Is secondhand vaping something to be concerned about?
“Vaping and secondhand vaping is just as dangerous,” clarifies Nader Nakhleh, D.O., a board certified pediatric pulmonologist. “Now it is our mission as experts to change the conversation around vaping from being a ‘better’ alternative to smoking to actually being equally as detrimental.”
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.
Why vaping is so dangerous?
Vaping causes you to be at a higher risk for contracting the flu, strep, or pneumonia. The cause of this is the lowered activity in cells of genes that will fight off infection. Poisoning from the vape liquid can occur one of three ways – through absorption through the eyes or skin, inhalation or ingestion.
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
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 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.
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 to do if you are unhappy with second hand vaping?
If you’re unhappy with secondhand vaping at local restaurants, parks, or other public places, speak up. Ask places you frequent to make their facilities smoke-free, and if you're somewhere that's supposed to be a no smoking zone but patrons aren't following suit, tell someone in a position of authority. And if you're exposed to secondhand vape because someone you love smokes or vapes, talk to them about quitting. (Get the conversation stated with these tips from NoButts.org .)
How many people die from second hand smoke?
The dangers of secondhand cigarette smoke—in your home and outdoors—are well-established: It kills over 41,000 non-smoking adults in the U.S. every year, according to a Surgeon General report. And secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same cancer-causing substances and toxic chemicals as secondhand tobacco smoke (like ammonia and hydrogen cyanide), according to research published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.
How much has the use of vapes increased in the past year?
The usage of these electronic smoking devices—AKA e-cigarettes or vapes— has skyrocketed in the past year or so. Among high school teens, for example, there’s been a 78 percent increase in vape usage between 2017 and 2018, a report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found. And there’s reason to be concerned even if you’re not vaping: Just like cigarettes, e-cigarettes (whether they contain nicotine, marijuana, or something else) emit toxic secondhand aerosol.
How long does it take to understand the dangers of second hand smoke?
It took decades for people to fully understand the dangers of secondhand cigarette smoke; hopefully, it won’t take as long to realize just how dangerous all types of secondhand smoke can be.
How many brands of e-cigarettes are there?
Research on the impact of secondhand aerosol inhalation is still in development, and it doesn’t help that there are over 460 brands of e-cigarettes on the market. “Because these are not regulated, we don’t know exactly what chemicals are even in each kind,” says Dr. Rich.
What are the chemicals in e-cigarettes?
In fact, at least 10 chemicals identified in the aerosol emitted by e-cigarettes are on California’s Proposition 65 list of carcinogens and reproductive toxins, including nicotine, formaldehyde, lead, and toluene (a compound associated with paint thinners). Further, there might be dangers we're still not aware of.
Is smoking a cigarette legit in 2020?
Bloomberg. In 2020, witnessing someone smoke a legit cigarette —something you hardly see anymore—feels like a blast from the past. But look around next time you’re at a bar, in a park, or even on the sidewalk, and you might spot people discreetly puffing from sleek devices that look like fancy pens or USBs.
How to avoid second hand vaping?
The only way you could altogether avoid the second-hand vapor is to leave your friends when they vape. Do not hand out with your friends while they use electronic cigarettes to be potentially safe. Or if you are using an e-cig, be courteous enough to not vape around children such they do not have much of an opinion in the air they breathe. Do not vape around people who are uncomfortable with it. If any close family member involves in vaping, kindly ask them to stop when you are around. It could be your parent, caretaker, co-worker, or only a friend. This could be your best bet to avoid the vapor altogether. If you have severe asthma issues or other lung problems, stay yourself clear from people who vape since it can have severe and adverse side effects on your health or your health could also be compromised.
Why do people not inhale second hand smoke?
The bystanders do not inhale second-hand smoke simply because second-hand electronic cigarettes vapor isn’t practically smoke. Smoke is produced when there is combustion and electronic cigarettes do not have any burning.
How does vaping work?
Vaping devices produce clouds of vapor, which is generated by heating the e-liquid with an atomizer. The atomizer has a small metal coil which turns it into vapor. The vapor coming from electronic cigarettes do not contain tar or carbon monoxide. However, dangerous and hazardous metals and chemicals are found in the vapor, but in minimal amounts. The number of toxins is least as compared to cigarette smoke. Hence the dangers of second hand vaping are also reduced.
Is it safe to vape second hand?
When they release into the air, the least amount of particles are present since the individual itself absorbs the majority of the substances. Second hand vaping isn’t as dangerous as second-hand smoking is because the bystanders get exposed to a minimal amount. Studies revealed that second hand vaping had shown the levels of the chemicals much less than the exposure limits.
Is vaping bad for you?
Vaping does have a lot of chemicals and toxins involved which aren’t great for the body. There are government standards and protocols for workplace exposure from inhaled metals and chemicals. Scientists can determine whether the chemicals present in the second-hand vapor is harmful or not. So far, there is no serious evidence ...
Is vaping a problem for teens?
Vaping has been a common problem among teens which is why they are at a higher risk of developing sickness. In today’s world, one in five teenagers has at least tried vaping once. That isn’t a good number. A third of high schoolers reported that they were exposed to vaping aerosol in the year 2018.
Can you vape around people?
Do not vape around people who are uncomfortable with it. If any close family member involves in vaping, kindly ask them to stop when you are around. It could be your parent, caretaker, co-worker, or only a friend. This could be your best bet to avoid the vapor altogether.
Is e-cigarette smoke addictive?
Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and even some e-cigarettes advertised as nicotine-free contain the highly addictive drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Aerosol contains many other harmful or potentially harmful substances.
Can smoking affect lung development?
Besides the possibility of worsening asthma, ultrafine particles breathed deep into young lungs may impact lung development. "Lung tissue can be affected by nicotine exposure and exposure to e-cigarette aerosol," Winickoff says.
Can you get asthma from vaping?
And a study published in the journal Chest in January 2019 found that teens with asthma who were exposed to secondhand aerosol, without vaping themselves, were more likely to have an asthma attack.
Is second hand smoke bad for you?
Secondhand smoke from traditional cigarettes is known to cause tens of thousands of deaths annually in the U.S., and is implicated in some infant deaths, or sudden infant death syndrome. Likewise, chemicals in e-cigarette aerosol may also contribute to secondhand health problems. "People who are doing the vaping themselves, ...
Does vaping cause aerosols?
The aerosol produced by e-cigarette use tends to garner little notice, if any at all. And even when it is noticeable, the airborne evidence of vaping, which typically involves inhaling and exhaling the aerosol from a battery-powered e-cigarette, tends to dissipate quickly. By contrast, smoke from a traditional combusted tobacco cigarette often lingers.
Does vaping have second hand effects?
E-cigarettes' inconspicuous nature, in addition to their promotion as potential quit aids to help stop smoking, may contribute to the notion that vaping has no secondhand effects, experts say. But as further study continues to shine light on ...
Does second hand vaping cause hyperactivity?
What's more, where secondhand smoke can contribute to higher levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, secondhand vaping could possibly lead to problems with attention and hyperactivity as well, he says. While experts emphasize more study is needed to understand the effects of vaping aerosol, they also reiterate there's enough potential ...
Is vaping a tobacco issue?
It is commonplace for tobacco consumption (of any kind) to be tied with vaping. Only a few days ago, anti-vape legislation went into effect in NYC. Four pieces of the bill directly addressed vape businesses as well as users, despite that fact that the legislation was touted as an anti-tobacco campaign.
Is secondhand smoke linked to lung cancer?
While there is a clear relationship between those who smoke and the occurrence of lung cancer, there is no evidence to suggest that secondhand smoke is linked to the disease.
Is second hand smoke bad for you?
Obviously, breathing secondhand smoke is not a good thing, especially for babies, young children, and adolescents. We all know that smoking is bad for you – it’s not news, but looking at all sides of an issue is important. If you’re like me, the study above might have you asking “what now?”
Is secondhand vapor harmful?
There is no, repeat no, research to suggest that secondhand vapor is harmful. The closest we have to any research even examining the topic was conducted in 2014. Dr. Burstyn sought to examine the inhalation of vapor though occupational exposure standards. Ultimately, he concluded that there was very little risk to vapers.
