In the e-cigarette community, we like to talk about harm reduction. We like to think we've traded our nicotine (or social) addiction for something safer. Something that while satisfying the nicotine receptors or need to have something in our hand also reduces our risk of cancer, heart and lung disease. Something that poses no risk to those around us, and leaves no scent hanging in the air, announcing our addiction at thirty paces.
Well, yes. And no. Or at least, maybe. Definitely maybe.
The PV itself is a fairly simple device; a battery powers an atomizer, which heats a liquid to provide a vapor. The vapor is inhaled as the smoke of a traditional ("analog") cigarette would be inhaled. As long as a sealed battery is used, the overall physical safety equals that of your average cellphone. The liquid, though, is a bit more complicated. At its simplest, the liquid (e-liquid, e-juice or nic-juice) is nothing more than a blend of propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and water. In other words, these are miniature fog machines. From there, food flavorings and nicotine extract/tobacco absolute are added.
But that's where the problems begin. First and most obvious, nicotine is a potent poison, and exposure to nicotine absolute can cause symptoms ranging from racing heartbeat to serious illness or death. (It is a popular pesticide in many parts of the world. More on that later.) The handling of the nicotine itself is best left to those wearing nitrile rubber gloves. And while in general nicotine is roughly equivalent to caffeine in terms of addiction and long-term health risks, the risk of long term use of a vasoconstrictor is still linked to potential heart disease and we're doing ourselves no favors in forgetting that.
An emerging concern: Flavors. Why is it that what makes something good might make it bad? We humans have an amazing capacity to be attracted to what will eventually take the hardest toll on our bodies. And flavored e-juices are no exception - even when nicotine is removed from the equation. When PVs first came to market, the juice was being produced overseas, with limited flavoring options. Today you can find everything from butter-rum to tuna (I wouldn't even begin to understand this one!) to put in your metaphorical pipe to smoke.
First, let me be clear, these flavorings are made to be ingested - they are FDA approved for food and beverage use, and on the GRAS list of items generally recognized as safe for ingestion. But we aren't ingesting, we're heating liquid to a vapor and inhaling.
Enter diacetyl. Diacetyl (pronounced die-uh-seetl or die-uh-setl) is a naturally occuring flavoring component used to impart a buttery, cheesy or rich flavor. If it sounds at all familiar, you may remember it as the component linked to "popcorn lung," so named after several microwave popcorn manufacturing employees, and at least two consumers, came down with a debilitating lung disease. That disease, also known as bronchiolitis obliterans (alternately, obliterative bronchial syndrome or bronchial obliterative syndrome) causes catastrophic damage to the lungs by creating scar tissue and/or inflammation, in effect obliterating the affected bronchioles. Bronchiolitis obliterans is irreversible, has no known cure, and the only treatment for serious cases is lung transplant.
Recent studies on one replacement used in the United States for diacetyl, 2,3 pentanedione, or acetyl propionyl, have shown similar damage to test subjects, with suggested delayed onset of toxicity - damage was shown in both sets of laboratory animals, but those sacrificed a day after exposure showed higher levels of damage, deeper in lung tissue, than the animals sacrificed immediately after exposure.
As many vapers are also smokers or ex-smokers, we are likely to be either low on the list for lung transplants or denied completely. Certainly a sobering thought for those of us looking to prevent lung disease.
For more information on diacetyl and acetyl propionyl and vaping: WatchList:Ingredients.
I will be continuing this series in the days to come, please add VapeTrails to your read/subscribe list to receive timely updates.
