Page 108 - Cityview May-June 2017

WELLNESS SPOTLIGHT
Health
Vaping is inhaling and exhaling the vapor produced by any electronic cigarette, with heated and vaporized fluid substituting for the smoke
that results from burning tobacco. Electronic cigarettes came into the picture in 2003—not much is known about the long-term effects of using them. This lack of information has
led many consumers to make their own assumptions about the supposed health benefits of vaping, since users are not inhaling the same carcinogenic and dangerous chemicals found in conventional cigarettes. Numerous smokers have been making the leap from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes in the last fourteen years in hopes of getting at least a partial benefit from quitting smoking. With many different types of vaping products available to the public, each could have potentially different health effects.
Dr. William P. Powers, a pulmonologist at UT Medical Center, stresses that “although vaping is a
small victory in terms of quitting tobacco, there is still much that is unknown about it.” These unknowns raise many concerns for Powers, and
he “would much rather see people using conventional nicotine replacements” such as nicotine patches or gums. His biggest issue is the lack of long-term data to support the idea that vaping
is in any way healthier than smoking cigarettes, especially considering
that not that long ago cigarettes were thought to be healthy
themselves. “Vaporizers
use the combustion of
heavy metals, which
can be carcinogenic in
itself,” and “the juices
vary from box to box,
Throat Kick Lower Viscosity Enhanced Flavour
making it difficult to know what you’re inhaling.”
The material consumed in a vaporizer, known in the industry as vape juice,
is made up of four main ingredients: Propylene Glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerin (VG), flavoring distilled
in water, and nicotine (though the addictive chemical may be omitted
in certain juices). PG and VG turn to vapor when heated; they provide both flavor and mouth/throat sensations, depending on the amounts of each
used in a particular juice. For example, PG provides a harsher feeling in the throat comparable to that of regular cigarettes; it also carries flavor in a
more effective manner than VG. PG
also gives off less smoke and thus produces a smaller cloud of vapor when combusted; therefore, juices with higher concentrations of PG are suggested
for use in public places. VG gives a smoother throat-feel, concentrating sensation in the mouth, but does not transmit flavor as well. Juices with higher concentrations of VG produce denser clouds of vapor when combusted.
prefer VG. Cloud chasing competitions are growing in popularity in vape culture.
Since PG and VG are the two most significant components of vape juice,
it is important to know what they
are and if they are harmful. A study
by the British Industrial Biological Research Association gave 60 lab rats daily doses of Propylene Glycol for two years, with research finding no effect
on mortality or carcinogenic potential.
It should be noted, however, that these tests were done by feeding rather than forcing the inhalation of smoke from
the superheated material, as occurs
in the process of vaping. Similar tests have been done on rats using Vegetable Glycerin yielding the same results, but again without testing the effects of inhalation. For ingestion, the FDA has deemed both ingredients as generally safe, an assertion that can be misleading to the consumer of e-cigarettes. It does not necessarily mean that inhaling the vapor from combusted PG and VG is without long-term effects. Therefore, it is unknown whether vaping is significantly safer than smoking cigarettes. And, while the FDA has said that PG and VG are at least somewhat safe, it should be noted that e-cigs are not currently regulated by the FDA. Most evidence of their safety
is anecdotal, as electronic cigarettes
have not been around long enough for the scientific community and public to ascertain what potential dangers these
Sweet Taste Huge Vape Clouds Lung Kick
A style of vaping called “cloud chasing,” where the user tries to create the densest smoke cloud possible, has been popularized by smokers who
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PG
Propylene Glycerin
VG
Vegetable Glycerin