Smoking vs Vaping Has the debate been closed yet? Will it be closed?
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If you are asking if there has been any definitive final research done, then no. But I know for a fact that the PG I vape has been used in asthma inhalers for years. I know that VG (glycerin) has never been shown to be harmful in any way. The flavorings are stuff we eat every day. The only question is the nicotine - but I was getting the nicotine smoking anyway. I personally could care less if vaping is proven 100% safe as opposed to doing nothing - neither vaping NOR smoking. All I care about is "Is it safer than smoking?" The answer to that one seems blindingly obvious to me.
I've never seen a definitive study to tell me that tapping my forehead with a pencil is safer than banging my skull with a sledgehammer, either. Guess what? I don't think I need one.
I've never seen a definitive study to tell me that tapping my forehead with a pencil is safer than banging my skull with a sledgehammer, either. Guess what? I don't think I need one.
Nothing is 100% safe to inhale including the air in most cities. If you want to be sure that what you are inhaling is 100% safe you need to live in a bubble with pharma grade oxygen being pumped in. That said, other than the nicotine, the ingredients in eLiquid are ALL classified as "generally regarded as safe" by the FDA.
The scariest thing for me is the flavorings. They are safe for ingestion, but has anyone studied the long term effects of inhalation? For me to feel 100% safe I'd have to move to vaping unflavored. In that case, I'd rather just not vape.
Vaping is reduced harm, not total absence of harm. Nothing in life is 100% absent from harm, if I wrap my child in bubble wrap there is a chance she would smother. . .
Vaping is reduced harm, not total absence of harm. Nothing in life is 100% absent from harm, if I wrap my child in bubble wrap there is a chance she would smother. . .
It always amazes me how someone wheezing over a cigarette - which is PROVEN deadly - can demand to know if vaping has been PROVEN safe - when they probably ingested most of the common ingredients with their last dose of Niquil and then woke up to a fruity cereal or pastry.
Wow I've inhaled bit of my food before, not pleasant when you get something in your wind pipe. I know I'm getting more flavor than when I eat in my lungs, but seriously we all breath while we eat. I suspect we've been getting flavoring in our lungs for years. Just my thinking
That is 100% true. When you understand how smell works, you know there can be no other way. When you smell a fresh Apple Pie baking, it works because tiny particles from the pie crust, the apples, and the cinnamon are breaking off, flying through the air, into your nose where special fibers in your nose determine what particles are in the air as it passes through on it's way to your lungs. So there is no way for you to smell anything without the particles getting into your lungs.
Now....think about a fart.
I didn't mean that worrying about it was causing me to have wrinkles and grey hair, just in response to another post regarding nicotine being the scariest thing inhaled while vaping. . .
You'll die faster in that bubble due to oxygen toxicity, wouldn't call that safe.
Good question!!
I have also been watching for research and studies. I gotta believe that vaping is safer than analogs by orders of hundreds or thousands of times. I also believe that the research is starting in earnest due to the popularity of vaping and its success rate for quitting analogs. One of the problems is that vaping is still relatively new for most, with no real long-term history. It seems that the long-term is what 'Gets Ya' (when I think of lung cancer, COPD, black lung disease, mesothelioma / asbestiosis, and other disease) where the lungs are concerned.
A couple of other things to watch, is the involvement of 'Big Tobacco', and of course, the FDA. As BT has already made some big moves into e-cig world, they just may know some things that we do not.
Out of all the reading and researching that I have done, which, admittedly is over a short period of time so far---- going on 3 months, I have yet to read of any short-term ill effects of vaping other than reactions to PG / VG or the flavorings. And, if there ARE any other short or medium term ill effects, it would be very important and valuable for the vaping community to become informed, sooner rather than later.
I have also been watching for research and studies. I gotta believe that vaping is safer than analogs by orders of hundreds or thousands of times. I also believe that the research is starting in earnest due to the popularity of vaping and its success rate for quitting analogs. One of the problems is that vaping is still relatively new for most, with no real long-term history. It seems that the long-term is what 'Gets Ya' (when I think of lung cancer, COPD, black lung disease, mesothelioma / asbestiosis, and other disease) where the lungs are concerned.
A couple of other things to watch, is the involvement of 'Big Tobacco', and of course, the FDA. As BT has already made some big moves into e-cig world, they just may know some things that we do not.
Out of all the reading and researching that I have done, which, admittedly is over a short period of time so far---- going on 3 months, I have yet to read of any short-term ill effects of vaping other than reactions to PG / VG or the flavorings. And, if there ARE any other short or medium term ill effects, it would be very important and valuable for the vaping community to become informed, sooner rather than later.
I've been inhaling nicotine for 45 years and am still alive! On the other hand I've known people younger than I who never smoked, exercised religiously, and ate "right" die of cancer and heart attacks. While they were alive they used to tell me that I should quit smoking because they wanted me to live a long and healthy life. So, go figure...!
Most people quit smoking for health reasons meaning thay are making a decision to be healthier seems to me a rather natural question to ask.
That being said I'm quite sure vaping is safer than cigarretes but we wont know for sure until the tests are done. The FDA has stated that the ingredients other than the nicotine are safe for consumption but they were talking about eating it. There are some things that are completely safe to eat but if you inhale it it will kill you.
I'm sticking with "reduced harm" in that, until a lot more time has passed we won't have any imperial evidence at all. Heck, I have a chicken farm behind my house, imagine the quality of the air I breathe all summer!!
That is 100% true. When you understand how smell works, you know there can be no other way. When you smell a fresh Apple Pie baking, it works because tiny particles from the pie crust, the apples, and the cinnamon are breaking off, flying through the air, into your nose where special fibers in your nose determine what particles are in the air as it passes through on it's way to your lungs. So there is no way for you to smell anything without the particles getting into your lungs.
Now....think about a fart.
Aw man! I was going good with ya right up to that last line. LOL!
My lungs must be full of it by now.
It will probably take as long as it took for cigarettes to be widely accepted as deadly, for e-cigarettes to be widely accepted as being relatively safe- many decades...
The road is long, but it is a journey I'm willing to make. I walked many miles with tobacco, I can run with vaping.
Cig smoke has something like 69 PROVEN carcinogens and several thousand other chemicals. Unless there is somehow H2SO4 in Vapor there is no possible way that is it more harmful than analogs.
However for arguments sake lets look at the actual ingredients shall we:
1. Propylene Glycol - PG has been used as the aqueous-based chemical additive in asthma inhalers and nebulizers since the 1950s, with no serious side effects known. PG, because of its water-retaining properties, is the compound of choice for delivering atomized medication. It is also a common diluent for injectable medications, constituting 40 percent of the intravenous form of Phenytoin, an anti-seizure drug. The FDA includes Propylene glycol on its list of substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and it meets the requirements of acceptable compounds within Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Considering PG has been widely used for many years without serious side effects, the substance can reasonably said to be of negligible concern.
2. Vegetable Glycerine - VG is one of the most benign organic liquids known to man. It is hype-allergenic, non-carcinigeic, non teratogenic and non-mutagenic. It is metabolized quite easily by a process called beta-oxidation. This process results in the production of CO2 and H2O and is a quite normal, common, and natural catabolic process. VG is of low toxicity when injested, inhaled, or in contact with skin. The most common noted side effect of inhalation of e-liquid containing vegetable glycerin is a dry mouth, sore throat, and increased thirst. These symptoms usually last just a few days to a week as the body gets used to the vegetable glycerin.
3. Flavorings - AFAIK all flavorings used are already approved by the FDA for use in food. As I have already mentioned, you are already inhaling the flavorings every time you SMELL something made with them. Since these have been used for years, if inhalation was a problem, we would already know about it.
4. Nicotine - Since this is the primary addictive agent in analogs this is WHY most people turn to vaping instead of quitting cold turkey. It is NOT known to be a carcinogen and is found in nearly every stop smoking aid including the gum, patches, and lozenges. While not necessarily safe, it is approved by the FDA for the other stop smoking aids.
The only other possible source of safety concern for eCigs would be the materials used for wicks and the coils. Some concern has been raised as to the safety of silica wicks in that particles of fiberglass like material can potentially splinter off and get stuck in the mouth, throat, and lungs. To the best of my knowledge this has neither been proven nor disproven. >>Please correct me if I am wrong.<< This can be remedied by using cotton wick material. I do not know of any real concern raised at this time about the standard Kanthal or Nichrome based coil wires.
Bottom line, I have ZERO concerns at this point about vapor being harmful beyond any risks associated with the nicotine itself. If you are still concerned then don't vape.
However for arguments sake lets look at the actual ingredients shall we:
1. Propylene Glycol - PG has been used as the aqueous-based chemical additive in asthma inhalers and nebulizers since the 1950s, with no serious side effects known. PG, because of its water-retaining properties, is the compound of choice for delivering atomized medication. It is also a common diluent for injectable medications, constituting 40 percent of the intravenous form of Phenytoin, an anti-seizure drug. The FDA includes Propylene glycol on its list of substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and it meets the requirements of acceptable compounds within Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Considering PG has been widely used for many years without serious side effects, the substance can reasonably said to be of negligible concern.
2. Vegetable Glycerine - VG is one of the most benign organic liquids known to man. It is hype-allergenic, non-carcinigeic, non teratogenic and non-mutagenic. It is metabolized quite easily by a process called beta-oxidation. This process results in the production of CO2 and H2O and is a quite normal, common, and natural catabolic process. VG is of low toxicity when injested, inhaled, or in contact with skin. The most common noted side effect of inhalation of e-liquid containing vegetable glycerin is a dry mouth, sore throat, and increased thirst. These symptoms usually last just a few days to a week as the body gets used to the vegetable glycerin.
3. Flavorings - AFAIK all flavorings used are already approved by the FDA for use in food. As I have already mentioned, you are already inhaling the flavorings every time you SMELL something made with them. Since these have been used for years, if inhalation was a problem, we would already know about it.
4. Nicotine - Since this is the primary addictive agent in analogs this is WHY most people turn to vaping instead of quitting cold turkey. It is NOT known to be a carcinogen and is found in nearly every stop smoking aid including the gum, patches, and lozenges. While not necessarily safe, it is approved by the FDA for the other stop smoking aids.
The only other possible source of safety concern for eCigs would be the materials used for wicks and the coils. Some concern has been raised as to the safety of silica wicks in that particles of fiberglass like material can potentially splinter off and get stuck in the mouth, throat, and lungs. To the best of my knowledge this has neither been proven nor disproven. >>Please correct me if I am wrong.<< This can be remedied by using cotton wick material. I do not know of any real concern raised at this time about the standard Kanthal or Nichrome based coil wires.
Bottom line, I have ZERO concerns at this point about vapor being harmful beyond any risks associated with the nicotine itself. If you are still concerned then don't vape.
Well then here you go.
E-Cigarettes Don't Harm Heart, Study Shows
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http://clearstream.flavourart.it/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/CSA_ItaEng.pdf
That should get you started. I'm sleepy on percocet for a cavity I'm getting handled this week, so I don't have the werewithal to find more recent stuff I neglected to bookmark.
There *IS* information out there, but take it with a grain of salt. They may say there's this and that carcinogen in an e-cigarette, or this and that heavy metal in a cartomizer, but if you do a little googlefu you'll discover that the amounts listed are way below the danger threshold and often comparable to the patches and gum that the FDA and BP would rather you shell out for - and fail with.
Sure, vaping may not be as healthy as breathing pure mountain air, but the point I'm making is you almost CAN'T do worse to yourself. If you're uncomfortable with the risks, seek an alternative product. But if you've already tried and failed, you're still smoking. In that case you can use e-cigarettes to wean yourself down off of nicotine in more precise increments and quit altogether. Nobody is saying that you have to use vaping as an NRT or for harm reduction, though many of us do once we realize how much better we feel doing it.
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