Strap in folks as we have two bits of good news to share this vaping week.
The first involves the word phenomenal, not a word you often see in the same sentence as e-cigarettes in a medical publication, but this week we can reveal that this was the headline in one of the online General Practitioner (Primary Care Physicians) journals in the UK.
“E-cigarettes are ‘phenomenal’ tool for GPs to help smokers quit”
Here are some synonyms for the word phenomenal:
Exceptional, extraordinary, remarkable, outstanding, astonishing, astounding, stunning, staggering, marvellous, magnificent, wonderful, sensational, breath taking, miraculous.
Pretty cool, huh?
We’ve known e cigarettes are phenomenal since vaping became main stream. How great to see the medical profession acknowledging it as well!
The Royal College of General Practitioners from the UK hold an annual general conference, this year it was in Liverpool, England. In a session regarding cancer, they discussed the role that e cigarettes can play in helping to move cancer patients away from their addiction to tobacco.
Dr Linda Bauld, a professor of health policy at the University of Stirling, and a long-time advocate for e-cigarettes, said that the current consensus favoured use of e-cigarettes as a quitting aid.
She said, “Evidence suggests they are used almost entirely by ex-smokers and current smokers – and only very small numbers of never smokers, she said – implying they do not act as a gateway to tobacco use.”
She continued,
“The crucial message is that e-cigarettes are hugely safer than tobacco – but patients won’t realize any health benefits unless they switch entirely to vaping and stop smoking cigarettes completely,”
“We should see very encouraging results for smoking cessation. If used every day and with high concentration, these products can help people move away from smoking.’
Dr Bobak said e-cigarettes were a ‘phenomenal quitting aid’ – simply because patients ‘really like them’.”
Let’s state that again.
“Patients really like them”.
Finally, they are understanding the appeal.
A product that is less harmful and the smoker likes them.
Not that e cigarettes are purely for quitting, but there is now proof that the authorities can see, that they help you get away from the tobacco.
Onto the second piece of good news.
Vape Store air.
Bad for you? Inhaling lots of nicotine and God knows what?
Wrong!
In 2016 the Health Hazard Evaluation Programme (HHEP) received a request to examine the air in a Vape Store, to discern employee levels of exposure of certain chemicals. They published their findings earlier this year, (July 2017) which has now come to our attention and we thought it worth sharing with you.
The HHEP collected air samples for flavouring chemicals: diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione, 2,3-hexanedione, acetaldehyde, and acetoin, nicotine, formaldehyde, and propylene glycol. They also took wipe samples for nicotine and metals on commonly touched surfaces.
What they found was that all levels of chemicals checked were below the occupational exposure limits allowed in a work place. This is excellent news, as it yet again it not only debunks the myth that standing next to a vaper is bad for you, because if working in a vape store is deemed safe, then so is standing next to a random vaper, but it also questions the relevance of indoor vape bans due to exposure levels.
The main chemical that the HHEP were looking for is the diacetyl – they write: “Diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) and 2,3-pentanedione, a diacetyl substitute, are VOCs with an intense buttery flavor. Exposure to diacetyl is associated with an increased risk for severe lung disease and lung function decline [NIOSH 2016]. Irreversible lung disease, such as obliterative bronchiolitis, has been reported in employees in industries with diacetyl exposures.”
Obliterative bronchiolitis is commonly referred to as popcorn lung.
You may remember a while ago there was some concern regarding this and diacetyl in e-liquid, and as a result Totally Wicked ensured that none of its e-liquids contain it. This is something we are dedicated to and will continue to be so.
But back to the report:
The report found: “We evaluated concerns about exposure to vaping-related chemicals in a vape shop. Exposure to flavouring chemicals (diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione, acetaldehyde), formaldehyde, nicotine, and propylene glycol were all below occupational exposure limits. We found that not all employees wore chemical protective gloves when handling liquids containing nicotine. We saw chemicals being stored in a refrigerator used for food.”
We know that many of you at home may store your e-liquid in your fridge but this should never happen in the workplace!
As an e -liquid company it is gratifying to see what we already suspected about vape store air, even vaping in the workplace.
Not only are e-cigarettes less harmful than smoking traditional tobacco, it appears that working in a vape store is OK for you too.