Vaping FAQs

can you get secondhand from vaping

by Lourdes Hartmann Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Secondhand Aerosol From Electronic Cigarettes

  • Secondhand Vaping Just like people around smokers can breathe in cigarette smoke, it’s possible to breathe in e-cigarette aerosol if you’re around someone vaping. ...
  • Potential Health Effects of Secondhand Vaping It’s still not clear how the toxins found in vaping can affect the health of non-vapers, especially long-term. ...
  • Laws Banning Vaping in Public Places ...
  • A Word From Verywell ...

"Aerosols from vaping contain heavy metals and ultrafine particles," Islam said. "If somebody else is vaping in the same area, you're breathing it – those particles are entering your lungs, where they can do damage."May 31, 2022

Full Answer

Can you get high from second hand vapor?

Yes. Contrary to popular opinion in this thread, you can definitely get high off second-hand vapor. However, it would not necessarily be easy, or as easy as taking a hit directly. And, exhaled vapor or smoke are not going to be as potent or having the same balance of constituents as the original inhalation.

What are the side effects of second hand vaping?

  • Light-headedness
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Cold sweats
  • Jitteriness or anxiety
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Racing heart

Is second hand vape bad for your health?

There isn’t a lot of research done on the health harms of secondhand vaping. Early studies suggest that the risks posed by secondhand vaping are substantially lower than secondhand smoking, but that's a low bar considering how hard cigarette smoke is on the body.

Can you get second-hand smoke from someone vaping?

If you encounter people vaping inside a house, all of the secondhand vapor you see comes out of the mouths of the vapers in the room . There is no side stream "vape smoke" like there is side stream tobacco smoke from cigarettes-no constant emission of vapor pouring from the device when it's not being used. The user has to inhale to produce vapor.

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How does second hand smoking affect the world?

Secondhand smoking kills tens of thousands of people every year in the United States alone. It can cause sudden infant death syndrome and lung issues in children. In adults, it can lead to serious health conditions later in life, such as stroke, heart disease, and lung cancer—even in people who never smoked themselves. 1

How does an e-cigarette work?

E-cigarette devices use metal coils to heat the vaping fluid, and over time, small amounts of metals can sometimes get into the aerosol after repeated use at high temperatures. 6 . While the person vaping will breathe in the full brunt of these toxins, some will be exhaled into the air.

Is second hand vaping bad for you?

Secondhand Vaping as a Gateway. In addition to the still uncertain health risks associated with breathing in e-cigarette aerosol, being around people who vape could have other consequences—particularly for adolescents who are more likely to be influenced by social norms and visual cues.

Does vaping hurt your lungs?

Short-term studies didn’t find evidence that secondhand vaping hurts lung function , with one notable exception. Researchers found that people who were around vaping aerosol showed increases in the serum cotinine, which is a marker that someone was exposed to nicotine (an ingredient often found in e-cigarettes). 7  Given the long list of health risks posed by nicotine, more research needs to be done on how this exposure could affect someone’s lungs long-term like it can with secondhand smoke.

Can vaping affect non-vapers?

It’s still not clear how the toxins found in secondhand vaping can affect the health of non-vapers, especially long-term. The limited research available so far has largely focused on immediate health effects. That said, there are some concerns about how repeatedly inhaling e-cigarette aerosol over an extended period of time could affect bystanders’ long-term lung function and risk of allergic reactions.

Can vaping cause lung injury?

UPDATE: Recent illnesses have been associated with use of e-cigarettes (vaping). Since the specific causes of these lung injury cases are not yet known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends refraining from all vaping products.

Does vaping affect air quality?

One study, for example, found that under most conditions, someone vaping at home all day didn’t change the air quality a terrible amount unless they vaped intensely at a high voltage. At that point, levels of formaldehyde exceeded limits set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), though other compounds didn’t come close. 7

What is secondhand vaping?

Secondhand vaping is exactly what it sounds like: if you're near a person breathing out vapor from an e-cigarette, you generally breathe in the same air that they're exhaling and can inhale the same vapor.

What to do if someone uses e-cigarettes?

If someone close to you, like a parent, caretaker or coworker, uses e-cigarettes, you can kindly ask them to stop while you're around. Frame it as a way to protect both your health and theirs, and hopefully they'll respect your wishes.

Is vaping a health risk?

E-cigarettes can emit a huge cloud of vapor that can affect an entire crowd of people. Getty Images. When vaping first gained popularity, it was marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, a recent surge in illnesses, hospitalizations -- and even deaths -- has shown that there may be much scarier health risks associated ...

Does vaping harm the lungs?

The vapor can also harm bystanders ' lungs and contribute to lasting damage ...

Does vapor contain nicotine?

Another study from 2018 found that the vapor not only contains nicotine, but also heavy metals, aldehyde and glycerin, even though vaporizer companies try to paint these products as healthier in every way. These chemicals contribute to the health risk posed by secondhand vaping.

Is vaping a teenager phenomenon?

E-cigarettes are becoming more and more of a teenage phenomenon. With more teens than ever now vaping, it seems like the younger folks who are more at risk. A third of high-schoolers and middle-schoolers reported that they were exposed to vaping aerosol in 2018.

Can you vape with your friends?

If you really want to avoid the negative health effects of secondhand vaping, you may just want to not hang out with your friends while they're using e-cigarettes. Or, if you're reading this and you are an e-cigarette user who's not ready to give it up yet, at least don't vape around other people (especially kids).

What is secondhand vapor?

Secondhand vapor (which is technically an aerosol) is the vapor exhaled into the atmosphere by an e-cig user. Like secondhand smoke, it lingers in the air long enough that anyone in the same room (assuming the room is small enough) is likely to inhale some of the exhaled aerosol. As the name indicates, the bystanders are not inhaling secondhand (or passive) smoke—because secondhand e-cigarette vapor simply isn’t smoke.

Who studied the dangers of second hand vaping?

Igor Burstyn’s study of the possible dangers of secondhand vaping attempted to “estimate potential exposures from aerosols produced by electronic cigarettes and compare those potential exposures to occupational exposure standards.” His conclusion: “Exposures of bystanders are likely to be orders of magnitude less, and thus pose no apparent concern.”

What is the difference between e-cigarettes and vapor?

E-cigs heat e-liquid with a small metal coil housed in an atomizer , and the heat turns the e-juice into the vapor you see. E-cigarette vapor doesn’t have any carbon monoxide or tar, and the particles in the aerosol are liquid rather than solid. Dangerous chemicals and metals are found in vapor, but only in tiny quantities.

Is third hand nicotine inhaled or exhaled?

What isn’t inhaled falls to the ground quite rapidly. Those concerned with “thirdhand nicotine”—the unabsorbed nicotine that lands on floors and furniture—might make a case for not vaping around kids or pets who might lick the surfaces. But there’s not much nicotine left in the settled residue. According to a 2016 University of California-San Francisco study, 93.8 percent of the inhaled nicotine is retained by the user, and is not part of the exhaled vapor.

Does vaping contain VG?

Aside from propylene glycol and glycerin (PG and VG) —the two glycols that make up the base of virtually all e-liquids—what vapers exhale into the air doesn’t contain high levels of anything. According to Drexel University toxicologist Igor Burstyn, while the contents of e-cig vapor inhaled by users “justifies surveillance,” there is so little contamination in exhaled vapor that there is unlikely to be any risk for bystanders.

Can you vape inside a house?

If you encounter people vaping inside a house, all of the secondhand vapor you see comes out of the mouths of the vapers in the room. There is no side stream “vape smoke” like there is side stream tobacco smoke from cigarettes—no constant emission of vapor pouring from the device when it’s not being used.

Is nicotine in vapor residue?

But there’s not much nicotine left in the settled residue. According to a 2016 University of California-San Francisco study, 93.8 percent of the inhaled nicotine is retained by the user, and is not part of the exhaled vapor.

What is the purpose of vaping an ecig?

The purpose is to replicate smoke and its effect on the throat, without causing harm.

How long does it take for smoke to dissipate?

The smoke dissipates by half in ~30 minutes in a room. The vapor dissipates by half in ~10 seconds. It’s why you can smell smoke from other rooms and even outside, rarely vapor.

What is visible vapour?

The visible vapour is a mist composed of liquid particulates that disperse faster than smoke. The vapour comprises water, glycerol, flavouring, and nicotine. Any second-hand nicotine inhaled from vapour would be minutely small, and less than that obtained by eating a portion of a vegetable such as aubergine.

What is OEL in vaping?

An “OEL” is the Occupational Exposure Level. That’s right, that foggy, vape shop was as safe as any American work environment.

What is the product of smoking a cigarette?

Smoking a cigarette produces a solids-based aerosol we call smoke. It is a combustion-based process that sets a solid, vegetable material on fire. The products of pyrolysis (combustion) include solid particulates and exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide, CO.

Is vaping safe for people?

Vaping is entirely safe for bystanders. There is NO danger to anyone to breathe the miniscule amounts of chemicals in the air near vapers. There is no need wh

Does vaping contain nicotine?

Yes but because most of the nicotine (if there is any nicotine in the e-liquid) is absorbed by the vaper, the amount would be minimal — probably equivalent to the amount you’d get by eating some broccoli and tomatoes. Both of these contain nicotine.

How many hours of vaping exposure is a smoker exposed to?

Vaping is likely to produce exposures of about 1/100th those of smoking: i.e. about one extra case of LC for every 40 million worker-years (i.e. Eighty billion worker hours!) of exposure to tobacco vaping.

How much exposure to second hand smoke?

No. Your exposure in normal situations to secondary smoke (what Antismokers like to call “secondhand smoke” to emphasize the fact that it has been “used” and “cast off” by someone else) gives you about 1/1,000th to 1/10,000th of what the smoker is getting. That figure is for tobacco smoke and, given the manner in which people smoke pot I’d say it’s even less. Throw on top of that your phrasing indicating that they are vaping rather than smoking and that you’re not even in the room, I’d say you’re definitely talking about an exposure of less than 1/10,000th of what your brother is getting.

How does cannabis smoke differ from tobacco smoke?

Some studies have refuted the drastically higher ammonia and hydrogen cyanide levels, but all studies conclude that there’s less PAHs. Recent research has indicated that secondhand cannabis smoke impairs the cardiovascular system even more than secondhand tobacco smoke. It impairs the blood vessels’ ability to dilate, and seems to last longer for cannabis smoke than it does for tobacco smoke. Furthermore, a 2016 study examining chronic marijuana smokers of more than 20 years found the only negative health effect to be an increased risk of periodontal disease, a gum infection that can destroy the jawbone. This condition is treatable and typically clears up in a few months.

How do non-smokers get high from smoking weed?

Interestingly, the “contact high” nonsmokers get from weed is almost entirely psychological. Spend time socializing with stoned individuals and you start to feel “high” and begin to act stoned. But this is almost always an entirely psychological effect and not actually a biological reaction to second-hand smoke. The question is if you are this afraid of getting “high” from second-hand smoke, maybe you have psychological problems that you should address. You should probably see a therapist or psychiatrist and tell them you have this morbid fear of getting high from being in the same house as a cannabis smoker. Perhaps you need to be on some sort of medication

Is vaping more persistent than smoking?

Vapor will tend to be less persistent than smoke from combustion, so the potential to hotbox or extract sufficient psychoactives from the ambient environment is significant lessened with vaping. What you are vaping can make a difference there, as well—flower versus oil versus wax or whatnot.

Is it possible to get a second hand high?

Is it possible? Yes, it most definitely and most assuredly is. Secondhand highs are not unheard of. However, they are… not particularly easy to accomplish, unless under certain circumstances.

Can you rebreathe a vape bag?

Some people who use industrial vaporizers rebreathe hits multiple times by inhaling and exhaling into the va pe bag (if it has one) or a separate bag. This is more about conservation of time or money than getting properly high all the time, because the potency or experience of the second and third uses of each initial hit may differ from single-use inhalations.

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