According to a news poll by Survey Monkey and Common Sense, vaping is a part of day-to-day life, schools, real life, and social life for almost eight in every ten teens. It is popular among their peers. Among this 78%, around 33% of youth said they see their classmates vaping a few times in school. And 54% of them say that they see their schoolmates vaping monthly.
Not only social media, youths learn about vaping through several places. For instance, 44% of youth learn about vaping through someone they know. Although people believe that vaping is safer than smoking, is it?
There is no doubt that if you compare vaping and smoking, vaping is safer. However, it creates another set of issues, that is, inhaling your vapes. Not only that, most people ignore the issue of secondhand vape, which is quite similar to inhaling your vape. This article will tell you more about whether it is safe to inhale your vape and a person vaping near you.
What does Vape from Vaping Contain?
Although vaping does not produce as harsh or harmful chemicals as smoking, it does contain some pollutants. Here are some of the things found in Aerosol ( vapes from vaping).
- Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde forms when solvents, such as glycerin and propylene glycol, get heat from the vaping device. They are toxic and can cause issues, such as cancer, if consumed in heavy amounts.
- Acrolein
The formation of Acrolein is the result of heating glycerin by the coil of a vaping device. It irritates the sensitive tissues of the lungs and respiratory tract of humans.
- Benzene
This compound is also found in car exhaust. It is a sweet-smelling, colorless, and organic compound but can irritate the lungs.
- Diacetyl
Diacetyl is one of the most commonly used food additives. However, it is sometimes present in vaping fluids to give buttery and rich flavors, such as caramel and butterscotch. It has often been linked with popcorn lungs, a fatal lung disease. This disease was first seen in people working in a popcorn factory, which is present in abundance.
- Heavy Metals
Vaping devices contain coils made up of heavy metals, such as tin, nickel, and lead. After continuous use, a small amount of these metals show up in Aerosol because of regular use at high temperatures.
So, these are some of the things vapes contain. Some of these materials are harmful to the lungs and other respiratory organs. However, whether your vape contains these things or not depends on several factors. You will learn some of them through the next section.
Factors Affecting Vape Quality
For a long time, vaporizers and other e-cigarettes were unregulated. They came under purview only after 2016 under the Food and Drug Administration. Because of the lack of regulation before that, there are several distinctions between various fluid containers and devices.
Some of these variations that affect the vape are:
- Design of Device
All devices have four major components that are tank, coil, vaping juice, and battery. However, they vary in their materials, such as the metal used in heating coils and how likely they make space in an aerosol.
- Voltage
The amount of heat produced when the device is switched on affects the kind and quantity of the compounds present in an aerosol.
- E-Fluid Composition
Many compounds are present in vaping juices, such as THC, CBD, nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, etc. There are possibilities that a particular juice contains only one of these substances or the amount of any compound is more than the others. There are also differences in flavors, solvents, and additives present in juices. The type and quantity of compounds present in it directly affect the compound in the Aerosol.
All these factors widely affect the compound present in your Aerosol. Although vape is usually considered harmful, these factors determine the level of harm it can create. Another factor is your vaping pattern or place.
For instance, vaping regularly at home does not alter the quality of air to a great extent, unless someone vapes intensely at high voltage that leads to the level of formaldehyde becoming more than the limit set by OEHHA ( office of environmental health hazard assessment), Canada. On the other hand, researchers observed that the density of toxins in the air was higher in bar settings, where people are vaping together. With more people, the voltage used increased, which ultimately led to more toxic air. In some situations, the level of formaldehyde and Acrolein goes higher than the limit set by OEHHA safety standards.
So, whether you inhale your vapers or anyone else’s vapor, you are intaking a group of unwanted compounds in your lungs. The question here is what can a vape do to avoid inhaling vape or minimize the amount that goes in the lungs.
Tips for Vapers Before Vaping
If you are worried about inhaling your vapor or the effect of your vapor on others, you can follow these tips:
- Vape in an Open Area
Avoid vaping in a close area, such as a car or room. In an open area, the air diffuses readily, and you save yourself from inhaling vape. Also, the components do not get a surface to settle, which further acts as protection.
- Avoid Vaping Around Sensitive People
Here sensitive people mean people who are more prone to risks, such as children, pregnant ladies, people with allergies, and people with lung diseases. So, avoid vaping around them as Aerosol affects them more than ordinary people.
- Go for No-or-Low Nicotine Vape Juices
The amount of nicotine is inversely proportional to the harmful effect of Aerosol. That means the less nicotine in vape juice, the safer it is for you and the people around you.
If you are vaping as an escape from smoking, you might fail to stop using nicotine in one go but you can gradually reduce the amount.
- Look for Vapourizers with Low Voltage
Since the temperature of your vaporizer affects the quality and quantity of compounds, you should look for devices that work in low temperatures.
So, these tips can help in safe vaping.
Conclusion
Vaping is a safe option but, inhaling your vape can make it a not so desirable one. Also, vaping is a comparatively new technique. The long-term effect of inhaling vape is under investigation. Until that, you can create a safe vaping place for yourself and others by following safety tips.
