be long lasting, or they may go away completely as the level of drug in your body goes down. The toxic effects of nicotine (in the case of an overdose) go away as the level goes down. Nicotine does not seem to have long-lasting or cumulative negative effects (aside from addiction), that is why it is considered safe at these doses.

The same is true for caffeine, if I am not mistaken.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

And let us not forget our old pal, that most deadly of common substances, Dihydrogen Monoxide!

 

[LibertyValance]

Everybody has pointed out the dosage issue. Alcohol is likewise a deadly poison. Every year many people die from drinking (often about a quart) of liquor. Its 100% fatal at higher dosages. And yet almost every study shows that drinking in moderation (1-2 small drinks daily) probably has health benefits and at the very least is not bad for you. That is the analogy I use to explain it to people.

 

[swedishfish]

I'm just wondering how I can explain this to people, because when I tell them how when using an e cig all your get is the nicotine (and flavor and pg/vg) and by itself nicotine isn;t supposed to be anymore harmful than caffiene, they're both just addictive stimulants. (well thats what the e cig companies and doctors they have say for them at least)

but people keep saying they've always heard nicotine is toxic, and all the warning labels that come with liquid and e cigs say nicotine is toxic.my guess is it has something to do with how you take it in, that inhaling with the vaporizing agent allows your body to take it in without it being toxic, that OR that when you vape your only taking in a tiny amount way below the toxicity level. in fact the latter is probably the case huh? it's just it would be easy to calm skeptics if you could just say it's not toxic when inhaled.


anyway, if anyone knows I'd love to hear

Unless you're trying to explain vaping to someone open to the idea or considering vaping, you can't. Don't waste your breath.

You can't explain addiction to people that aren't addicts. Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts know this and it's really not a lot different with cigarettes. It's not that they don't understand it, they don't want to understand it. And really, trying to explain to someone like that is pointless and a waste of time. Accept that your doing the right thing for you and that's all that counts. Don't play into the b.s. We put up with enough while smoking, don't let it ruin your decision about vaping.

 

[KirtBacken]

It depends on the volume/strength if its toxic or not. With normal strength its toxicity level is not very harmful.

 

[Del Boy]

Analogs are harmless. That is until you ignite them.

Taking the nictone with all the other poisons in an analog and in a state of combustion is how the damage is done.