Vaping uncertainty

[newq]

I was reading in another thread about how sometimes vapers' encounters with traditional smokers are met with a "why not just smoke"type mentality.

This lead me to think about how I informed my coworkers and other people in my life about ecigs. In many cases I think about how I have explained to current smokers the benefits and to be honest the only thing that bothers them is the fact that the pg and vg vaping has not been studied. I explained that these compounds have other uses and even some are used as carriers. I continue to explain that no matter what it has to be better than smoking. Some people are quick to concede the conclusion and some raise their eyebrows in a show of uncertainty or disbelief.

Now comes my issue. I have no problem preaching my belief in this technology. I know it has to be better for me than the stinkys however, when asked about how safe it is compared to smoking my staple reply is, "just on common sense alone it would tell you it is safer than traditional cigarettes however, little research is available to support the theory." When you are attempting to convince someone that this is a better way uncertainty or insecurity exudes through body language and mannerism. I don't want to mislead others by telling them oh yeah... It's just water vapor... Your good! I feel on good common sense alone I can rationalize the health benefit however would love a better simple line to answer this question with a bit more confidence. How do you handle this question?

 

[MickeyRat]

I tell the truth. There's every reason to believe that vaping is safer than smoking. However, there's no data on doing it for 20 years. So, that can't be said with 100% certainty. What is certain is that smoking is hazardous to your health. The safety of vaping has yet to be fully established. If the choice is between vaping and not vaping then, the obviously safe choice is not vaping. However, if the choice is between vaping and smoking, all available evidence says that vaping is safer.

 

[Petrodus]

I don't try to SELL vaping to smokers.
99% of smokers can understand the the term "Alternative"
and most aren't really interested in a chemical analysis beyond
what is PG (same safe vapor as one would see on stage in a concert).

Any smoker who is really concerned about safety...
I tell them smoking has killed Millions and the number
of reported deaths from vaping is ZERO. I'm not "pushing"
e-cigs...Just discussing a great "Alternative" to smoking tobacco.
I also throw in my personal story about switching to e-cigs 4 years
ago and have regained everything from my taste buds to energy levels.

If at this point they are still concerned...I refer them to Google
and or the ECF...since they are obviously really not that interested
in quitting.

The more you talk about the "Science" behind vaping...
the less interested most smokers are in thinking about switching.
Vaping is NOT a complicated Scientific subject...Just something
that is NEW to many.

I have an eGo and always carry a few (sealed) blank carts, so I
can offer (those interested) in a trial. That's what most smokers
are really interested in anyway.

EDIT:

PG (Propylene Glycol): Considered generally food safe by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) – it’s mainly used in flavoring extracts, but can also be found in medicines, snow cones, cosmetics, hand soap, baby wipes, etc.

VG Vegetable Glycerin used in cakes and frostings

Why is Propylene Glycol Used in Electronic Cigarettes? One of the aspects of electronic cigarettes that make them attractive for prior users of traditional tobacco is the similar look and feel of smoke. A problem arises, however, when just vaporizing nicotine, water, and the flavoring ingredients there is no smoke (vapor) produced. As a result, Propylene Glycol (PG) is added to the mixture in order to produce a colorless vapor.

Old video ... However, its still true today



Article referenced in the video: Click Here

 

[tinajfreeman]

There is no way of knowing for sure if we will have other health issues long term (although since ecig invention in 2003, no major health issues have been reported).

However, we do know for sure that cigarettes are extremely dangerous, and most ecig users are former smokers, most of whom have not been successful quitting with other methods. I am definitely one, I smoked almost 25 years and knew how stupid it was, and tried over and over again to quit. Ecigs are the only thing that has ever truly worked for me. I just like SMOKING itself too much. Vaping is the best alternative to most of us here.

That is where the concept of "harm reduction" comes in. While we don't know it is 100% safe, we do know it is a substantial harm reduction. Even if we have only eliminated 98% of the possible health issues, that in itself is huge.

 

[sailorman]

Simple. There are no long term studies on the absolute safety of vaping. However, there is plenty of proof that at over 99% of the harmful components of cigarettes are absent in the e-cig. If you remove over 99% of the toxins in anything, it is far safer by definiton. Period. It may not be 99% safer. Maybe that remaining 0.5%+/- are very harmful, but there's no reason to believe or suspect that. But it is much safer. It could even be 99.9999% safer. You've cut your chances of smoking related illness by a lot, maybe even to less than 1/100th of what it would be in a smoker.

Look at that can of disinfectant cleaner or mouthwash. It say something like "kills over 99% of bacteria and viruses". How much "safer" is your bathroom after you kill over 99% of the bacteria and viruses? When you get a shot, the nurse swabs your skin with alcohol. Alcohol doesn't kill everything, but would you just as soon skip it?

 

[MickeyRat]

The more you talk about the "Science" behind vaping...
the less interested most smokers are in thinking about switching.
Vaping is NOT a complicated Scientific subject...Just something
that is NEW to many.

That's actually true. The non-smokers seem to be more interested in that aspect in my experience.

The smokers ask does it work? Does it have nicotine? How did you switch at first?

The non-smokers ask how does it work? What's in the vapor? What's in the juice? How do you know it's not harmful?

An astute observation Petrodus.

 

[melissafara]

I don't try to SELL vaping to smokers.
99% of smokers can understand the the term "Alternative"
and most aren't really interested in a chemical analysis beyond
what is PG (same safe vapor as one would see on stage in a concert).

Any smoker who is really concerned about safety...
I tell them smoking has killed Millions and the number
of reported deaths from vaping is ZERO. I'm not "pushing"
e-cigs...Just discussing a great "Alternative" to smoking tobacco.
I also throw in my personal story about switching to e-cigs 4 years
ago and have regained everything from my taste buds to energy levels.

If at this point they are still concerned...I refer them to Google
and or the ECF...since they are obviously really not that interested
in quitting.

The more you talk about the "Science" behind vaping...
the less interested most smokers are in thinking about switching.
Vaping is NOT a complicated Scientific subject...Just something
that is NEW to many.

I have an eGo and always carry a few (sealed) blank carts, so I
can offer (those interested) in a trial. That's what most smokers
are really interested in anyway.

EDIT:

PG (Propylene Glycol): Considered generally food safe by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) – it’s mainly used in flavoring extracts, but can also be found in medicines, snow cones, cosmetics, hand soap, baby wipes, etc.

VG Vegetable Glycerin used in cakes and frostings

Why is Propylene Glycol Used in Electronic Cigarettes? One of the aspects of electronic cigarettes that make them attractive for prior users of traditional tobacco is the similar look and feel of smoke. A problem arises, however, when just vaporizing nicotine, water, and the flavoring ingredients there is no smoke (vapor) produced. As a result, Propylene Glycol (PG) is added to the mixture in order to produce a colorless vapor.

Old video ... However, its still true today



Article referenced in the video: Click Here

Thank you so much for the video.
Very great info!

 

[Trilly]

Someone has to actually want to switch or give up for them to actually hear what is being said to them. When I first switched to vaping I would preach to anyone who would listen, now I wait till someone shows an interest simply because they are the ones most likely to listen. Non-smokers I encounter just want to clarify that what I am exhaling isn't going to harm them, this is easy to explain, I always have some of my sons meds with me along with a bottle of juice so I can show them that with the exception of nicotin, the base is similar to the incredients that are in his inhalers, after that they are more than happy to be around me.
Smokers for some reason only see that it is either fake or that the initial outlay isn't worth the hastle (they don't see the health benifits or the fact my habit costs me less than £50 a month as appose to their £200+ a month), those that do listen and ask questions are the ones that are most likely to actually try it out.
For this reason I always carry some extra cartos with me, a couple of tobacco flavour and a couple of menthol flavour, neither of which I like but I'm happy to let them try these, all of those that do are surprised by how it tastes and feels, just like the real thing.