this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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[–] Buffalox 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Experts have warned that not enough is known yet about the long-term impacts of vaping.

Oh boy are they really still on with that disinformation? Also argument from ignorance at best, or consciously lying and misinforming at worst.

Intensive studies were made already in the 50's, to use the base elements for vaping as a defense against airway infections in kindergartens and shopping malls. It was found to both work and be VERY safe!
I don't understand how this misinformation is even legal? Considering there is massive amounts of studies that show the safety puts it a a risk level of about 2% of smoking a cigarette.
That however is if you do not add flavor, and use only the base VG or PG in juices together with medical grade nicotine, which is what almost all makers use today here.

I absolutely agree that there is no need to have single use vapes, they are clearly a resource waste that causes unnecessary pollution much like single use plastic.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I stopped vaping all together when my daughter was born, as it seemed pointless now to go hide in other rooms just to continue a habit I wasn't getting much out of anymore. But while I was still vaping, I would typically stand outside with the smokers from work and listen to their dumb raspy asses try to lecture me on the dangers of vaping and how I don't know what that's going to go to me long term. They would say this while pulling cigarettes from packaging covered in pictures of cancers and disease (Canada).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Tangent:

I used to know a guy who took up smoking in college mainly because he thought hanging out with smokers was a good way to meet people. It worked, but you know, smoking. The last time I was in contact with him, he was a raging alcoholic, too.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This will get repeated until it's the year 2080 when it becomes doubtless. I still see the claim that vaping "fills your lungs with water" when VG/PG produced vapour draws moisture away, the complete opposite.

[–] Buffalox 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I wonder if they sometimes design flawed studies on purpose? I saw a study claiming the vape produced Formaldehyde, because when the air quality in a small enclosure was examined, it showed a rise in formaldehyde over time when vaping. Problem was that the level of formaldehyde matched what we exhale ourselves naturally.
Well then they designed another study to show formaldehyde. This time with a vaping machine, that ran the ecig dry, completely ignoring that the taste of taking a dry puff, is at least as bad as smoking the filter on a filter cigarette.
Who has an interest in this? Are those researchers stupid or corrupt?
At the same time, there were dozens of studies, that were NOT shown to be flawed, that showed the level of known toxins in ecig vape was more like 1/1000th compared to cigarettes.
Allegedly the biggest economic interest in this, is pharma companies that sell products to quit smoking. I hope journalists some day will trace the money for such flawed studies.

PS:
I have no personal stake in this, I vaped for more than a decade, and researched it heavily when it was new. I successfully quit entirely 4 years ago by reducing strength over time. I have no friends that vape, and I have no financial interests either. I just get pissed when professionals we need to be able to trust misinform against evidence.
Today it's actually harder to research the topic online, because there is so much misinformation!

[–] cm0002 5 points 1 year ago

I've seen some of those studies with the "vaping machine" and the "OMG they produce toxic chemicals/metals", every time I read them the machine is set to ridiculously high wattage and temps that nobody is actually using.

I read a study that a certain toxic chemical is produced from an ejuice ingredient in vapes, but that chemical only forms at temperatures in excess of 700°F (or somewhere around there). Nobody is vaping at 700°F lmfao

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Is that why they say it gives you dry mouth?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Same concept also developed and used in WW2 as an anti-chemical weapon device. Basically a grenade that bursts into a cloud of PG, trapping airborne chemical particulates and pulling them down to the ground.

[–] Buffalox 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Interesting I didn't know that existed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think its use in the field was pretty limited. It was something a scientist at the company I work for was telling me about. They were curious given all the shit chat about a lack of longterm evidence. They wondered what is the actual earliest record of this sort of concept? They ended up finding out about experiments done with this device in some kind of wartime medical journal they showed me. We were pretty tickled by the journal article mentioning propylene glycol was the substance these old researchers were atomising. I tried finding it again to link something, but I haven't been able to find it yet.

[–] Buffalox 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks, that's amazing.
I must say that when I started vaping, I was shocked about the state of modern "scientific" research into documenting effects of basically everything. Clearly it's paid for by interest holders, and the research is not generally for the common good, but to serve the interests of those who pay for it. Just as was the case for tobacco and sugar, and lately it was revealed gas companies have done it too in the 70's! I knew it was the case to some extend in the pharmaceutical industries, but it's everywhere!!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

There isn't really much peer reviewed evidence suggesting vaping is significantly harmful in a tobacco harm reduction context, though. It's all supportive of vaping, that's why it's been embraced by many medical organisations across much of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The amount of tobacco harm prevention vaping is doing in places like Kuwait right now, where up to 50% of males smoke, is fucking incredible. Australia's blindness on this issue is a farce. They, like most western governments, are addicted to tobacco tax. It's 4% of our overall tax income. That's a proportion of all taxation in our economy, including all the land, property, goods, services taxes. An entire 4% of it comes just from perpetuating tobacco sales. Financially conservative governments aren't giving that away for free. Internally they're like "we'll worry about addressing the leading cause of preventable death when we get voted in for another term, otherwise it won't work out for us politically". That's why we have a nation of Labor state premiers that almost unilaterally support sensible ecig regulation, yet the federal health minister from the same political party has this curious unexplained blindspot on the issue and just parrots big pharma talking points about nicotine, while nicorette isn't even kept behind the counter.

[–] Buffalox 2 points 1 year ago

It sounds a bit like here, where they had witch hunts from health authorities against shops that sold anything vape related containing nicotine. Despite all evidence showed it was less harmful than cigarettes, and the best way to quit too. This kind of activity was almost completely unheard of, but I guess health authorities, are the ones that are best paid by big pharma.
It was only when EU regulated it, that it became legal in Denmark. Luckily being in EU we could buy from other EU countries.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I hope you're right but my cough always gets worse after I vape.

[–] Buffalox 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Do you vape pure PG with medical grade nicotine and no flavor?
That's the safest vape there is.
If you were a heavy smoker previous to vaping, that could be a major contributing factor.
Vaping also increases the need for water, as PG actually both acts like a detergent, and dries your lungs.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I only vape THC oil and shatter, what does PG stand for?

[–] Buffalox 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Propylene Glycol
Also vaping oil THC or otherwise, is not in any way proven safe AFAIK.
Oils may cause problems when vaped, if they build up. AFAIK the lungs do not have a good way to get rid of it.
But I'm not a THC user in any form, so it's not a subject I've examined, so I may be way off on that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, you're probably right. I have a nebulizer that I put sodium chloride into to try and get the gunk out of my lungs.

[–] Buffalox 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe it's not a good idea to vape THC oil then, if you can , you should probably switch to cookies. I suppose you already know, but the THC needs to be heated before consumption to be "activated".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah I used to work for a medical marijuana distributer so I know all about the heat activation. The problem is that I enjoy the process of vaping while I watch shows and stuff.

Thanks for telling me about the Propylene Glycol. I may try vaping that and using edibles instead, just to spare my lungs.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What about a herb vape like a volcano or whip vape if you can't afford? Anecdotally I hear the concentrates are way rougher on the lungs than dry vaping.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I do have a Pulsar Sipper which I think is similar to the vulcano? It's definitely better than the 510 cartridges I was using before