The Effects of Second Hand Vapour?
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Highly unlikely.
The average human set of lungs can hold about 6 liters of air (that is max capacity, normally we don't use that much of it). This is a volume about the size of, you guessed it, Three 2-liter bottles of soda, or a gallon and a half of milk or so.
When you inhale, first and foremost your lungs absorb a lot of the nicotine (not sure how much, but a significant amount). The nicotine that's left is exhaled into the air around you, which is far more vast in volume than your lungs (A cubic foot is around 28 liters or so). Therefore, the nicotine is quickly diffused in the air surrounding you. Chances are that in order for somebody to get even a 10th of the nicotine you absorbed, you'd basically have both of your heads shoved into a garbage bag or something.
So somebody getting addicted to nicotine from second-hand e-cig smoke is very unlikely. Perhaps if a non-smoker is in a crowded room full of e-smokers they may get a slight buzz, but certainly not enough to develop an addiction to nicotine.
The average human set of lungs can hold about 6 liters of air (that is max capacity, normally we don't use that much of it). This is a volume about the size of, you guessed it, Three 2-liter bottles of soda, or a gallon and a half of milk or so.
When you inhale, first and foremost your lungs absorb a lot of the nicotine (not sure how much, but a significant amount). The nicotine that's left is exhaled into the air around you, which is far more vast in volume than your lungs (A cubic foot is around 28 liters or so). Therefore, the nicotine is quickly diffused in the air surrounding you. Chances are that in order for somebody to get even a 10th of the nicotine you absorbed, you'd basically have both of your heads shoved into a garbage bag or something.
So somebody getting addicted to nicotine from second-hand e-cig smoke is very unlikely. Perhaps if a non-smoker is in a crowded room full of e-smokers they may get a slight buzz, but certainly not enough to develop an addiction to nicotine.
I think you'll find that the greater part of the nicotine is absorbed in the soft tissues of the mouth and nasal regions, ask any pipe or cigar smoker.
Some must be absorbed in the lungs, but I'm not sure how much nicotine remains within the smoke when it's exhaled - very little I'd have thought.
Maybe someone with more specialist knowledge of the subject can answer this one?
There is some information on this excellent thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...king/1734-germ-killing-vapor-5.html#post30672 and in particular post #47 where Dr. Murray Laugesen explains
"...it [nicotine] has a low vapour pressure and in any case is virtually absent from exhaled air as absorption is 99% efficient on inhalation." (my emphasis)
This means that any exhaled vapour will have virtually zero nicotine in it.
Dr. Laugesen also points out that "inhalation via a cigarette is the fastest route for nicotine absorption, and absorption by this route is 99% complete." and "The mouth mucosa filters out 60% of the nicotine in gum, lozenges and tablets, and absorption through the mouth can take half an hour."
"...it [nicotine] has a low vapour pressure and in any case is virtually absent from exhaled air as absorption is 99% efficient on inhalation." (my emphasis)
This means that any exhaled vapour will have virtually zero nicotine in it.
Dr. Laugesen also points out that "inhalation via a cigarette is the fastest route for nicotine absorption, and absorption by this route is 99% complete." and "The mouth mucosa filters out 60% of the nicotine in gum, lozenges and tablets, and absorption through the mouth can take half an hour."
You are probably breathing in more crap from normal air borne polutants unless you live in the countryside. Think of all the cars you see every single day.
Don't think this is even remotely possible. There are lots of arguments against passive smoking, but getting addicted to nicotine was not one of them. Add this to the fact that there is very little nicotine release on exhale from an e-cig, passive addiction is not going to happen
Surprisingly, the vapor does have an odor, thankfully, I have enough different pens, and flavors, to make all happy, so far
My wife, who is ultra sensitive, loves the vapor, and being the nurse, she is, who has never inhaled, told me she gets no reaction. If there was ANY way the 2nd hand vapor from the ecig, affected her with nicotine, and I vape 24-36 mg, cause that's how I roll, I would know, by now.
She even likes the smell......unlike the ****ey kools I was smoking.
My wife, who is ultra sensitive, loves the vapor, and being the nurse, she is, who has never inhaled, told me she gets no reaction. If there was ANY way the 2nd hand vapor from the ecig, affected her with nicotine, and I vape 24-36 mg, cause that's how I roll, I would know, by now.
She even likes the smell......unlike the ****ey kools I was smoking.
it's interesting, the comments about cigar and pipe smoking.. one should note that the acidity of cigarette smoke versus the alkalinity of cigar and pipe smoke seriously effects the rate and level of uptake through the mucus membranes in the mouth nose and throat...
Cigarette smoke is more acidic than cigar smoke, and is therefor easier to inhale, but that same acidity reduces the level of absorption through the mucus membranes. The lungs absorb the nicotine just fine, and uptake is almost immediate. The 99% effective figures are consistent with everything I've seen. Mucus membrane absorption rates are in the realm of 9-15%
The alkalinity of cigar smoke makes it less pleasant to inhale, but also increases the level of absorption through the mucus membranes, however that absorption takes between 15 and 45 minutes depending on body chemistry and other variables. absorption rates are something on the level of 35-40%. If cigar smoke is inhaled, the lungs absorb the nicotine just as effectively as they do the cigarette smoke
Long story short, the reason cigarettes are more addictive has nothing to do with nicotine levels, but rather the fact that the brain recognizes the act of smoking a cigarette as the source of the nicotine, but since the cigar smoker doesn't start receiving the nicotine uptake for quite a while after he starts smoking, and continues to for a time after finishing his smoke, so the brain doesn't recognize the act of smoking as the source of the nicotine, and therefore doesn't have the same type of cravings.
Inhaling cigar smoke is common among ex-cigarette smokers, and it will likely jump start the addiction back again. A 54ring x 6" cigar can have as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes (or more, some figures for certain cigars would be more like 2-3 packs!) if you're an ex-smoker, don't expect to be able to just "have a cigar once in a while" you might be fine, but most likely, you'll find yourself with pretty serious cravings
Sorry, that has very little to do with the original posters question, but rather clarifies other things said...
Good observations, Tony, and the same science applies to the increasingly popular snus and dissolvable tobacco pieces. They are absorbed through the mucus membranes of the mouth (nasal snuff through the nasal membranes). The hit comes later, but in many cases is stronger than that received by a cigarette chain smoker. Snus can sicken -- flatten! -- a careless user.
From using a Ruyan Vegas e-cigar, I believe Ruyan is savvy about altering the PH of the cartridge liquid so that absorption in the mouth is maximized. Those who smoke it as a cigar is meant to be smoked (never inhaling) find that it satisfies over a longer period of time. The same considerations of PH level should be made for liquid used in e-pipes, but PH level is never given by liquid manufacturers (that would be helpful, folks).
Personally, I think the "hit" difference among liquids is because some acidic substance is used in the liquid. The acid creates the throat and lung "burn" coveted by some -- but not me. Manipulate the acidity and the "hit" can be manipulated. When I dilute commercial e-liquid with flavor or VG, the "hit" really falls off.
I now treat my cigar as a "dessert" and use it after supper for an hour or so, much as I would any tobacco cigar. The Janty Kissbox remains my daily go-to device.
From using a Ruyan Vegas e-cigar, I believe Ruyan is savvy about altering the PH of the cartridge liquid so that absorption in the mouth is maximized. Those who smoke it as a cigar is meant to be smoked (never inhaling) find that it satisfies over a longer period of time. The same considerations of PH level should be made for liquid used in e-pipes, but PH level is never given by liquid manufacturers (that would be helpful, folks).
Personally, I think the "hit" difference among liquids is because some acidic substance is used in the liquid. The acid creates the throat and lung "burn" coveted by some -- but not me. Manipulate the acidity and the "hit" can be manipulated. When I dilute commercial e-liquid with flavor or VG, the "hit" really falls off.
I now treat my cigar as a "dessert" and use it after supper for an hour or so, much as I would any tobacco cigar. The Janty Kissbox remains my daily go-to device.
E-cig vapor looks as if it dissolves quickly, but I don't know what really happens to it (although people to whom I asked whether they could smell anything only say that they do if I blow the smoke in their face). To me, the vapor seems heavier than smoke, as it gains less altitude than when I smoke a cigarette (at least as long as I can see it).
If that were the case, it may gather closer to the floor instead of hovering over the head of smokers. I hope that it does not turn out to be mildly intoxicating for children or pets....
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RE Nick's post, I had gathered from somewhere else in this forum that e-smoking reduces acidity in the mouth, which, if I understand the post correctly, should then increase uptake of nicotine from the soft mucous membranes in the mouth. If this is the case, is e-smoking more similar to smoking cigars or pipe than actual cigarettes, from the point of view of nicotine absorption?
If that were the case, it may gather closer to the floor instead of hovering over the head of smokers. I hope that it does not turn out to be mildly intoxicating for children or pets....
SC
RE Nick's post, I had gathered from somewhere else in this forum that e-smoking reduces acidity in the mouth, which, if I understand the post correctly, should then increase uptake of nicotine from the soft mucous membranes in the mouth. If this is the case, is e-smoking more similar to smoking cigars or pipe than actual cigarettes, from the point of view of nicotine absorption?
Another interesting observation that hasn't been posted before. Our exhaled content is said to be "water vapor" that dissipates into the humidity of the existing air. But water vapor does settle, not rise, much as fog sinks and hugs the ground. So the closer to the floor, the more exhaled material someone -- child or pet -- would be exposed to. Now, it's probably not a health problem, but it is definitely something that needs addressing before some health or government agency asks every imaginable hazard question about our practice.
Veterans like myself who got on this bus-to-an-unknown-destination last January have discovered this bus is going in a circle, where the same old stops appear and newbies step on board while some veterans say "enough" and step off. Nice to have a new observation, Schroedinger's cat. Makes the regular boring scenery more tolerable.
Veterans like myself who got on this bus-to-an-unknown-destination last January have discovered this bus is going in a circle, where the same old stops appear and newbies step on board while some veterans say "enough" and step off. Nice to have a new observation, Schroedinger's cat. Makes the regular boring scenery more tolerable.
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TB - We were probably writing at the same time, because I was also concerned about children or pets getting to breathe the vapor.... I do not have either of the above in my home (or in my office...), but it is a potential concern.
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