Vape Safety Overview
“Isn’t vaping just as bad as smoking?”
Recent studies by the British Medical Association show that vaping is actually 95% less harmful than smoking. The key difference between the two is how each substance is created and consumed, as well as what is in the substance you inhale.
The FDA have found that cigarettes contain over 7,000 different chemicals, 70 of which we know are directly linked to cancer. Vaping eliminates the tar, carbon monoxide and thousands of other harmful chemicals that are found in cigarettes. In fact, our own NHS supports the use of vaping as an alternative to smoking, and a method to stop. Officially, the NHS guidance states that “..Vaping is far less harmful than smoking.”, and is an incredibly useful tool to help people quit tobacco.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/
“We don’t know what's in e-liquid, so how do we know it’s safe?”
We actually do know exactly what is in our vaping products. E-Liquid is made from two main base ingredients, Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine (PG / VG). From here, it is mixed with food grade flavourings, and nicotine if you choose to have any. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, but the NHS states that it is relatively harmless, much like caffeine. That’s why nicotine replacement therapies, such as vaping, are such a great alternative to smoking.
This is because you’re still satisfying the craving, but you can lower the dose of nicotine in your e-liquid over time, slowly weaning yourself away from the cravings. Not all e-liquids contain nicotine, so eventually you can even go completely nicotine free.
The UK is one of the strictest and most regulated countries in the world when it comes to vaping. And that’s actually a good thing, it ensures that all vaping manufacturers are heavily regulated and liquids are tested before being sold.
"What is popcorn lung? Is it a side effect of vaping?"
Popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans) was a health scare massively publicised in the media a few years ago, which has since been debunked. It is a type of lung disease, not related to cancer or even vaping at all.
The term ‘popcorn lung’ was coined after workers in a popcorn factory contracted the very rare disease. They have since found that this was caused by a chemical known as diacetyl, which was found in the butter flavourings used in the factory. Diacetyl is safe to eat, but harmful when inhaled in large amounts.
A US study found small amounts of the chemical in 39 e-liquids. This is where the idea that vaping can cause popcorn lung came from. However, it was in such small amounts that there was no evidence to suggest it was at harmful levels. Use of diacetyl in all vaping products was banned in 2016 in the UK, under the new TPD laws. Read more on TPD laws and what they mean for vapers below.
As of today, there is still no evidence to suggest that popcorn lung is at all related to vaping.
“Is vaping expensive? How does it compare to the cost of smoking?”
It’s no secret at this point that vaping not only is much better for your health, but also is much more cost efficient than smoking.
It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much each individual will save overall, as everyone will use different brands at different price points, and some will use more liquid/coils than others. But let's say for example, you were smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes at £12.98 per day. This equates to £4,737.70 per year.
Now let’s compare that to the cost of vaping. Your initial set up cost can be as little or as much as you’d like. Our starter kits begin at just £12.98, roughly the cost of a pack of cigarettes. So let’s say for this example you spend £25 on a new mid-range vape kit, a pack of coils at £11.99 and 3 bottles of eliquid at £10.00. From this initial cost of £46.99, the only recurring cost to consider is buying pods/coils and liquids. Using 3 bottles of e-liquid per week, and 1 pack of coils per month, this amounts to just £663.88 per year. You may end up spending more or less than this estimate, but either way it’s clear how much cheaper vaping is compared to smoking.
"What about second hand vapor? Is that harmful to others?"
Again this is a very common question, and it’s mainly because of the close social links between smoking and vaping. We know second hand smoke is harmful, and others can inhale the tar and other chemicals when inhaling secondhand smoke. But this is absolutely not the case with vapour. Cancer Research UK interviewed Dr Andy McEwen, executive director of the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, who had this to say about second hand vapour:
“..there’s no evidence that second-hand e-cigarette vapour is dangerous to others. Some studies have found traces of toxic chemicals in second-hand vapour, but at such low levels that they’re not harmful to those around you.” - Dr Andy McEwen
“I still have concerns..”
With everything that is said about vaping in the public, and in the media, having concerns and reservations is completely normal.
There is a fantastic documentary about vaping available for free on YouTube called ‘Vaping Demystified’, made by Yorkshire Cancer Research. It answers a lot of concerns that new vapers may have. It’s about 30 minutes long, and I would highly recommend anyone with concerns about vaping to watch it.
Watch the documentary below:
If you have any other concerns about vaping, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re a company run by humans, and are more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
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