E-cigarettes, aka JUULs and vape pens, use a battery to heat up a special liquid into an aerosol that users inhale. It's not just harmless water vapor. The "e-juice" that fills the cartridges usually contains nicotine (which is extracted from tobacco), propylene glycol, flavorings and other chemicals.
Full Answer
What chemicals are in vape?
Chemicals in Vape In recent years, scientists have found various chemicals and substances in vape products that may be dangerous to human health. These include flavoring chemicals like diacetyl, heavy metal particles, compounds like formaldehyde, and ultrafine particles.
What's inside vaping devices?
But here's what's known about what has been found inside vaping devices. E-cigarette liquids, at the bare minimum, have three main components: flavors, sweeteners and solvents.
Does vaping contain heavy metals?
These heavy metals are only found in trace amounts in most cases. However, because vaping can be addictive, scientists are concerned with how these heavy metals may affect human health over time.
What are vape coils made of?
Those metal coils can be composed of a variety of substances, including an alloy of iron, chromium and aluminum called kanthal, or a combination of nickel and chromium. A Johns Hopkins study released in 2018 found those metals leach into vaping aerosol at dangerous levels.
Is there nicotine in the exhale of vape?
The exhaled aerosol contains nicotine, and nicotine is a known health risk. Also, the exhaled aerosol contains many other chemicals that can cause health problems. Therefore there may be a negative health effect from inhaling the nicotine exhaled by vapers.
How many chemicals do you inhale when you vape?
"More and more young people are using these e-cigarettes and they need to know what they're being exposed to.” The study found traces of nearly 2,000 unknown chemicals in electronic cigarette vaping liquid and aerosols.
What is the chemical makeup of vaping?
Substances identified in e-cigarette liquids and aerosols include nicotine, solvent carriers (PG and glycerol), tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), aldehydes, metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phenolic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), flavorings, tobacco alkaloids, and drugs.
Is Breathing in vape harmful?
Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death. Some chemicals in vaping products can also cause cardiovascular disease and biological changes that are associated with cancer development.
What do you exhale when vaping?
Although no sidestream vapor is generated from e-cigarettes between puffs, some of the vapor is exhaled by the user. A study by Schripp, Markewitz, Uhde, and Salthammer (2013) showed that ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and nicotine are released with exhaled vapor.
Is it OK to inhale propylene glycol?
Propylene glycol (PG) is generally recognized as safe by oral, dermal or inhalation routes and has been a common ingredient in all American made tobacco cigarettes for seven decades (AAPHP website).
What does propylene glycol do to your lungs?
Vaping propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine may lead to lung inflammation. Researchers have found that using e-cigarettes with the e-liquid refills containing propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG) may lead to inflammation of the lungs over a period of time.
Is vape juice toxic?
NEVER drink e-liquid, or allow anyone to drink it, because the liquid nicotine can be poisonous. If a child accidentally drinks e-liquid, immediately call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Does propylene glycol cause popcorn lung?
New research shows that propylene glycol can also generate methylglyoxal, an alpha di-carbonyl compound recently shown to cause epithelial necrosis at even lower concentrations than diacetyl, the flavoring chemical associated with bronchiolitis obliterans ("Popcorn Lung").
What are 5 negative effects of vaping?
The most commonly-reported adverse effects were throat/mouth irritation, headache, cough, and nausea, which tended to dissipate with continued use....Coughing, dry throat, headachescoughing.dry mouth and throat.shortness of breath.mouth and throat irritation.headaches.
Is vape worse than cigarettes?
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
How long does vape stay in the air?
While particles from conventional cigarette smoke linger in the air for upwards of 45 minutes, researchers found that those stemming from e-vapor products evaporate within seconds, even indoors.
What are the effects of e-cigarettes?
Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not begun its review of any e-cigarette or its ingredients, nor has FDA issued any standards on the products, e-cigarette composition and effects vary. What researchers do know is that these toxic chemicals and metals have all been found in e-cigarettes: 1 Nicotine – a highly addictive substance that negatively affects adolescent brain development 2 Propylene glycol – a common additive in food; also used to make things like antifreeze, paint solvent, and artificial smoke in fog machines 3 Carcinogens- chemicals known to cause cancer, including acetaldehyde and formaldehyde 4 Acrolein – a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds, can cause irreversible lung damage 5 Diacetyl – a chemical linked to a lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans aka " popcorn lung " 6 Diethylene glycol – a toxic chemical used in antifreeze that is linked to lung disease 7 Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, lead 8 Cadmium – a toxic metal found in traditional cigarettes that causes breathing problems and disease 9 Benzene – a volatile organic compound (VOC) found in car exhaust 10 Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
What happens when e-liquid heats up?
Additionally, when the e-liquid heats up, more toxic chemicals are formed. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not begun its review of any e-cigarette or its ingredients, nor has FDA issued any standards on the products, e-cigarette composition and effects vary. What researchers do know is that these toxic chemicals ...
What is the chemical used to kill weeds?
Diacetyl – a chemical linked to a lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans aka " popcorn lung ". Diethylene glycol – a toxic chemical used in antifreeze that is linked to lung disease.
What are the chemicals that affect the brain?
Carcinogens- chemicals known to cause cancer, including acetaldehyde and formaldehyde.
Does e-juice contain nicotine?
The "e-juice" that fills the cartridges usually contains nicotine (which is extracted from tobacco), propylene glycol, flavorings and other chemicals. Studies have found that even e-cigarettes claiming to be nicotine-free contain trace amounts of nicotine.
What are the chemicals in vapes?
Volatile organic compounds in vape products can include: Acetaldehyde: Inhaling acetaldehyde can harm the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract, and may cause cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Acetone: According to the CDC, acetone can irritate the nose, eyes, and throat. Formaldehyde: The American Cancer Society (ACS) ...
What is the chemical in vaping fluid?
The latest chemical of concern in regard to vaping-related lung injuries is vitamin E acetate, which was found in the lung fluid of each of the 29 patients recently sampled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What are volatile organic compounds?
Volatile organic compounds are created when different chemicals in vape products change and combine. A 2018 study published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research showed that these compounds are created when the chemicals used to flavor vape products interact with glycerol and polypropylene glycol (solvent liquids).
What are the harmful substances in vapes?
Potentially harmful substances found in vape devices include: Diacetyl: Inhaling diacetyl has been linked to irreversible lung damage in factory workers, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Can popcorn cause lung disease?
Diacetyl and Popcorn Lung. Diacetyl inhalation has been linked to popcorn lung, a progressive lung disease. With this condition, microscopic air passages in the lungs become inflamed, causing long-term scarring and difficulty breathing.
Can vaping cause cancer?
Formaldehyde: The American Cancer Society (ACS) states that formaldehyde can cause cancer in high doses. According to the Surgeon General, when vape products reach temperatures above 300°F, formaldehyde — a cancer-causing carcinogen — forms and is breathed in when vaping.
Does vaping cause asthma?
Asthma: Studies show that vaping can worsen existing asthma symptoms. Bronchitis: Research findings from the University of Kansas suggest that vaping may lead to bronchitis. Nickel, one of the toxic heavy metals found in vape products, has been known to cause bronchitis.
What are the main components of an e-cigarette?
The main components. E-cigarette liquids, at the bare minimum, have three main components: flavors, sweeteners and solvents. Solvents are substances used to dissolve either nicotine or marijuana-derived compounds including THC or CBD so those ingredients can be inhaled.
What is the condition that a woman developed after vaping?
And a 2012 case report involved a woman who developed a condition called exogenous lipoid pneumonia after vaping for about six months. Doctors said her e-cigarette's oil-based solvents were the likely cause, and her condition improved when she quit vaping.
What are the ingredients in e-liquid?
Sweeteners include sucralose and ethyl maltol. E-liquid flavors are wide-ranging, and can read like a wine tasting: "notes of vanilla" or "berries and herbal notes.". All of those ingredients — the solvents, the sweeteners and the flavors — are considered "generally recognized as safe" by the Food and Drug Administration.
What are the elements that make up an aerosol?
Those metal coils can be composed of a variety of substances, including an alloy of iron, chromium and aluminum called kanthal, or a combination of nickel and chromium.
How do e-cigarettes produce aerosols?
E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating the e-liquid with metal coils. Those metal coils can be composed of a variety of substances, including an alloy of iron, chromium and aluminum called kanthal, or a combination of nickel and chromium.
What is the chemical in vanilla bean?
One recent study from Yale University found that vanillin — an extract of the vanilla bean — transforms into chemicals called acetals when aerosolized. Those chemicals, the researchers said, may be especially irritating to the lungs and cause damage when inhaled.
Is vaping a cause of pneumonia?
Hundreds of people nationwide have been hospitalized recently with severe cases of pneumonia or other lung illnesses — all believed to be directly linked to vaping. Investigators have not been able to pinpoint the exact cause. But here's what's known about what has been found inside vaping devices.
How do humans breathe?
Humans, along with many other animals, breathe in air through their mouth, into their lungs. The chest cavity containing the lungs expands and contracts with the diaphragm as it moves down and up. Inside the lungs, small sacs called the alveoli fill with the air.
What percentage of the air does a human breathe?
As a species, humans require air to survive; a need it shares with most other members of the Kingdom Animalia. After a human breathes in Earth's air (roughly 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen), he or she exhales a mixture of compounds similar to the air inhaled: 78 percent nitrogen, 16 percent oxygen, 0.09 percent argon, ...
How much oxygen do humans absorb?
On average, humans use and absorb around 4 percent of the oxygen they take in from air. What's in a Breath? Nitrogen makes up the bulk (78 percent) of the air that humans breathe in and out, considering human bodies have no use for it.
Tests show bootleg marijuana vapes tainted with pesticides
Toxic chemical burns may be behind the hundreds of vaping-linked illnesses spiking across the country, according to new images of lung tissue taken from people who got sick after vaping.
Long-term consequences
Most patients with vaping-related lung injuries are able to recover with steroids and/or supplemental oxygen.
What is a vape pen?
With vaping, a device (typically a vape pen or a mod — an enhanced vape pen — that may look like a flash drive) heats up a liquid ( called vape juice or e -liquid) until it turns into a vapor that you inhale. “Vaping is a delivery system similar to a nebulizer, which people with asthma or other lung conditions may be familiar with,” says Broderick. ...
What happens if you inhale diacetyl?
Diacetyl is frequently added to flavored e-liquid to enhance the taste. Inhaling diacetyl causes inflammation and may lead to permanent scarring in the smallest branches of the airways — popcorn lung — which makes breathing difficult. Popcorn lung has no lasting treatment. There are, however, treatments that manage BO symptoms, such as: 1 Coughing 2 Wheezing 3 Chest pain 4 Shortness of breath
Is second hand vapor safe?
Secondhand Vapor Isn’t Safe Either. It’s a myth that secondhand emissions from e-cigarettes are harmless. Many people think the secondhand vapor is just water, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The vapor emitted when someone exhales contains a variety of dangerous substances, which may include: Nicotine.
Does e-liquid damage the lungs?
Other common substances found in e-liquid or produced when it’s heated up may also pose a risk to the lungs. These include: Diacetyl: This food additive, used to deepen e-cigarette flavors, is known to damage small passageways in the lungs.
Does vaping affect the lungs?
Instead of bathing lung tissue with a therapeutic mist, just as a nebulizer does, vaping coats lungs with potentially harmful chemicals. E-liquid concoctions usually include some mix of flavorings, aromatic additives and nicotine or THC (the chemical in marijuana that causes psychological effects), dissolved in an oily liquid base.
Does smoking affect your lungs?
Not-so-fun fact: Smoking hates your lungs. If you’re a smoker then you’re probably familiar with the negative effects it has on your breathing. Now you’re a happy vaper maybe you’ve forgotten all about it, so let us refresh your memory:
Is vaping good for your lungs?
Millions of smokers use vaping every year to move on from tobacco and enjoy a healthier alternative, and all of them will report that they feel better now than before. Vaping may not be as good as clean, fresh air, but it’s the perfect first step to a tobacco and maybe even nicotine-free life , and as no tar, ash or smoke is created by e-cigs, you’ll have none of those things affect your respiratory health. Once you switch to vaping you’re sure to notice:
