My nicotine / tar intake?

[VictorC]

I did my homework and know, the topic has been beaten to death. There is no way to directly compare smoke to vape but as a newbie I still dare to ask: how much nicotine / tar do I intake?


After some research and, according to this chart (Canadian cigarettes) , I came up with the following calculations:


1. I used to smoke about 15 light cigarettes a day. So I roughly absorbed 1mg of nicotine with each cigarette. 15 cigs x 1mg Nicotine x 1 day = 15mg of Nicotine PLUS 65 mg of tar, PLUS 70+ carcinogens



2. Now I am vaping 3 ml x 9 mg x 1 day. At 50% absorption = 13.5 mg of Nicotine, ZERO tar, ZERO carcinogens (?),

Am I close in my calculations? What’s your practical take?


Thanks in advance.

 

[OldLadyO]

Your math is correct. The important thing is zero tar and zero carcinogens!

 

[Rsunderl]

Welcome to the forum, VictorC!

Your calculations are right on. However, depending on your vaping technique, the absorption might be lower than other vapors. To get the most absorption, exhale slower than you would with a cigarette. That way, the nic has more time to be absorbed by your mouth and nose tissues. That's where most of the absorption takes place with vapor.

If you find that the 9mg isn't enough to take care of the cravings, you could step it up a bit. Say to 12mg. If you find that it's too much, bump it down a bit. Say to 6mg. Your body will tell you what you need despite what any calculations say, but I think you have a good starting point for what you described as your smoking habit.

Hope it helps and Happy Vaping!

 

[brickman7]

Amen to that OldLadyO!

 

[Bunnykiller]

I wonder what kind of equipment was used to determine that nic is absorbed better in the mouth than in the lungs.... did they like shove a tube into someones throat so that vapor wouldnt contact the throat/mouth/nose..and be a lung only contact? and then did they test to see if that same person got more nic by only vaping into the mouth/nose and not inhale? Was the same amount of vapor used in each test and did they use the same juice/nic level? Seems one would get more vapor doing a lung inhale than just a mouth puff.... also wonder how they tested the amount of nic present in a puff and how it translated into the body? soooo many questions... but everyone has the answer... where did they get their info from.... anyone have some links to the numbers and methodology of these tests that gave the answers??

 

[Jovey]

wow, i smoked around 1 pk to 1 1/2 a day of the Marlboro lights and i'm somewhere in between 18mg and 24mg's. Started out on 24mg, but was getting headaches too much, then went down to 18mg and i seemed to chain vape more on that strength, so i mix em when filling up my tank....plus, i'm usually vaping close to 2 tanks a day....15ml tank (iclear 30b...which i don't like).

Reason i went into all that was to say congrats for you being able to start out on such a low mg of nicotine strength.

 

[Bunnykiller]

wow, i smoked around 1 pk to 1 1/2 a day of the Marlboro lights and i'm somewhere in between 18mg and 24mg's. Started out on 24mg, but was getting headaches too much, then went down to 18mg and i seemed to chain vape more on that strength, so i mix em when filling up my tank....plus, i'm usually vaping close to 2 tanks a day....15ml tank (iclear 30b...which i don't like).

Reason i went into all that was to say congrats for you being able to start out on such a low mg of nicotine strength.

I believe the 30b is a 3.5 - 4 ml tank

 

[VictorC]

Thank you for comments. The main reason I tried to calculate the intake - my bad experience with Nicorette gum, when I took (as suggested) about 20x2mg in one day and got sick.

 

[AndriaD]

Thank you for comments. The main reason I tried to calculate the intake - my bad experience with Nicorette gum, when I took (as suggested) about 20x2mg in one day and got sick.

That's a good point, and everyone is vastly different -- I was a pk a day smoker for the last 5 yrs, a 2pk a day smoker for 10 yrs before that, and a 3 pk a day smoker for a few years before that -- but all of them were ultra-lights! When I tried 18mg, I got sick as a goat. When I tried 12mg, I also got sick as a goat, it just took longer. I had to go all the way down to 6mg before I could start vaping regularly, then when I quit smoking, I had to bump it back up. When I tried the patch, many years ago, I got severe heart palpitations; so when I tried it a 2nd time, I started at the 2nd, middle level, rather than the strongest, but still got palpitations. Smoking never did that to me!

If a lower level of nicotine is what your body wants, pay no mind to all these 18mg/24mg people; apparently they need that much, but many do not. I'm currently at the highest level that I've ever vaped -- 10.5mg -- and it suits me just fine.

Andria

 

[VictorC]

Thanks Andria, I guess I stick to 3 ml x 9mg for now...a bit more, a bit less...

 

[AndriaD]

Thanks Andria, I guess I stick to 3 ml x 9mg for now...a bit more, a bit less...

I stayed at 9mg for quite a while; when I had my relapse and then got back to smoke-free, I decided maybe I'd bump it to 10mg, and it was a good level for me, it's also very easy to measure the nicotine when using 100mg nicotine in DIY. I had drifted upward to 11mg, but now drifting back downward as I gradually reduce the WTA; I'm afraid that reducing the WTA might make me vape more, so I don't wanna get nic sick. I'd like to just stay at 10mg, because of the easiness of DIY at that level.

I probably also vape about 3-4ml a day, but I'm about to get a Magma clone, so I might be using more, vaping that way, so I might need to decrease my nic level even more.

Andria

 

[Jovey]

I believe the 30b is a 3.5 - 4 ml tank

hmmmm.....well mine says on the side 10mL, 20mL and 30mL, like measurements on a measuring cup.

 

[Strings]

I think you might just not be seeing the decimal points on those measurements, Ky Girl

Where in KY? I have close BACA family in the Somerset area

 

[Bunnykiller]

hmmmm.....well mine says on the side 10mL, 20mL and 30mL, like measurements on a measuring cup.

an average sized bottle of juice is 18 ml