Vaping is generally considered somewhat healthier than traditional cigarettes smoking. But, the fact that you do not coat lungs with carcinogenic tar when you vape doesn’t make it a completely healthy practice. According to experts, the aerosol that a person inhales even when they use the best vape juice has ultrafine particles and harmful chemicals that go to their lungs.
Among the things that are found in electronic cigarette vapors include diacetyle, nickel, benzene, lead, and tin. Nevertheless, scientists are yet to determine the health effects that these e-cigarette chemicals can have on the human body and their reaction when intense heat turns them into aerosol. Additionally, most vape juice flavors (get more info here) contain nicotine. This is an addictive substance regardless of how a person takes it.
When a person vapes or uses an e-cigarette, the exhaled vapors do not disappear magically. They remain inside the room or the surrounding for a while. This implies that inhalation of secondhand vapors or passive smoking is possible. What’s more, secondhand vapors may not be healthy for everyone to breathe, particularly young children.
The Confusion
The newness of e-cigarettes and vape juices are some of the things that are causing the confusion. What’s more, proponents of vaping argue that when a person uses e-cigarette, they do not burn anything. Therefore, no smoke is produced. Absence of tobacco smoke implies that there cannot be passive smoking or secondhand smoke when a person vapes. Thus, people shouldn’t be worried about passive smoking when it comes to vaping.
However, the biggest concern when it comes to secondhand vaping is the exhaled vapor. It is possible for the exhaled vapor to be deposited on the surfaces and eventually enter the bodies of non-vapers. This leads to health worries among people that do not smoke or vape as well as the agencies that are responsible for regulating smoking and vaping.
Contradicting Studies
This confusion has led researchers into studying vaping and the possibility of passive vaping. Essentially, several studies have been conducted with an aim of determining whether secondhand vapes are dangerous. Some media reports have shown that a section of scientists has reported that secondhand vapor is safe. Others argue that vaping impairs the quality of indoor air by depositing harmful substance particles.
According to one study that was published in the Public Library of Science, researchers found no apparent difference in terms of distribution of weekly mean particle between the 43 homes that reported e-cigarette usage and homes that didn’t report e-cigarette usage. Essentially, the researchers suggested that there is no difference between vaping indoors and not vaping indoors. Air quality does not change and other people or non-vapers are not at the risk of second hand vaping.
The International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health published another study that presents different findings. According to this study, using e-cigarettes in a room that is thoroughly ventilated contributes to a 2.4-fold aluminum increase and 20% increase in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as a substantial overall increase in pollutants.
Nevertheless, the abstract of this study indicated that only a small sample of nine volunteers was tested after 6 vaping sessions. What’s more, the study does not reveal more details of the used methodology, the vaping devices used, and the nicotine concentration of the used e-cig juice. It also doesn’t reveal whether the volunteers engaged in dry puff vaping or not.
Changing Vaping Rules
Following the contradictions in the recent studies on vaping, rules that govern vaping have been changing over the years. For instance, passengers are not allowed to vape on trains and planes. In the past, several train stations and companies allowed people to vape. However, majority of them have banned the practice. The argument that some of them have used to justify their move to ban vaping on their platforms is that e-cigarettes unsettle other passengers or make people think that they allow smoking of real cigarettes.
Others base their decision on the fact that no conclusive study has proven the safety of secondhand vapes on babies, children and pregnant women. In fact, studies on this topic are ongoing. Therefore, many airlines do not allow passengers to vape during flights.
UK has also banned vaping on buses. Actually, e-cigarettes are not allowed on underground services in London. Drivers risk facing fines or losing licenses if they are caught using e-cigarettes while driving. Some employers in England have also banned workplace vaping.
Passive Vapes Well-Tolerated
Although researchers are yet to ascertain that secondhand vapes are totally harmless, a report by BBC news indicates that e-cigarettes are up to 95% less harmful. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not produce the harmful tobacco smoke. Thus, they don’t pose a greater risk of secondhand or passive smoking like conventional cigarettes.
Although research into this field is ongoing, it’s apparently clear that the nicotine that is released by e-cigarettes is of a negligible amount. What’s more, there is a limited evidence to suggest the risk of passive vaping on other people.
Basically, the Food and Drug Administration has established that vape liquid contains toxins’ traces. However, another study has reassured that e-cigs are well tolerated. Public Health Charity Action on Smoking and Health has also been cautiously optimistic by concluding that the evidence of the harmful effects that repeated propylene glycol exposure has is little.
The Bottom Line
Currently, no study has conclusively established a connection between vaping aerosol and its negative health effects. Aerosol is the secondhand vapor or what most people call vape smoke. Some studies have concluded that there are no dangers posed to non-vapers by people that vape around them. Thus, bystanders should not be concerned about passive vaping because it is a non-issue.
On the other hand, some studies have reported that secondhand vapor might be harmful to non-vapers. These studies have reported increased nicotine, 1 and 2 propanediol, aluminum, glycerin, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This raises concerns of passive vaping especially among children.
As such, when kids are exposed to secondhand vapes, they may develop accidental addiction to nicotine, mood disorders, and low impulsive control. Their brain development can also be affected negatively because nicotine can alter the formation of brains synapses.
In a nutshell, there is no conclusive evidence to proof the existence or non-existence of the dangers of passive vaping.
About the author:
Margaret Wilson, a blogger who writes about the healthy way of life (healthy food, sports, motivation etc.)
Now she studies vaping as an alternative for people who are struggling with smoking.
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