Nowadays, almost all of us are aware of the risks associated with smoking, and with good reason! Your lungs' airways are damaged, irritated, and subjected to many diseases. Several studies over the years have shown that smoking threatens your health, making it the most significant preventable cause of death in the UK. The debate over which is healthier between vaping and smoking is frequently brought up because 12mg of nicotine in a vape kit, on average, equates to one cigarette while having a close likeness in stature and routine. It is advised that everyone who smokes quit since combustible tobacco causes such a high level of hazardous chemicals when inhaled. As a result, most people still actively smoking would wish to quit for good by finding an appropriate substitute.
We are here to give you some details about the topic. Hopefully, this blog will help you to discover which is preferable.
VAPING VS SMOKING: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
The method by which nicotine is supplied is the primary distinction between smoking and vaping. Cigarette smoking is hazardous because the combustion process has chemicals that cause cancer.
Contrarily, vaping warms the components into an aerosol known as vapor rather than burning them.
Let's first look at the parallels between smoking and vaping, then compare the contrasts in more depth.
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN VAPING AND SMOKING
The FDA classifies e-cigarettes, sometimes referred to as vapes or vaping devices, as tobacco products. The fact that the major components in e-juices are likewise found in cigarettes as additives to enhance the smoking experience is an important parallel to highlight.
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN E-JUICE?
All e-juices, also known as e-liquid or vape juice, are made up of four essential components:
- Propylene Glycol (PG)
- Vegetable Glycerin or Glycerol (VG)
- Flavoring Concentrates
- Nicotine- Because of its stimulant-like characteristics, significant risk of addiction, and deadly toxicity when consumed in high quantities or its pure form, many people compare nicotine to coffee. It also explains why e-juice bottles use childproofing to prevent unintentional nicotine overdose. You may get e-juice without nicotine, so not all contain it.
Cigarettes also contain PG and VG as an additive to prevent the tobacco from drying out. To give cigarettes a distinctive flavor, natural and artificial flavorings like chocolate and licorice are also added.
DOES NICOTINE CAUSE CANCER?
Because it is linked to cigarettes, nicotine is a problem for many people. Many people mistakenly believe that smoking causes cancer, yet nothing could be more from the truth. The scientific community, as a whole, agrees that nicotine does not cause cancer. Researchers did discover that nicotine mixed with cigarette smoke can hasten the growth of pre-existing cancers. Nicotine can thereby enhance the cancer-causing properties of cigarette smoke. Learn more in this study about the harmful effects of nicotine. Nicotine can be a dangerous chemical unless you are a professional maker or a do-it-yourselfer. But nicotine will be the least of your problems if you keep smoking.
As previously mentioned, the toxic compounds released by tobacco burns pose the main threat. Surprisingly, all the compounds listed above and the additional 500 substances used in cigarettes have FDA approval as food additives. However, burning these chemical substances paints a different picture, and some of these substances have been linked to cancer. There are about 4000 compounds in cigarette smoke, 250 of which are known to be hazardous, and at least 60 of which are carcinogenic.
WHICH IS MORE HARMFUL, E-CIGARETTES OR SMOKING?
Here are two notable research among the countless findings before we discuss the health impacts of vaping.
- A team of specialists examined 800 peer-reviewed studies for a systematic analysis of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine(NASEM).
- Another well cited study was carried out by the Public Health of England in the UK.
Now that we have a deeper understanding of what the scientific community believes, let's discuss the negative consequences of vaping on one's health and the reasons behind them.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF VAPING
As was briefly mentioned above, combustion is what makes smoking cigarettes dangerous. E-cigarettes, on the other hand, evaporate the components into a fine mist or aerosol.
HOW HARMFUL IS VAPING?
The FDA rates the four primary components of e-liquid as "Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)" for human consumption, but little is known about the effects of inhaling these compounds.
The dangerous substances emitted while vaping is likewise present in cigarette smoke. Researchers have discovered 31 potentially hazardous compounds in vapors, as opposed to the 250 recognized harmful chemicals and more than 60 cancer-causing compounds in cigarette smoke.
It's crucial to comprehend that the quantity of dangerous compounds in vapor depends on the device's power, the flavor and brand of the e-liquid, and the user's activity (puff topography).
Additionally, each vape juice will test differently due to variations in each brand's production process. Like as:
- the production environment (Contaminants)
- the purity of the ingredients (specifically when testing for NNN and NNK)
- the device used (higher wattages, wicking system, and type of coil used)
- how the user interacts with the device (Dry Hits)
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF VAPING:
1. When e-juice ingredients are broken down during vaping, harmful substances are produced.
2. FDA-approved Nicotine Inhalers advertised as NRT products also included comparable levels of toxicants (Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, and Metals) in vapor.
3. The metal coil that heats the e-juice may leach metals into the vapor.
4. Toxic chemical emissions can be found in tobacco smoke and vape aerosols.
5. Due to how the study was conducted to mimic the behavior of an actual vaper, the varied e-juices used, and the numerous vaping devices used, studies indicate conflicting results about the level of dangerous substances identified.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW:
1. The effects on long-term health are unknown (Respiratory diseases, Cardiovascular diseases, and Cancer)
2. Whether vaping contains enough dangerous substances in trace amounts to affect people's health.
Only time will tell if everyone who vapes is a participant in a giant toxicological experiment. Scientists will keep conducting new research up to that time, which will eventually determine how e-cigarette products are regulated.
Let's discuss a few of the side effects that vapers have mentioned.
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF VAPING?
The following are some adverse effects that vapers frequently report. Although not everyone experiences these symptoms, vaping at a high intensity might cause nicotine-related adverse effects.
SIDE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH NICOTINE:
- Vomiting
- nausea and vertigo
- Eye discomfort
- stomach pain
- higher blood pressure
- higher heart rate
Given that some vapers have smoked cigarettes in the past or are currently dual users, it is challenging for researchers to distinguish between the effects of vaping on the lungs. Ultimately, there is not enough data to draw any firm conclusions about the potential harm reduction of vaping on the lungs.
SECOND-HAND EXPOSURE: VAPING VS SMOKING
It is commonly known that secondhand smoke is dangerous since it raises non-smokers' chance of developing lung cancer. This is a result of the poisons and carcinogens that smokers put into the air that non-smokers inhale. No level of secondhand smoke is risk-free, and the research is unambiguous regarding its risks.
Due to the study's design, we presently have scant and conflicting science on secondhand vaporizers (chamber experiments, real-setting experiments, and observational studies).
We can't guarantee safety, but if you're outside, show courtesy to people around you by refraining from blowing vapor in their direction. Respect the laws and guidelines that prohibit vaping indoors or outdoors by abiding by them and obeying the laws that apply to you.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF VAPING?
You may have seen or heard about incidents when vaping equipment has exploded and seriously injured people. There may have been further reports of fatal e-liquid overdoses. Let's talk about the truth of these threats and how concerned you should be because these are significant problems worth looking into. When batteries are heated above their boiling point, which happens in these incidents, the internal pressure inside the battery increases until it ruptures. There are several potential causes for how this occurs. It's crucial to educate oneself about the numerous scenarios in which a vape may explode.
THE DANGERS OF E-LIQUID POISONING
Whether done intentionally or accidentally, ingesting e-liquid can poison you with nicotine and significantly impact your health. Drinking the liquid or contacting it with the skin or eyes are the two methods of ingestion. When a toddler or an infant accidentally swallows the e-liquid bottle, the actual danger arises. Even trace doses of nicotine can be lethal to young people.
Should you be concerned about ingesting or coming into contact with e-liquid-infused nicotine poisoning? If you handle the e-liquid appropriately, nicotine overdose shouldn't be a problem for adults.
To avoid negative consequences, you should run any e-liquid that has accidentally gotten on your skin through warm water immediately.
The FDA mandates that manufacturers of e-juice use appropriate child-resistant packaging. Please keep your e-juice bottle or device out of reach of youngsters and animals if you have either.
Vaping significantly better for your health
There is plenty of false information out there about the safety of vaping, and many people mistakenly believe that it is just as deadly as smoking, if not more so. The most significant advantage is that vaping is thought to be 95% healthier for you than smoking, and it works well as a quitting aid, so you're more likely to succeed in cutting down or quitting.
We all agree that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking. Start vaping now! And also visit our shop.