Vaping FAQs

is secondhand vaping an issue

by Miss Claudie Lang V Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Secondhand exposure to vaping can cause serious respiratory issues - study U sing an e-cigarette may not actually be that much safer than smoking a traditional cigarette and can still cause significant respiratory problems, both for smokers and those around them, new research published by the University of Southern California has found.

Yes, second and third-hand smoke and vaping aerosols contain harmful, toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that can be breathed in. They can go into the body through the skin. These chemicals can be swallowed, as many children put their hands or other objects into their mouths.

Full Answer

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.”

Is secondhand vaping harmful to your health?

This doesn’t mean that e-cigs are completely safe, however. There are trace amounts of chemicals that can be hazardous to your health. But all of the studies to date show that vaping is significantly safer than smoking. This means that the dangers of secondhand vaping are not nearly as bad as those associated with secondhand smoking.

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 smoke bad/harmful?

Along with nicotine, nonvapers are also exposed to ultrafine particles from secondhand vape aerosol, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease . Secondhand vape aerosol also contains several known carcinogens that may increase the risk of certain cancers.

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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.

How many states are banning smoking in 2020?

According to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, as of January 2020, 19 states and over 900 municipalities have included e-cigarettes and other electronic smoking devices in their laws and policies banning smoking in certain environments, such as schools or workplaces. 11 .

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.

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).

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.

Do parents vape around kids?

Research finds parents more likely to vape around kids in the home and car, despite smoke-free policies.

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 ...

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 is vaping in a cigarette?

Vaping is a term relating to heating a liquid and inhaling the “vapor” (actually an aerosol) produced. Vaping first became popular as a means of inhaling tobacco without combusting it. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) consisting of a battery, heating coil, and liquid reservoir (tank or cartridge) usually containing nicotine were developed and went through several “generations” of modification. The third generation consists normally of a vape pen, holder containing the battery and heating oil, and a liquid cartridge with or without nicotine. The liquid consists of glycerin (vegetable glycerin, or “VG”) and ethylene glycol (“EG”) typically in amounts of 30–70%. A third liquid (presumably water) is also included at about 1/3 of the total amount. Some terpenes for taste and odor and nicotine may also be included. The vaper heats the cartridge for a few seconds (typically <10), inhales the aerosol and exhales it into the room or ambient air.

What is the 3rd generation of vape?

The third generation consists normally of a vape pen, holder containing the battery and heating oil, and a liquid cartridge with or without nicotine. The liquid consists of glycerin (vegetable glycerin, or “VG”) and ethylene glycol (“EG”) typically in amounts of 30–70%.

Who sponsored the study of secondhand exposure to marijuana?

This study was supported in part by a grant awarded to Stanford University to study secondhand exposure to marijuana: Agreement # 28IR-0062 sponsored by the University of California Office of the President; Tobacco Related-Disease Research Program (TRDRP).

What is the removal rate of PurpleAir PM 2.5?

The PurpleAir PM 2.5 mean removal rate of 0.3 h -1 was slightly lower than that for the SidePak (0.38 h -1 ), although it was not significantly different. An important recent study by He et al. (2020) has shown that there is considerable overlap in the particle size categories reported by the Plantower sensor. For example, even monodisperse particles of 0.2 μm diameter produced a signal in the nominal 0.3–0.5 μm size category. Moreover, 1 μm particles produced their highest signal in that same 0.3–0.5 μm size category. Because of this apparent extensive mixing of particles of different sizes in the reported size categories, it may be that the PurpleAir removal rates measured in this study have been contaminated by the presence of particles that are outside the upper and/or lower boundaries, suggesting caution be exercised in using or interpreting these results.

What is a vape pen?

With vaping, a device (typically a vape pen or a mod — an enhanced vape pen — that may look like a flash drive) heats up a liquid ( called vape juice or e -liquid) until it turns into a vapor that you inhale. “Vaping is a delivery system similar to a nebulizer, which people with asthma or other lung conditions may be familiar with,” says Broderick. ...

What is the food additive used to deepen e-cigarette flavors?

Diacetyl: This food additive, used to deepen e-cigarette flavors, is known to damage small passageways in the lungs.

What is the condition called when you get sick from eating popcorn?

“Popcorn lung” is another name for bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), a rare condition that results from damage of the lungs’ small airways. BO was originally discovered when popcorn factory workers started getting sick. The culprit was diacetyl, a food additive used to simulate butter flavor in microwave popcorn.

Is second hand vapor safe?

Secondhand Vapor Isn’t Safe Either. It’s a myth that secondhand emissions from e-cigarettes are harmless. Many people think the secondhand vapor is just water, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The vapor emitted when someone exhales contains a variety of dangerous substances, which may include: Nicotine.

Does vaping affect the lungs?

Instead of bathing lung tissue with a therapeutic mist, just as a nebulizer does, vaping coats lungs with potentially harmful chemicals. E-liquid concoctions usually include some mix of flavorings, aromatic additives and nicotine or THC (the chemical in marijuana that causes psychological effects), dissolved in an oily liquid base.

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