Jan 30, 2019

The truth about e-cigarettes and vaping

Are e-cigs safer than conventional cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs, e-hookas or vape pens, are now the most popular nicotine-related product among youth, with an estimated 3 million of teens vaping in the US only. With a drop in the number of American adults smoking cigarettes, from 42.4 % to 15.1% in 50 years, the e-cigs phenomenon is often accompanied by ignorance and urban legends.

What are e-cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes are battery operated devices that function as nicotine delivery systems. They usually contain nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals. Easily available in different designs, they all operate in a similar manner. They often include a cartridge that contains e-liquid, a heating element, a power source and a mouthpiece. Puffing activates the heating device and vaporizes the e-liquid that can be inhaled.

How safe is vapor smoking?

Vaping is generally considered safer than smoking conventional cigarettes and e-cigs are sometimes seen as an halfway tool to quit smoking. As a matter of fact, there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence to support the use of vaping as a smoking cessation method, but there have not actually been any serious scientific studies about this topic. Even when not used as quitting aids, e-cigarettes are usually perceived as almost innocuous. So, how harmful are e-cigarettes? With regular cigarettes, the combustion of tobacco starts a chemical reaction that creates smoke full of thousands of chemicals and more than 20 carcinogens (chemicals that can cause cancer): nicotine, arsenic, ammonia, benzene, carbon monoxide just to name a few. Vaping, on the other hand, doesn’t need combustion, but you will still be able to find a handful of harmful chemicals in e-cigs vapor:

Nicotine
Propylene Glycol
Nitrosamines
Acetaldheyde
Vegetable Glycerin
Formaldehyde

Even if recent rumors state that e-cigarettes are 10 times more carcinogenic than normal cigarettes, electronic ones are clearly safer than conventional cigarettes, according to some studies at least to 95% safer. Nevertheless, they are still harmful devices.

Is passive vaping harmful?

This topic generates even more confusion. Second-hand vaping is usually considered not harmful but facts say otherwise. Who spends more than 3 hours per day in environments where vaping is allowed is exposed to unhealthy levels of formaldehyde, which is a dangerous carcinogen. Air purifiers for vaping may represent the best solution to get rid of of the harmful chemicals generated by e-cigarettes vapors. BRID will destroy the formaldehyde produced by your vaper roommate, while also taking care of the pungent flavored smell of most e-cigs.