Is Vaping Safe? Long Term Effects and the Benefits

In 2003, a Chinese pharmacist and researcher, Hon Lik, invented the modern vaporizer. As with many inventors who came before him, Lik was looking for a device that would offer a safer and cleaner way of consuming herbal extracts. In his case, he was more interested in coming up with a healthier alternative to traditional nicotine delivery systems like cigarette smoking. 

Indeed, Lik couldn’t have had a better motivation, considering that his father had shortly passed on due to lung cancer associated with cigarette smoking. What’s more, he was also a chain smoker himself. But in the next two years, the vaping concept transitioned from being a tobacco-cessation aid to a lifestyle. According to a 2018 survey, the vaping culture had caught on all over the world, with the practice attracting a growing number of teenagers. 

But is vaping safe, or should we be worried or How to vape? This article will attempt to put light on some of the long-term benefits and risks of vaping.

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Benefits of Vaping

• Higher onset time and bioavailability

One of the most common benefits of vaping is that it delivers the herbal extracts straight into your bloodstream. The vaping effects can be felt in as few as five minutes. In addition to a faster onset time, vaping also comes with relatively higher bioavailability. Bioavailability simply refers to the actual amount of the compounds that enter your system relative to the total amount vaped. For the most part, vaping comes with a bioavailability as high as 60%. 

A faster onset time and higher bioavailability mean that vapers inhale considerably lower quantities of nicotine in each vaping session to experience the same effects as a smoker consuming several cigarette rolls.

• Higher control over the experience

Another notable benefit of vaping is that you have higher control over the whole experience. First, there are numerous flavors that you can experiment with, ranging from vanilla to fruity, berry, chocolaty, or even tobacco. Just remember to specify to your online vape shop regarding the kinds of flavors you’re looking for in an e-juice to determine if they stock vape juices with those flavors. 

You can also determine a suitable ratio of the base liquids in your e-juice, depending on your individual requirements. For instance, cloud chasers can go for e-liquids with high vegetable glycerin (VG): propylene glycol (PG) ratio. And ones who look for a stronger throat hit should consider e-juices containing higher PG than VG content.

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• An effective cigarette-cessation aid

By now, you probably already know that vaping is considered a tobacco-cessation aid. But how does vaping help chronic cigarette users to give up smoking? The secret lies in the nicotine levels. As you may already know, cigarettes come with pre-determined nicotine strengths. And in most cases, the concentration is usually high enough to appeal to seasoned smokers.

On the other hand, e-juices contain varying levels of nicotine. Now, let’s assume that you’re used to smoking 30 mg of nicotine per day. You can’t just quit smoking overnight as that could leave you nursing a slew of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Instead, you could take to vaping and consider inhaling 30 mg of nicotine-formulated e-juices for the first one month. As time goes by, you can slowly reduce your daily nicotine intake until you’re able to vape nicotine-free e-juices. 

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Long-term Risks of Vaping

Although vaping isn’t as toxic as cigarette smoke is, it isn’t completely safe. The following are some of the severe risks associated with long-term vaping;

• Nicotine

Most e-liquids contain significant concentrations of nicotine, a substance that’s infamous for its highly-addictive nature. Although there have been remarkable efforts to replace nicotine with other medically beneficial compounds, nicotine remains the most popular recreational substance which appeals to vapers and smokers alike. Besides addiction and dependency, nicotine is also associated with a decline in brain function, particularly among children of women who vape during their pregnancy. The substance might also hamper your cardiovascular performance.

• Potentially-toxic compounds in the vapor

Although more research is needed to establish the actual compounds that make up vapor, researchers have already identified certain potentially toxic substances. Examples include carcinogenic substances like diacetyl, heavy metals like lead, tin, and nickel, and lots of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

Long-term exposure to these compounds could lead to a host of chronic conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections. And remember that just like cigarette smoking, the risks of vaping apply even to secondhand vapors.

• Risks of explosion

There have been several cases of explosions related to vape devices, some of which are life-threatening. Most of these explosions result from poor storage of the vape batteries. Vapers are advised to safely cover their vape battery terminals, especially while traveling, to prevent unwanted outbreaks.  

Vapers should also store their e-juices out of reach of their children and pets. While e-liquids may be relatively safe for vaping, they could be potentially hazardous if ingested. Now, those mentioned above are more real, considering that the vaping industry gets mostly unregulated. Therefore, there are always unscrupulous dealers ready to offer low-quality vape products to unsuspecting buyers. Even worse, the runaway popularity of vaping might re-normalize smoking, considering the glaring similarities between the two practices. 

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Conclusion

Vaping is undeniably safer than cigarette smoking. However, it isn’t entirely risk-free. If possible, avoid both practices. But if you must choose between the two, opt for vaping any day.