Do You Even Vape?

The other day, one of my students asked me why they aren't allowed to "vape" on campus. They said that there was really no reason to prohibit the act, since "vaping" is a healthy alternative to smoking. Limited as my knowledge is on the dangers-- or lack thereof-- of e-cigarettes, I told her I had done a little research and found that e-cigarettes contain formaldehyde (a carcinogen) among some other nasty chemicals, but I wasn't sure of the truth of these claims or even if the chemicals present in e-cigs were present at truly toxic levels. If anything, I believe we need to be wary of potential dangers this new fad may present--since research on the topic is spotty and in its infancy, I will attempt to analyze what I have found to the best of my ability.

According to Vape Ranks, Blu e-cigs® (the most popular e-cig brand as far as I can tell) started out as an independent company until they were snatched up by Lorillard (a tobacco company) in 2012. In 2014, Forbes stated that Lorillard merged with another major tobacco company which had also acquired smaller tobacco companies, and so the Blu® brand fell under this new merged company (yay monopolies!) And according to the company's site itself, Blu e-cigs® were the brainchild of an Australian entrepreneur in 2009. It could be reasonably asserted that these tobacco companies were itching to get their hands on the brand because it was taking away from their profits. This is important in my opinion because if the brand had originally been the brainchild of the tobacco companies, I feel there would have been more incentive for them to falsely market the brand as a "healthy alternative" to cigarettes, given that it is now common knowledge that normal cigarettes cause a multitude of health issues. However, perhaps the increase in marketing of the e-cigarettes as "healthy" followed the tobacco companies' acquisition of the brand--but I digress.

Peer-reviewed articles on the topic are few and far between, but the ones I have seen (like this one), seem to suggest that e-cigs pose a threat when the "vapor" is consumed in higher than normal quantities. The research does not appear to touch on the effect that chemicals other than nicotine in the e-cigs may have on cells. Which leads me to ask, what exactly do e-cigs contain? Word on "the street" suggests that the components are simply nicotine and water vapor. However, according to cancer.net they contain nicotine as well as "other chemicals" which may be harmful--and they are not FDA-approved.

When I see my student again, I will tell her to be wary of the risks that e-cigs may pose. And for any of you good folks reading this, if you do choose to vape please do so sparingly.