6 VAPING MYTHS DEBUNKED 

 

Here at Socialites Vaping we've heard all kinds of odd paranoia attached to vaping from our customers. Some of these ideas make sense, where as a few are downright bizarre. But how do you dispel fact from fiction? 

Well, lucky we're on hand to offer our advice and debunk some of the most common myths that we hear time and time again. 

 

 

1) Does vaping give you popcorn lung? 

We thought we'd start start with a strong contender, and with all the crazy ideas out there in the public domain, for some reason "Pop-corn Lung" has sadly struck the general consciousness, making it perhaps the most misunderstood. Most likely because it sounds truly horrific. Like some kind of horror movie scenario where someones lungs could turn into a kernel of popcorn. 

Well, this isn't how lungs actually work. 

Popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans) is actually an uncommon type of lung disease. It’s caused by a build-up of scar tissue in the lungs, which blocks the flow of air.

A possible link has been suggested between the disease and a chemical called diacetyl. And the name actually comes from a group of Pop-Corn factory workers who, during the 00's, famously all came down with this disease from breathing in diacetyl ( a butterscotch food-flavouring chemical.) 

In the UK, diacetyl is banned in ALL e-cigarette liquids. So, any juice item sold in the UK will NEVER contain diacetyl as long as you're using products from a reputable supplier as this said supplier will always screen their products thoroughly by third-party laboratories before they're sold.  

Cancer Research UK have a fantastic article on Pop-Corn Lung, where they state: 

• E-cigarettes don’t cause the lung condition known as popcorn lung
   
• There have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung reported in people who use e-cigarettes
   
• E-cigarettes are one of the tools that can help people who smoke to stop

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/does-vaping-cause-popcorn-lung

 

2) Is second-hand vaping harmful? 

 

There is still an awful amount of stigma surrounding vaping, but in an industry that has spent years trying to emulate the general look and feel of a real cigarette, some of the same negative cogitations are unfortunately going to stick. 

A concern from non-vapours is the effect of second-hand vaping and whether it can effect the general lung health of surrounding people, particularly when the vapour emitted from devices is often more visible than smoke from cigarettes.

Following research, second-hand vapour has been ruled as harmless from both Cancer Research UK and then later from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). 

Government officials from CDPH tested for over 20 chemicals in non-ventilated vape shops to identify any toxic substances in the air. The tests can back as negative for any toxic chemicals which suggest that even in confined, non-ventilated areas, second-hand vapour does not affect others.

While it is safe to vape around people we encourage the etiquette of refraining from vaping in people’s faces or around children. It's just polite. 

 

3) Do Vaping batteries explode? 

 

Another horror story we get time and time again is the idea that a battery from a vaping device went bang in someone's pocket and caused some serious harm to the owner of the device. 

There is some truth to this, but let us explain. 

Some vaping devices are seriously technical pieces of kit; external battery powered mods that kick out a lot of power and feature variable wattage that can be tweaked up and down. But nearly every story we've ever come across has always been to do with the sub-ohm devices that some vapours like to build from scratch, and build them badly they indeed do. Unfortunately some key electrical science like "ohms-law" isn't followed to the latter, and what you get is some fairly disastrous consequences. 

But this doesn't really apply to any of the non-buildable products that we sell or have ever sold. All of our kits are REGULATED devices meaning that specific safety features prevent such a catastrophic event. Smok, Innokin and Aspire have all been regulating their devices for the past few years and with each piece of innovation usually comes tonnes of added safety functions. 

 

4) Vaping isn't regulated

 

We hear this a lot and in truth, when vaping was first commercialised, there were few regulations in place. The only known way to comfort customers that a company was legally-compliant and above all ethical was to be part of the first electronic cigarette trade association, ECITA, who ensured UK vape companies were above board. We were one of the founding members and displayed the ECITA sign proudly on all of our kiosks. 

Now in 2021 government-enforced regulations have completely changed for the better.

Vaping products are now being regulated and monitored in all major markets.

In the EU, vaping products must adhere to strict Tobacco Product Directive (TPD) Framework and local governments are able to enforce additional standards.

In the UK, this is implemented as the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR), under which, manufacturers must notify their products to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). You can check their website and find all registered products listed there. 

 

5) E-liquids are mysterious and dangerous 

 

Despite e-cigarettes and e-liquids being on the market for quite some time now, there still persists the stubborn myth that e-liquids are mysterious.

You might have heard it from your friends before if you’ve ever mentioned vaping to them.

People often remark “But you know, we don’t even know what’s in that stuff. It could be anything.”

Except that it’s not just anything. In fact, these words are perhaps a media scare tactic designed to keep you away from vaping. And who lobbies their ideas through the media... urm.. Tobacco Companies. 

So, let’s get the record straight. What’s actually in the average e-cigarette? Generally only three or four items, including:

 

• Propylene glycol,
• Vegetable glycerin,
• Natural/artificial flavoring
• Nicotine (optional)

 

Though some of these names may sound a little strange, these ingredients are found in a wide variety of everyday items, including our food and drinks, tooth paste, and beauty products (except, of course, for nicotine, which is optional in e-cigarettes, anyway).

 

6) E-Cigarettes are harmful because they contain nicotine

 

As previously mentioned, we thought we'd go into Nicotine a little more. 

In a recent UK study, 4/10 smokers and ex-smokers thought that nicotine causes tobacco smoking-related cancer.

This is wrong. Nicotine is simply the substance in cigarettes that makes the user addicted to smoking and has a minimal risk of harm to health.

It is the hundreds of other chemicals in cigarettes that cause the most harm to health,( benzene, arsenic and formaldehyde) and not nicotine.

The NHS state on their website: 

 "Although nicotine is a very addictive substance it's relatively harmless. It's the carbon monoxide, tar and other toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke that will cause serious damage to your health. Clean forms of nicotine are licensed to help smokers quit. These are much safer than smoking as they're nicotine only, don't have other additives or toxic chemicals, and are proven to be safe and effective."

 

Find out more here: 

https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/stopping-smoking/reasons-to-stop/tobacco

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

There are a variety of myths out there that would have you believe vaping is just as bad as or worse than traditional smoking.

On the contrary, however, none of these myths have any semblance of scientific backing or fundamental grounding to lend them credence.

Instead, vaping is—and should be viewed as—a healthy alternative to smoking and a great step to freeing oneself from smoking forever.