Vaping has been around for a long time, but there has been a lot of debate, especially recently, regarding the safety of vaping. Today, I am going to explain if vaping is really safe or not.
The Recent Vaping Deaths
One of the main reasons behind the recent discussion over vaping safety is the vaping deaths that occured in summer 2019. This put a lot of fear into people, with some countries even proposing a flavour ban. The deaths were later discovered to be down to illicit vape products containing high amounts of THC (the hallucinogen found in marijuana).
These products are illegal and were bought off the black market. This mainly affected the US, since the UK and Europe's vape products are heavily regulated to ensure that no illegal products are sold.
Vaping vs. Smoking
The majority of the world's vapers are former smokers who choose vaping as the safer way to get nicotine. Smoking is known to cause about 480,000 deaths each year, the largest preventable cause of death, while vaping has hardly killed anyone, and even when they have, it's due to bootleg products. This is attributed to the tar in tobacco, which can cause blood clots, respiratory problems and even cancer. E-Cigarettes do not contain tar or other dangerous carcinogens, which makes it a safer choice.
Public Health England has urged smokers to turn to vaping to assist with the chances of quitting, however they advise people that have never smoked to not consider vaping.
Nicotine
One of the main reasons people don't trust e-cigarettes is the nicotine.
Nicotine is believed to cause cancer or heart disease, however, nicotine is not the cancer-causing component of cigarettes,it is the tar that causes it. People have assumed for years that nicotine is the dangerous part of smoking, so vaping wasn't used as it was considered to be still harmful.
Although it does not induce such diseases, smoking is still addictive. The degree of addiction is dependant on how the nicotine is consumed. Smoking provides a quicker impact for the user, rising the addiction, while vaping gives a slower hit. You can feel lightheaded, dizzy and even jittery when you overdo it with the nicotine.
Battery Safety
Before the vaping deaths in the US, there were other vaping deaths, but these were due to the device exploding rather than due to the e-liquids. This is because of the battery in the device which, like with other devices, can explode when exposed to extreme heat.
Most kits are regulated, meaning the battery is safe and is almost certain to not explode. Be aware, however, of how you install the battery and how hot the device gets, as these are the main causes of battery faults.
Allergies
The only known allergy relating to vaping is an allergy to Propylene Glycol. While with a food allergy, you can just not eat the food, vapers may need the nicotine, so they can't stop vaping. You can, however, get pure VG e-liquids, which will contain only traces of PG.
Food allergies will not occur with e-liquids. While people may be allergic to peanuts, a peanut butter flavoured e-liquid would not affect the allergies, since only the flavouring is used and not the product itself. E-Liquids can contain traces of nuts, however, so people with nut allergies should be careful.
Children
Thanks to the TPD laws, vape products are only allowed in the UK to people over the age of 18. Vape shops and vape websites, including this one, run a strict age verification policy to ensure that children are not harmed by vapes.
If swallowed by a child, the nicotine in e-liquids can be very toxic. Only a spoonful of ingestion may cause nausea, strokes and may even put a child in a coma. E-Liquid bottles generally come with a childproof cap to avoid this happening, but it is best to be careful when around children.
There is still research into how safe vaping really is, but it has been proven to be 95% healthier than smoking. Smokers are advised to try vaping as a way to lean off the smoking habit, but non-smokers are advised, if they do vape, to use a low nicotine strength. Stay Moreish!
