If you're reading this — you've probably heard of vaping. Maybe someone you know vapes or you are a seasoned vaper yourself! But how does vaping work and what goes into these clouds that have taken the world by storm? Let's take a look and understand vaping better.
Electronic cigarettes came to be as a safer alternative to smoking, and as a smoking cessation aid. E-cigarettes and traditional tobacco cigarettes differ in many ways. The first, and most important difference between the two is that e-cigarettes don’t contain the 4,000+ carcinogenic by-products that cigarettes do. This provides a safer method of ingesting nicotine while still maintaining the same physical act of inhalation as smoking. That is one reason e-cigarettes have helped so many people (millions) quit smoking successfully. The term for it is “oral fixation” and it refers to the portion of the smoking addiction which is actually more associated with the act of smoking rather than the nicotine itself. This is why so many smokers attempt to quit by chewing gum (with or without nicotine added) and why quitting smokers have been known to snack more than they did as smokers (also because nicotine is a natural hunger inhibitor). The act of using an e-cigarette is widely labeled as vaping.
The basic function of an e-cigarette is rather simple. A power source (usually a lithium-ion battery) applies power to an atomizer, which heats up and vaporizes the e-liquid (also known as e-juice or juice). Types of atomizers vary greatly, as the industry has advanced by leaps and bounds since its inception. There are simple disposable atomizers, atomizers with replaceable heating elements, and on the higher level, rebuildable atomizers, where the user creates their own heating element (coil) and wicking material (cotton) assembly themselves.
Most e-cigarette users use some form of a tank, which the atomizer itself is mounted inside. This provides a convenient vape, because the liquid can feed from the tank directly into the atomizer, allowing the user to vape for up to days at a time (depending on usage level) without having to fiddle with their device. There are many forms of tanks on the market, with varying features and applications. Tanks are the industry standard for the average user in today’s market.
What’s in this “e-liquid”?
This question has stirred up a lot of controversy over the past few years. Between anti-nicotine and tobacco campaigns (which typically lump vaping in with smoking), financial quarries (on tobacco companies’ behalf) due to the current unregulated status of the vaping industry, and a plethora of both factual and bogus studies, there are a lot of misconceptions about what is really going on inside of a bottle of e-liquid. It’s really rather simple. At its core, e-liquid has 4 main components:
Nicotine – Nicotine is an optional ingredient in e-liquid. Many users slowly reduce the amount of nicotine in their liquid blend in order to “ween” themselves off of the habit, and many have had great success doing so. The nicotine used in our liquid is pharmaceutical grade and 99.86% – 99.93% pure.
Propylene Glycol – PG is used as a flavor carrier in many food products. It is also used in food coloring and as an additive in some medicines. It can be found inside your average asthma patient’s inhaler. This is a thin liquid. PG is deemed by the FDA as safe for human consumption* and is non-toxic. The PG used in our liquids is USP grade. PG has a harsher hit than VG and carries flavor better.
Vegetable Glycerin – VG is a sweet, thick, vegetable based liquid. It has many commercial uses, and can be found and purchased over the counter easily at any normal grocery store. VG is deemed by the FDA as safe for human consumption* and is non-toxic. The VG used in our liquids is USP grade. VG is a smoother liquid than PG and provides more vapor production.
Flavouring – The e-liquid market uses flavourings primarily from the food industry. That means that these flavorings have been deemed by the FDA as safe for human consumption* as well. There are a wide variety of flavors available for use in e-cigarettes. Anything from tobacco, to coffee, to sherbet!
All of these components combine to form your average e-liquid. There have been many tests over the years, and the general result is that vaping is a much healthier alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes. When used properly, e-cigarettes and e-liquid have the potential to save millions of lives around the world. Unfortunately, some manufacturers may not live up to the general standards presented by most, but any reputable e-liquid manufacturer has high quality and purity standards for not only their ingredients, but their mixing processes.
* It should be noted that although the ingredients of our e-liquid are FDA approved for human consumption, that does not mean that they are approved for inhalation. The FDA has not yet made moves towards this issue.
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