Is Vaping Safer Than Smoking?
We all know that smoking is bad for your health. For years, smoking has been linked to lung disease, cancer, respiratory failure, heart disease and several other ailments. In short, people should not be smoking, and they take a risk every time they light up a cigarette.
It’s not a habit that a person wants to form.
But, vaping has been introduced and touted as a “healthier” alternative to traditional cigarettes. We’re going to take a look at the research and findings to provide you with an intellectual and authoritative look at smoking versus vaping.
Is Vaping Safe?
Vaping is safer due to the formulation used in the oils, waxes or herbs. For example, a vaporizer allows for nicotine to be optional and is tar-free. What we know is that tar settles in the lungs. What happens, is that combusted particles produced by the burning of tobacco will cause resinous.
This resinous or tar is toxic and will damage the smoker’s lungs.
The more the smoker smokes, the more tar build up will occur in the lungs. And, this tar will also cause damage to:
- Teeth
- Gums
- Tastebuds
However, this does not mean that vaping is completely harmless. Any time a substance enters your body, it may be harmful. Research provided by one UK company demonstrated that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking a cigarette.
Electronic cigarettes can also help a person overcome nicotine addiction.
Since there is no burning or smoke involved, electronic cigarettes are inherently healthier for you. Research conducted by Penn State University shows that the combustion of a cigarette results in over 7,000 chemicals entering your body. Many of these chemicals are very bad for your health.
Electronic cigarettes do not result in these chemicals entering the body. You’ll be exposed to four or five ingredients rather than 7,000.
Research is still ongoing on the overall safety of electronic cigarettes, with no conclusions as of yet due to the relative newness of electronic cigarettes.
Dangers of Vaping and Vaping Health Risks
The biggest question that researchers, parents and users have is: “what is the danger of vaping?” The health risks are still being studied. As mentioned earlier, this is still a relatively new field with a lot of research that needs to be conducted to determine the actual dangers that may exist.
[alert-announce]What we can gather from information provided is that vaping is far less harmful than cigarettes – that is a certainty.[/alert-announce]
However, we do have to note that there is a possibility of the chemicals in the vapor causing side effects.
For example, studies have been conducted on vapor that includes nicotine. While combustion may not occur, this nicotine can become addictive, resulting in an addiction much like with cigarettes.
And, depending on the actual vapor used, lung damage can occur if inhaled.
Note: Studies are ongoing to determine the health risks and dangers electronic cigarettes.
Vaping vs Smoking
We’re going to take a hard look at vaping versus smoking to determine e-cigarette safety. You already know some of the benefits that you’ll achieve by switching to a vaporizer. But, we want to point out all of these benefits in an easy-to-read matter.
Smoking Cigarettes
- Smoking releases 7,000 chemicals into the body.
- Traditional cigarettes contain nicotine.
- Secondhand smoke poses a risk to anyone in the vicinity of the smoke.
- Combustion of nicotine will result in tar entering the lungs.
- Cigarettes are highly addictive.
Vaping
- Vaping concentrate only includes 2 – 6 ingredients.
- Concentrates come with nicotine or without nicotine.
- There is no secondhand smoke.
- Tar buildup is not a factor with vaporizers.
- Concentrates that do not include nicotine are not addictive.
When people smoke cigarettes, they have no idea what chemicals or ingredients are included. This is a major concern, especially when many of these ingredients become toxic to the body when burned.
E-juice uses concentrates that include no other additives, and normally are divided into four different categories:
- Vegetable glycerin accounts for 80% to 90% of the ingredients. This is what will carry the flavor of the vapor.
- Flavor additives account for 10% to 20% of the ingredients. This may include essential oils or food grade flavorings.
- If nicotine is included, this will count for 0% to 2.5% of the ingredients included.
- Distilled water may be included to dilute the concentrate, allowing for proper vapor to be produced.
If you want to avoid the bad side effects of smoking altogether, we recommend choosing a concentrate that does not include nicotine. Nicotine is one of the most significant ingredients found in cigarettes that does not provide any health benefits. When used over a long period of time, nicotine can cause the following long-term side effects:
- Increased blood clotting.
- Bronchospasm’s in the lungs.
- Heartburn, nausea and dry mouth.
- Pain in the joints.
- Headaches, irritability, dizziness and sleep disturbances.
- Your heart rate will increase and blood pressure levels will increase. Constriction of coronary arteries can occur.
- The endocrine system will also be affected, with insulin resistant noted in studies.
Initial studies indicate that vaporizers do not pose the same side effects even when used in the long-term. Instead, vaporizers are in the same category as nicotine gum or patches wherein they do not pose the same level of risk.
But, it is safer to avoid any nicotine concentrates when possible.
Tens of thousands of people have used e cig mods to overcome their cigarette addiction. When compared to cigarettes, vaporizing is far healthier and provides fewer health risks to the user. This has allowed the industry to start booming with the introduction of e pens, desktop vaporizers and other products.
We also forgot to mention that when compared in price, vaporizing as far cheaper than smoking – it’s a fact. You won’t break the bank, and you’ll enjoy a healthier alternative to smoking. What can be better?
Vaping Pros and Cons
We provided you with a lot of information, and demonstrated that vaping is far superior to smoking in terms of your overall health and costs.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of to summarize and reinforce the superiority of vaping.
Pros
- E-cigarettes produce less carcinogens than traditional cigarettes. The normal cigarette produces between 4000 and 7000 chemicals during the combustion process. Since no combustion occurs when vaporizing, only 2 to 6 ingredients are inhaled.
- Multiple studies and surveys have shown that E cigarettes are effective as a smoking cessation aid. A study out of New Zealand even suggests that e-cigarette are as effective as nicotine patches to help the person quit smoking.
- E cigarettes are more socially acceptable. There is no lingering smoke smell, and secondhand effects are nonexistent with a vaporizer.
- Unpleasant odors, teeth staining and staining of the fingernails does not occur with vapor.
- In terms of cost, vaping costs 40% less than traditional cigarettes.
Cons
- Nicotine in itself is still addictive. When concentrates contain nicotine, they will still have the same effect on the brain, causing addiction to occur.
- The industry is currently unregulated with many products not subject to FDA approval.
- Being a new industry, there are still a lot of studies that need to be conducted to determine the health risks and hazards of vaporizing.
- E-cigarette ads reach 50% of children aged 12 to 17 years. This causes concern for many scientists and health officials as nicotine-based concentrates are still addictive.
There’s also the chance that the habit of smoking is formed whether with nicotine or not. A good example of this is a smoker that must keep something between their fingers to simulate the action of smoking. For example, a smoker that is trying to quit will often hold a pencil between their fingers or chew on a straw because it’s a simulated experience of smoking.
Researchers believe that vaporizing produces a similar addictive behavior to form.
But, when nicotine is not present, the cravings will not exist and the harmful side effects are far less potent. In general, vaping is superior in every way to smoking. Regardless of the research viewed, all studies are conclusive on the evidence that vaporizers are far less harmful to the smoker than traditional cigarettes.
Anyone that is trying to stop smoking should also attempt to use electronic cigarettes. Studies have shown that these cigarettes are effective at helping you quit smoking.
With e-cigarettes, you don’t have to worry about tooth damage, long disease, heart disease, clogged arteries, the obnoxious smoke smell or any of the harmful side effects that smokers have been cautioned of for decades.