As the world waits for more scientific information about the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes, new findings show that vapers should be cautious about the voltage of their devices as they vape. This is because a group of researchers discovered that vaping at high voltages resulted in the production of formaldehyde due to the heating of the PG in the e-juice. Users should therefore be cautious about ramping up the voltage to the limits of their devices. The research has attracted debate regarding the practicality of vaping at the voltage levels used in the study since such high levels can make vaping unpleasant. Don’t wait for the scientific community to reach a consensus on the matter. After all, there is agreement that vaping isn’t entirely risk-free, so keep your voltage as low as possible in order to reduce that potential risk to a lower degree.
Tag: Medical
Vaping Poses No Air Quality Issues, Study Finds
It is likely to become harder for detractors of electronic cigarettes to come up with any claims which they can use to discredit vaping. Information keeps coming to light showing the numerous benefits of vaping, or disproving claims of harm against these devices. The latest research published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research established that the vapor exhaled as one is using an electronic cigarette dissipates or evaporates within seconds after it has been discharged from the mouth or nose. The air returned to what it was before the aerosol was exhaled. This also applied in closed environments without any ventilation. These findings contrast with a comparison which found that smoking combustible cigarettes leaves smoke particles to linger for nearly an hour. Vaping is therefore a better option from a public health perspective since these findings show that indoor air quality will hardly be affected by the presence of someone vaping. Isn’t it time to stop looking at vapers in the same way that smokers are viewed?
Vape Flavors Key in Luring Smokers to Switch, Study Finds
Research that has been recently published in Harm Reduction Journal shows that the majority of the people who have made the switch from smoking to vaping preferred non-tobacco flavors. First-time buyers of e-cigs who opted for non-tobacco flavors increased from 18% in 2011 to more than 34% in 2016. These findings raise questions about the motivation behind the recent moves by some states, such as San Francisco, to ban non-tobacco flavors under the doubtable belief that such flavors appeal to kids and get them hooked on nicotine. The research also raises questions about the seriousness of the desire to reduce combustible cigarette use. This is because clamping down on non-tobacco flavors may prevent those who would have switched to e-cigs from doing so and continuing to smoke tobacco cigarettes. Get the details of the research findings and learn how important fruit flavors and dessert/pastry flavors are in getting people to switch to vaping.
Vaping and Incentives Can Increase Quit Rates
Researchers have been trying to find how more people can be encouraged to stop smoking combustible cigarettes and either switch to less harmful products, such as e-cigs, or stop consuming products with nicotine. A study used employees from 54 US-based companies to assess which combination of methods would achieve the highest cessation rates. It was discovered that combining the use of e-cigarettes with a monetary incentive (in case a research subject abstained from smoking for a specified duration) produced the highest quit rates when compared to the other combinations of aids to smoking cessation. Read the full study in order to learn how you can design a system to help your employees to quit smoking.
Vaping Harmless to Gut Bacteria, Study Finds
More positive information is coming to light regarding the long-term benefits of vaping upon the health of electronic cigarette users. A recent study sought to compare the gut bacteria of smokers, vapers and non-smokers. The study discovered that smokers had more “bad” bacteria in the fecal, saliva and mouth samples taken by the Newcastle University researchers. Such bad bacteria predisposes smokers to obesity, Crohn’s disease and colon cancer (among other diseases). Vapers had gut bacteria which was similar to what was found in the gut of non-smokers. These findings provide an additional reason for smokers to switch to e-cigarettes in order to reduce the public health impact of combustible cigarettes. Read the full story and learn more about this new discovery on the benefits of vaping.
Study Finds Some Flavors Can Reduce Free Radicals During Vaping
The scientific community agrees that electronic cigarettes are safer (95% less harmful) than tobacco cigarettes. The remaining 5% potential for harm is what has researchers and regulators divided on whether to promote vaping or ban it outright. Now new research has shown that something can be done to reduce some of the harm which can be caused by vaping. Researchers have discovered that some flavorings, such as vanilla, can reduce the volume of free radicals (reactive molecules which may damage normal cells) which are formed when e-liquid is aerosolized during the process of vaping. Such findings show that a lot of public health benefits can be achieved if concerted effort is directed towards helping the relatively young electronic cigarette industry to reach its full potential. Read the full article and discover what else the researchers found during the study.
Panel Concludes Vaping Could Be Addictive and a Smoking Gateway
A panel of public health professionals taken from across the US issued a report that concluded that vaping e-liquids containing nicotine could be addictive and may increase the likelihood that teenagers who use e-cigs can later start smoking traditional cigarettes. However, the devil is always in the details. The report of the panel admits that it wasn’t clear whether vaping simply created a need to try tobacco cigarettes or it fueled an urge to smoke. What isn’t strange is that people who vape can get addicted. Nicotine is addictive, so anyone consuming it is likely to get addicted at some point. The panel pointed out some gaps that called for further research, such as the long-term health effects of vaping. Their findings confirmed what has always been stated that vaping is safer than smoking traditional cigarettes. What remains to be seen is how the FDA will use the findings of this panel as it formulates policies and regulations affecting the vaping community.
Vaping Is Beneficial to Respiratory Disease Sufferers
In the past, general statements have been made about how using electronic cigarettes could be beneficial to people who smoke combustible cigarettes. Details are now emerging about how specific groups of smokers can benefit from e-cigs. One such group is the people with chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD) and those with asthma. Speaking at Massey University in New Zealand, Professor Polosa revealed that his research has established that sufferers of those two conditions have had the adverse effects of smoking gradually reversed. He therefore finds it unacceptable that some health authorities still maintain a hostile stance towards electronic cigarettes. As more information filters in about vaping, it is becoming increasingly clear that nearly every smoker can have his or her health improve by switching to e-cigarettes.
Swapping Electronic Cigarettes for Tobacco Cigarettes Can Save Millions
Tobacco control groups have for long suggested that effective strategies should be found to end tobacco use once and for all. However, it has been hard to agree on a single strategy that can deliver the desired outcomes quickly. Scientists have now developed a model that projects what would happen in case smokers switched to vaping over a 10-year duration. Don’t rush to dismiss their findings as mere guesswork. The study or model used statistics from numerous government departments in the US regarding the rates at which people take up smoking, the quit rates, the rates of those who never quit smoking and those whose life ends due to smoking-related conditions.
The outcomes paint a detailed picture of how much harm or death would be prevented if the optimistic projection is real, and what would happen if the worse-case scenario occurs regarding switching to vaping. Both scenarios show that millions of lives would still be saved and people would have a better quality of life when you consider the public health implications of switching to vaping (fewer hospitalizations due to secondhand smoke, for example). The study is worth reading if you are concerned about the policy direction that e-cig and tobacco regulation is taking.
Electronic Cigarette Vapor May Cause Birth Defects
Some people may not understand the full implication of the statement “electronic cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes”. Many, including pregnant women, assume that it is safe for them to vape. However, new research conducted on African clawed frogs has shown that a number of birth defects can result from the exposure of an embryo to e-liquid aerosol. The researchers observed that craniofacial defects, such as poorly formed facial bones, resulted from exposure to the e-liquid aerosol. These effects appeared to be more pronounced if the concentration of nicotine in the e-fluid was high. Expectant mothers would therefore be well advised to reduce vaping as much as possible so that they reduce the likelihood of the unborn child being affected by the contents of the aerosol that is inhaled. Further research is also needed to isolate the specific e-liquid ingredients that are responsible for those birth defects.