What are the risks of second hand vaping?
Vaping is associated with a host of health problems ... researchers looked at information reported by men who regularly used e-cigarettes, restricting their analysis to only those who were otherwise healthy. "We excluded people with high cholesterol ...
Is secondhand vaping something to be concerned about?
“Vaping and secondhand vaping is just as dangerous,” clarifies Nader Nakhleh, D.O., a board certified pediatric pulmonologist. “Now it is our mission as experts to change the conversation around vaping from being a ‘better’ alternative to smoking to actually being equally as detrimental.”
Is second hand vape bad for your health?
There isn’t a lot of research done on the health harms of secondhand vaping. Early studies suggest that the risks posed by secondhand vaping are substantially lower than secondhand smoking, but that's a low bar considering how hard cigarette smoke is on the body.
What are the side effects of second hand vaping?
Who’s most at risk?
- Infants and children. Vape aerosols pose an especially high risk for infants and children because of their lower body weight and developing respiratory systems.
- Pregnant people. We’ve known for a long time that nicotine exposure during pregnancy is risky. ...
- People with lung conditions. ...
Can you get damage from second hand vaping?
The researchers reported that those exposed to secondhand vaping had an increased risk of bronchitis and shortness of breath, even after they took into account other possible lung health factors like active vaping or exposure to smoke from tobacco or weed.
Can you have second hand vaping?
Secondhand vape exposure was associated with increased risk of bronchitic symptoms and shortness of breath in young adults, even after accounting for active smoking and vaping.
Does vaping in the house affect others?
There's evidence that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand vape aerosol absorb similar levels of nicotine as people exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke. Along with nicotine, nonvapers are also exposed to ultrafine particles from secondhand vape aerosol, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
How long does vape stay in a room?
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 factors that affect second hand vaping?
The amount and type of toxins released into the air around vapers can depend on a wide variety of factors, including the brand of vaping fluid, the voltage of the vaping device, the number of people vaping at the same time, and how frequently or intensely they’re vaping.
How does an e-cigarette work?
E-cigarette devices use metal coils to heat the vaping fluid, and over time, small amounts of metals can sometimes get into the aerosol after repeated use at high temperatures. 6 . While the person vaping will breathe in the full brunt of these toxins, some will be exhaled into the air.
What is the purpose of diacetyl in vaping fluids?
Diacetyl is a common food additive that is sometimes included in vaping fluids to add a rich, buttery flavor (ex. butterscotch or caramel). It’s been linked to a serious lung disease known as “popcorn lung,” which was first seen in individuals working in a popcorn factory where diacetyl was used. 5 .
Does vaping hurt your lungs?
Short-term studies didn’t find evidence that secondhand vaping hurts lung function , with one notable exception. Researchers found that people who were around vaping aerosol showed increases in the serum cotinine, which is a marker that someone was exposed to nicotine (an ingredient often found in e-cigarettes). 7 Given the long list of health risks posed by nicotine, more research needs to be done on how this exposure could affect someone’s lungs long-term like it can with secondhand smoke.
Can vaping affect non-vapers?
It’s still not clear how the toxins found in secondhand vaping can affect the health of non-vapers, especially long-term. The limited research available so far has largely focused on immediate health effects. That said, there are some concerns about how repeatedly inhaling e-cigarette aerosol over an extended period of time could affect bystanders’ long-term lung function and risk of allergic reactions.
Is vaping dangerous for kids?
Another potential risk posed by vaping indoors is allergic reactions, especially among children. According to research, roughly 8% of U.S. kids have food allergies. 8 Nuts (a common food allergy) are sometimes used to make added flavors in vaping fluids. If a child ingests or touches fluids with an allergen in it, they could have a reaction. This, however, is only a theoretical risk for now, as little research has been done on the topic.
Is vaping a toxin?
Toxins Found in Vaping Aerosol. Vaping doesn’t produce as many harsh chemicals as smoking, but research suggests it still likely contains pollutants. Some ingredients found in vaping aerosol include: Formaldehyde is a compound created when solvents like propylene glycol and glycerin are heated up by the vaping device.
What is the difference between e-cigarettes and vapor?
E-cigs heat e-liquid with a small metal coil housed in an atomizer , and the heat turns the e-juice into the vapor you see. E-cigarette vapor doesn’t have any carbon monoxide or tar, and the particles in the aerosol are liquid rather than solid. Dangerous chemicals and metals are found in vapor, but only in tiny quantities.
Can nicotine be deposited on surfaces?
“Nicotine from exhaled vapour can be deposited on surfaces, but at such low levels that there is no plausible mechanism by which such deposits could enter the body at doses that would cause physical harm,” Royal College of Physicians researchers noted in that organization’s comprehensive 2016 review of e-cigarette science.
Can you vape inside a house?
If you encounter people vaping inside a house, all of the secondhand vapor you see comes out of the mouths of the vapers in the room. There is no side stream “vape smoke” like there is side stream tobacco smoke from cigarettes—no constant emission of vapor pouring from the device when it’s not being used.
Is nicotine in vapor residue?
But there’s not much nicotine left in the settled residue. According to a 2016 University of California-San Francisco study, 93.8 percent of the inhaled nicotine is retained by the user, and is not part of the exhaled vapor.
Does vaping affect indoor air quality?
But vaping (which was being done in 43 of the homes) had no measurable effect on the indoor air quality. Even studies of the air in vape shops have shown that levels of toxicants are below occupational exposure limits.
Is vaping dangerous?
However, we do know enough about the likely health risks of vaping—based on the safety profiles of the chemicals involved—to understand that vaping almost certainly doesn’t pose risks to users as great as those of combustible cigarettes. We may actually know more about the risks to bystanders than to vapers themselves.
What does second hand vaping sound like?
Secondhand vaping is exactly what it sounds like: if you're near a person breathing out vapor from an e-cigarette, you generally breathe in the same air that they're exhaling and can inhale the same vapor. When you breathe the same air as someone using an e-cigarette, you're "secondhand vaping.". Getty Images.
Can you breathe the same air as someone using an e-cigarette?
When you breathe the same air as someone using an e-cigarette, you're "secondhand vaping.". And you don't have to be in super confined quarters with the vaper to still experience the negative side effects. A study from 2014 showed that indoor air quality was impaired when people in a ventilated room used e-cigarettes.
Does vaping harm the lungs?
The vapor can also harm bystanders ' lungs and contribute to lasting damage ...
Does vapor contain nicotine?
Another study from 2018 found that the vapor not only contains nicotine, but also heavy metals, aldehyde and glycerin, even though vaporizer companies try to paint these products as healthier in every way. These chemicals contribute to the health risk posed by secondhand vaping.
Is vaping a teenager phenomenon?
E-cigarettes are becoming more and more of a teenage phenomenon. With more teens than ever now vaping, it seems like the younger folks who are more at risk. A third of high-schoolers and middle-schoolers reported that they were exposed to vaping aerosol in 2018.
Can you vape with your friends?
If you really want to avoid the negative health effects of secondhand vaping, you may just want to not hang out with your friends while they're using e-cigarettes. Or, if you're reading this and you are an e-cigarette user who's not ready to give it up yet, at least don't vape around other people (especially kids).
Can you vape in your car?
Getty Images. Besides avoiding vapers while they partake, you can set ground rules for your own personal spaces. Tell people you would rather they not vape in your car, home or anywhere else that you have some sway.
Studies on Vaping and Second Hand Aerosol
Studies such as a 2017 UC San Diego depict a different message than what has been in the headlines. Researchers went into 193 homes to measure fine particles left behind by smokers and vapers living inside the residence. They found no effect on the air quality due to vaping.
So, is second hand vape dangerous?
Unfortunately, because vaping is still fairly new and long term studies, for the most part, have not been done to state a certain answer, the question of "is second-hand vape bad?" is for now inconclusive.
What are the symptoms of second hand vaping?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, potential symptoms of exposure to secondhand vaping aerosol may be similar to symptoms of exposure to any airborne pollutants and can include: Coughing or wheezing. Respiratory infections. Inflammation in the throat. Reduced lung function.
What is vaping juice?
Most devices are powered by a rechargeable battery that is used to heat the vaping liquid, turning it to an aerosol that vapers then inhale. Vaping liquids, also called e-juice or vape juice, come in a wide range of flavors—many of which may resemble desserts, fruit or candy—and contain varying levels of nicotine.
Why is vaping good?
Vaping advocates promote vaping as a safe alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes for three reasons: 1 There is no combustion, or burning, involved in vaping, meaning that people that vape “smoke” is free of many carcinogens found in cigarette smoke. 2 Vapes do not create the harmful tar that causes cigarettes to be so hazardous to public health. 3 Vape liquids may not contain the wide range of dangerous chemicals present in traditional cigarettes.
What is a vape?
Vapes—short for “vaporizers”—come in all shapes and sizes. Some are smaller and may look like traditional cigarettes or USB storage devices. Others are larger and can look more like a science project than a smoking apparatus. Despite the differences in appearance, the technology behind most vapes is relatively similar.
Do vapes emit nicotine?
When used, vapes can emit significant amounts of nicotine into the air, though not always as much as traditional cigarettes. However, the nicotine levels in the secondhand vapors from e-cigarettes are high enough to cause potential involuntary nicotine exposure to non-vapers in the same room ( Czogala, et. al, 2014 ).
Is second hand smoke harmful?
Fortunately, e-cigarettes do not emit vapor when they are not being used. Moreover, studies have found that secondhand exposure to these vapors is not as harmful as secondhand ...
Is vaping safe in public?
For these reasons touted by vape advocate s and manufacturers, many people feel comfortable vaping in situations where smoking cigarettes would be strictly prohibited, such as inside public buildings and in close proximity to other people. However, secondhand exposure to vaping aerosols may not be as harmless you think.
What Is Second Hand Vapor Made Of?
First and foremost: vapor produced by vaping is NOT the same as smoke.
What If I Breathe In Second Hand Vapor?
What vapors exhale doesn’t really contain much of anything, save for propylene glycol and glycerin – the two core elements that make up E Juice.
Third-Hand Nicotine?
Third-hand nicotine is the process whereby inhaled nicotine is exhaled and then comes to rest on surfaces – things like carpets and sofas. However, because of the nature of vaping, almost 100% of the nicotine is absorbed by the user.
Does Vaping Effect Indoor Air Quality?
This is a good question and one that related directly to the issue of second hand vapor: does vaping indoors affect the air quality of your home?
OK, But Is Second Hand Vapor Dangerous?
If you listen to the FDA and its stooges, you probably think vaping is the second coming of Satan. But this just is not the case.
What is Second-Hand Vaping?
You’ve probably heard of ‘second-hand smoking’ and, well, second-hand vaping is pretty much the same thing. It happens when a person inhales the vapour that has been exhaled from someone else’s e-cigarette nearby to them.
What is in Second-Hand Vapour?
When someone smokes a cigarette, there is a sidestream of smoke that comes off from the actual cigarette. In contrast, with an e-cigarette, there is only ever vapour when the person inhales. There are no sidestream emissions.
Is Second-Hand Vaping Dangerous?
The research that has been done so far into second-hand vaping indicates that it poses little to no danger. In fact, they found that second-hand vapour posed “no significant risk of harm to human health”, whilst tobacco smoke posed a “significant risk of harm to human health”.
