If you have an interest in vaping, then you’ve likely seen some of the news stories in the media that put vaping in a poor light.
Nothing is without its risks, but the general consensus is that vaping is significantly better than smoking, with Public Health England concluding that it is 95% safer.
A number of other relevant organisations agree with this conclusion, including Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians.
With more scientific research going into vaping, some of the myths that have cropped up around vaping can now be busted! We take a look at some of the most prevalent myths and misconceptions about vaping and the truth behind them.
Myth 1 - Vaping Causes Popcorn Lung
If you’ve seen any of the sensationalist headlines about the “risks” of vaping, then you’ve most likely heard of popcorn lung.
The supposed link between vaping and popcorn lung came about due to the discovery that some E-Liquids in the US contained a chemical called diacetyl.
The term popcorn lung comes from an incident in a popcorn factory, in which workers who were exposed to high levels of diacetyl developed a rare condition called bronchiolitis obliterans.
Not only is there no evidence that vaping can cause popcorn lung, but in the UK, diacetyl is a banned ingredient, so E-Liquids made and sold in the UK shouldn’t contain this chemical.
Cancer Research UK confirm that: “There’s no good evidence that e-cigarettes could cause the lung condition called popcorn lung. There’s been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung reported in people who use e-cigarettes.”
Myth 2 - Second Hand Vapour is Harmful
As we all know the dangers of secondhand smoke, many also incorrectly assume that secondhand vapour is also harmful.
Public Health England’s 2018 evidence review revealed that, so far, there have been no identified health risks of passive vaping.
This is mainly due to the differences in the composition of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Vaping has been found to be 95% safer than smoking due to the ingredients.
While cigarettes contain thousands of harmful chemicals, including carcinogens, E-Liquids are primarily made from vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol, which are both considered non-toxic and are used in food and pharmaceutical products.
Myth 3 - Vaping Doesn’t Help You Quit Smoking
There are over 3.2 million adult e-cigarette users in the UK, and more than half have completely stopped smoking. As of 2018, a further 770,000 have given up both smoking and vaping.
Many studies have now shown how effective vaping is as a stop-smoking tool. The National Institute for Health Research funded a clinical trial that concluded that e-cigarettes are twice as effective at helping smokers quit than other nicotine replacement therapies.
Likewise, a study from researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the Rutgers School of Public Health found that over 50% of daily e-cigarette users had quit smoking in the past five years, compared to just 28% of adults who had never vaped.
Myth 4 - Vaping is a Gateway to Smoking
Another concern that people tend to have about vaping is the possibility of it being a gateway to smoking.
Concern is particularly held in regard to young people vaping. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has countered this myth with their research, which shows that the use of vapes by young people in the UK is “rare and largely confined to those that already smoke tobacco cigarettes”.
As we have seen in the point above, vaping is a very effective tool for quitting smoking and the benefits this brings greatly outweighs the risk of people starting smoking through vaping - which is not evidenced.
Myth 5 - Vaping Causes Deaths
The scariest vape news you may have heard is of the deaths in the USA that have been linked to vaping. The vast majority of deaths have occurred due to black market E-Liquids and THC vaping.
These tragic cases are largely isolated to the USA, as this is where black market E-Liquids are most prevalent.
Black market E-Liquids are unregulated vape juices, such as fake branded pods, homemade mixes and products that have been altered to contain THC.
In the UK, vaping is a highly regulated industry, with each product being tested and submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency to ensure that they are safe. Make sure you purchase your E-Liquids from a reputable retailer, such as RED Box Vape.
Myth 6 - All E-Liquid Contains Nicotine
Not all E-Liquids are made with nicotine in them - in fact, many of the vape juices we sell here at RED Box Vape are nicotine-free. Nicotine-free or 0mg vape juice is widely available, especially in the form of shortfills.
0mg E-Liquids are used for a number of reasons. It can be used as a 0mg juice for those looking to reduce their nicotine intake. Shortfill E-Liquids can be mixed with a nicotine shot to create a larger bottle of lower-strength E-Liquid. 0mg juice is also good for creating big vape clouds, if that is something you’re interested in doing!
Some confusion may arise about whether or not all E-Liquids contain nicotine because many 0mg E-Liquids will require a warning about nicotine to be printed on the label even though there is none inside the bottle. This is largely the case for shortfills, as despite being 0mg, they have the potential to be mixed with nicotine to create a product that contains nicotine.
We hope that this has helped to clear up some of the misconceptions and myths that are spread about vaping and E-Liquids and that this guide has put your mind at ease. If you are ready to make the transition from smoking to vaping, then you can find everything you need here at RED Box Vape, including a wide range of cheap vape liquid in the UK!
