The Vaping Break will be a weekly installment to the Vapor Beast blog where we will discus what’s new in the vaping community, product comparisons as well as helpful information about vaping!

For our first entry I though it would be a good starting place to discuss the most basic of issues: Is vaping safe? We are not allowed to make health claims, but we invite you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.

Well, let’s talk about it:

These day’s, there is so much controversy around the Vaping industry. People are concerned and let’s face it; it’s only fair to take these concerns seriously. In the 1950’s it was common place for Dr’s to recommend smoking. Now days anti-smoking ads are enough to make anyone cringe as directors and anti-smoking legislators attempt to deter people from lethal cigarette smoking. With time comes knowledge and as more research is done on the effects of vaping the decision of why should you vape will become clearer. Until then all we can do is look at what we do know.

 Pro-smoking ad from the 1940’s.

So what do we know? Well first off, what is it we are putting in our lungs? All quality e-liquid is a blend of Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene Glycerin and Flavoring. Of course the optional ingredient is the infamous nicotine.

• Vegetable Glycerin, known as VG, is a food grade compound made from vegetables. It is a naturally, sweet thick, clear liquid. It is commonly used in lotions and beauty products as well as in food. It is a natural conditioner. When my daughter was a baby I used to mix organic VG with water in a spray bottle to condition her baby fine hair naturally.
• Propylene Glycol is also a sweet thick clear liquid that has been approved by the FDA for use as a humectant (an additive that helps keep food moist.) PG thins your e-liquid so that it is better wicked up by your clearomizer or cartomizer. It’s also It is widely used the medical field. Some people find the harshness of PG to be uncomfortable and prefer blends that contain less of it. These blends however are more likely to have trouble wicking into your heating element. Some people, especially ex-smokers, love this harsh feeling and chase a strong throat hit.
• Natural flavors, used to flavor your e-liquid are also food grade, high temperature resistance and water soluble flavorings. Flavorings which have only room temperature resistance or contain either oil or sugar are not suitable for vaping. Our ingredients are sourced in the USA and ALL flavor components have gone through 3rd party laboratory studies to make sure they are free from hazardous compounds.
• Now none of this sounds so bad. Water vapor from natural food grade products sounds relatively safe. Especially when hailed in comparison to traditional cigarettes which can contain as many as 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer.

Now that’s not to say that there is no risk here or that vaping is totally safe. We do not currently know the long term effects of inhaling VG. (Like I said before, PG has been researched and approved for inhalation.) But so far the biggest known danger to vaping is the one ingredient shared by both e-liquid and cigarettes: Nicotine.

Let us be clear, nicotine is a poison. It has been known to cause a number of ill effects on the human body. People who get nicotine poisoning often experience: stomach pain, dizziness, vomiting, confusion and other effects. When ingested, nicotine can be extremely harmful.

The idea behind vaping is to switch to vaping over cigarettes and then wean yourself down from high nicotine to low/no nicotine e-liquids. It is important to consider the factors that change when you switch from nicotine that is smoked and nicotine that is inhaled though water vapors.

Because you are much more likely to vape all day rather than smoke all day, (being able to vape anywhere any time without having to go outside and spark up a whole cigarette will make it much more likely that you will vape more often then you would normally smoke) this can often lead to you inhaling more nicotine than you would though smoking. Vaping on set ups that include dripping atomizers and Rebuildable tanks deliver more vapor, therefore more nicotine. Many people report that once they get into rebuilding coils and drawing those massive vapor clouds that everyone is chasing, they decrease the concentrate of nicotine in there liquid.

E-liquid is available in a wide assortment of strengths. Here in the cave we don’t recommend anything higher than 24mg strength liquid. Even that is higher than anyone here in the Vape Cave uses.

Most people who make the switch from smoking to vaping notice a difference in the way they feel. Most people report clearer lungs, better breathing and more energy, less coughing, food tasting better and needing less sleep.

One customer tells me, “(Since I switched to vaping,) I can run again!” Teddy, our Business Development Manager tells me, “I've never felt better and my family is so happy!”

Gio, who is in our wholesale department, and I are both non-smokers who vape. Neither him nor I feel any adverse effects from vaping. I only vape 0 mg nicotine juices, Gio chooses to use nicotine free to 8mg at most of nicotine. Gio is the kind of guy who you can find eating brown rice and chicken every two hours and spending his free time in the gym. He is not about to risk a good workout for a vape but that doesn’t seem to be a choice he has to make.

So where does that leave us? Are we choosing the lesser of two evils or is vaping truly a healthy alternative to the most deadly killer in America? Well you tell me. Do you think that vaping is safe? Do you think vaping is better for you than smoking? Has vaping helped you quit smoking? What kind of changes have you noticed in your daily life that has changed now that you are not smoking?

Leave your comments and let’s chat!

Look forward to next week: Adjustable Airflow Tanks: Aspire Nautilus vs. the Kanger Aerotank