If you’re new to vaping, there is a high likelihood that you’ve already been “swamped” with a ton of information about electronic cigarettes – both from online and offline sources as well (friends, family, retailers, etc.). To this extent, chances are that some of this information is borderline questionable, while there is good reason to assume that most of it is false.
Why is this so?
First of all, people tend to distrust that which they aren’t familiar with. Electronic cigarettes have been a fairly recent phenomenon, arriving at the U.S. market in the early 2000s and shaking the tobacco industry’s foundations from the grounds up. Amidst this uninvited, and most certainly unsolicited scare, countless of news outlets (and other media) have jumped the bandwagon and assumed that where there’s smoke there’s fire as well. However, all of these faux journalists forgot to remember one crucial thing: e-cigarettes are not combustible devices. Rather, they work on the principle of a part called an ‘atomizer’ heating a pre-filled liquid and therefore releasing aerosol or a vaping mist.
And this is just one of the many misconceptions about e-cigarettes that we’ll try to address, and hopefully, clear the confusion about vaping that you’re potentially having for good.
1. Are E-Cigarettes Safer than Smoking?
Yes they are. The confusion that e-cigarettes were allegedly somehow more harmful than smoking stem from one (now infamous) study dubbed the “formaldehyde letter”. The researching team behind this study claimed that some clearomizers (types of atomizers found in some primitive e-cigarettes) were releasing dangerous amounts of formaldehyde when heated.
But there was one big catch.
The conditions under which the researchers heated these clearomizers were not replicable in the real world. Vapers (and all people with some common sense in them) would never take a puff from a vaporizer that was heated to the point of boiling – as the researchers did with their vaping pens during testing.
A good analogy would be to think about burning your pizza to the point of it becoming one big pile of charcoal, and then proceeding to happily munch on it like it’s the most mundane thing in the world. That’s just not gonna happen under any normal real-life circumstance.
What about any evidence in favor of e-cigs?
A recent study from The Royal College of Physicians of London (the real scientists) concluded that e-cigarettes are indeed safer than smoking. Smoking is linked to a number of serious health issues to both the initial smoker and to those around them. Therefore making the switch from smoking to vaping is a great alternative to begin leading a happy and more prosperous life, the scientists concluded.
2. Is Nicotine Dangerous?
In all honesty, nicotine is an addictive substance and it should be consumed in moderation to avoid feelings of nausea, lightheadedness, headache, and more. However, the same thing could be said about every compound that we come into contact with – even water! But we digress.
Nicotine by itself isn’t known to cause any major health issues such as cancers and other conditions related to the functioning of the heart. It’s rather the other compounds in a combustible cigarette such as tar, ammonia, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and more that are causing these diseases. To date, there have not been any documented cases where an overdose of inhaling the nicotine vapor from e-cigarettes has caused any major health damage. E-cigarettes can in fact help you to manage your nicotine withdrawal as or more effectively than a potential nicotine replacement therapy.
3. Do E-Cigarettes Blow Up?
Granted, this is a fairly loaded question, but we’ll do our best to address it nonetheless.
Virtually all electronic devices, including notebooks, smartphones, and e-cigarettes, require some basic knowledge about how batteries, battery chargers, and power outlets work. For example: if you combine, say, a Samsung charger with a Sony device, and plug your Frankenphone into a power outlet that doesn’t support that voltage, there is a high chance for everything to blow up. The same logic goes for electronic cigarettes as well.
So, those cases about e-cigarettes allegedly causing house fires probably resulted from a reckless use (human factor). In fact, the cumulative data is very clear: combustible cigarettes are by far the number one cause of house fires accident-wise, as reported by this finding by the UK government early in 2011.
4. Which E-cigarette Should I Begin Vaping With?
This question comes down to a personal preference. A refillable tank system e-cigarette can be a good way to start, but keep in mind that this device might take some time getting used to – especially if you’re a former smoker. However, these devices allow for a greater freedom of choice, as they can accommodate a wide range of e-juices, flavors, and also adjust your nicotine intake as your requirements change. We suggest trying the e-juices over at Vaper Empire to start.
5. How Much Nicotine Should I Start With?
The amount of nicotine that you’ll need very much depends on the amount of nicotine you’ve used in the past. Additionally, the amount of nicotine that you can potentially get also depends upon the type of e-cigarette you decide to buy. Roughly speaking, 20-a-day smokers find that 18mg/ml (or 1.8 percent) nicotine should be sufficient enough to cover their nicotine needs. You can use this as a rough guide and see how it goes on.
And that’s a wrap. Keep in mind that there is a lot more ground to cover in regards to vaping misconceptions, but these were the most common and so it was only logical to address them first. If you have any future ideas on topics we should cover – or even continue where we left off – feel free to share them in the comments.
Happy Vaping!