Don’t you know vaping is bad for you?
How many times have you been asked this?
Or how about this gem?
You don’t do that around your kids, do you?
It never ceases to amaze me that people who are totally ignorant on a subject always have an opinion. And they aren’t shy about sharing it.
Ever done a Google search asking “is vaping safe.” If you haven’t, don’t! You will quickly be bombarded with link after link describing the horrors of vaping. With everything from popcorn lung to dying from your lungs being coated with oil.
What you won’t see in any of these links is evidence. You won’t see research supporting claims of the horrors of vaping.
Digging a little deeper shows constant comparisons between vaping and smoking. A surgeon general’s report from December refers to the vapor produced by an atomizer as aerosol. While the term is not incorrectly used, per the dictionary definition, one can’t help but wonder the units we put in children’s rooms when they are sick aren’t called aerosol. They are referred to as vaporizers.
That’s what vaping is after all water vapor. That vapor starts as a mix of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, with added flavors.
A 2016 study published in the medical journal Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine found that the risks of nicotine without actual cigarette smoke are much lower than with traditional smoking. “Electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine without combustion of tobacco and appear to pose low-cardiovascular risk, at least with short-term use in healthy users,” according to the study titled “Cardiovascular toxicity of nicotine: Implications for electronic cigarette use.”
There have been several reports that vape juice contains all sorts of terrifying ingredients, even metal shavings.
These studies are the ones that get the most play. They get reviewed, commented on and forwarded like it’s going out of style.
What we hardly ever see reported is the truth. Every once in a while, if you dig deep enough into an article, you can find the truth.
The truth, as hard as it may be to understand, is that there has not been enough data collected to make an accurate decision on the effects of vaping on the body. There have done been enough studies done to determine what is in the vapor released from a person’s body when they exhale.
Now, some studies will actually tell you this, but most draw drastic conclusions based on limited evidence.
In the meantime, the federal Food and Drug Administration has no qualms about issuing warnings and attempting to regulate the vaping industry.
But while the regulations attempt continues, it’s refreshing to see that the FDA does admit to some truths on its web site.
“The FDA recognizes that some tobacco products have the potential to be less harmful than other. But more evidence is needed,” according to the agency’s web site under the heading “But aren’t e-cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes?” The page goes on to state “The agency is exploring this issue with respect to tobacco regulation.”
Don’t you just love it? Regulating to learn.
Seems pretty counterproductive to me. To me it would make more sense to study to learn. To analyze to learn. To investigate to learn. Not regulate to learn.
But I have to admit, the FDA has put out some decent information. They recently announced some useful safety tips, such as tips on battery safety.
Now, back to the original questions of, Don’t you know vaping is bad for you? And you don’t vape around your kids, do you?
How do we address these?
Basically, at this point with the current science, it’s purely a personal decision.
The fact that any of us started vaping in the first place goes to say that we have made the decision that we have made for our bodies, regardless of current science. Most of us believe the few studies that have been done showing that vaping is not as harmful as traditional cigarettes.
I know, personally, that I don’t get winded like I did when I smoked cigarettes. Walking to the mailbox (please keep in mind I have a very long driveway) and back doesn’t leave me winded like it used to.
I can run around and play with my kids without hacking up anything nasty stuff. I have felt the physical improvements in my body since I stopped putting all the proven cancer causing ingredients found in cigarettes in my body.
And you know what?
Those changes make vaping worth it to me.
I also don’t smell, which is a huge statement, one which my children enjoy.
Now onto the second question.
I’ve read in social media groups that some people have their children chase their clouds, or smell it to try to guess the flavor.
Other people chose to vape outside, away from their families.
It’s a personal choice, just like smoking. Some smokers smoke in their cars with their children, others refrain. Some smokers light up in their homes with their families, other’s go outside.
Vaping around your children is a personal choice until more information is known. Until we know with certainty what is in the vapor released, it’s personal choice.
