Is E-Liquid Safe for your Health ?

Cigarette smoking has taken a hit in recent years. With the introduction of the smoking ban and other types of legislation reducing the opportunities for people to smoke in the UK, more Brits are quitting smoking than before – and there are fewer of us taking up smoking in the first place.

For those who are trying to quit, vaping has become an appealing alternative. The number of smokers switching to e-cigarettes has grown in recent years, with an increase of 2.2 million vapers in the five years from 2012 with this trend set to grow and continue.

Vaping: Safe to Smoke?

The appeal of vaping is clear. There is less nicotine in e-cigarettes than in typical cigarettes, plus vaping tastes better. With flavours like cherry and butterscotch available from shops like VIP Electronic Cigarette, they are an improvement on the taste of tobacco both for the individual and others around them.

But are these flavoured liquids safe to smoke? There has been a lot of debate about this, especially as the e-liquid still contains nicotine and substances meaning there are still concerns about people still being addicted to it.

Another concern is that this nicotine contained in e-liquids is a toxic chemical. This is true, but the levels of nicotine are a lot smaller, and the side effects of vaping are probably withdrawal symptoms from reducing your nicotine intake.

While nicotine is still present in these e-liquids, there are arguments that people are actively quitting smoking cigarettes as a result of vaping, so they are slowly weaning themselves off the nicotine. In fact, a government health body is championing the introduction of e-cigarettes to shops in hospitals as a means of helping people quit. Rather than quitting cold turkey and risk the chance of a person slipping back into smoking, vaping is a much healthier alternative to switch to, to help fully give up smoking altogether

Harmful Ingredients

As well as nicotine, the base flavour of e-liquids has come into question in recent years. Reputable vaping companies will only use e-liquids that contain propylene glycol, which is used in processed foods and medications, as well as non-toxic antifreeze, or vegetable glycerine.

This mention of antifreeze is what’s caused a lot of apprehension about vaping. It’s important to note that propylene glycol is an ingredient that lowers the freezing point of water, so this is why it is used in preparing processed foods and also how it is used in antifreeze. It is simply there to replace a more dangerous chemical that was originally trying to reduce the freezing point.

Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine are combined to create that white cloud you see when people are smoking e-cigarettes. This combination is there to carry the flavour.

Overall, stats show that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes. The risks to our health are significantly reduced by switching to the sweet-tasting e-cigarettes and this can only help smokers quit altogether.

Do you have any concerns about vaping? Are you a smoker and thinking of making the switch to e-cigarettes?