More than almost any other topic that has captured the front-page headlines over the past 10 years is surrounded by misinformation and not quite full truths. So, in an effort to separate fact from fiction, here is our list of some of those so-called “facts” you’ve probably seen published all over the Internet and print-media:
MYTH E-cigarettes still deliver nicotine, an addictive and dangerous carcinogen:
This could hardly be further from the truth. Nicotine is not now, nor has it ever been a carcinogen. Its association with tobacco and the many carcinogens contained therein has given rise to the myth that nicotine causes cancer, but nicotine, by itself, actually promotes health. It has been shown to assist in synapse operations in the brain, thereby increasing our memory potential and other thought processes. Interestingly, it has also never been proven that nicotine, by itself, is the highly addictive substance we have always assumed it is. The key words being, by itself.
MYTH: E-cigarettes keep people addicted to cigarettes:
Well, the actual addictive qualities of nicotine are unknown so therefore this statement is founded on an unknown premise. However, the premise is immaterial to this topic, because E-cigarettes actually do the exact opposite of “keeping people addicted to cigarettes.” The long and cylindrical shape of an E-cigarette device, and the fact that there is nicotine involved, are the only things that this technology has in common with tobacco cigarettes.
There are literally hundreds of thousands (if not more) testimonials from people who have successfully used E-cigs as smoking cessation devices. Obviously there will be those who try E-cigs and return to traditional smoking. Just as there are those who chew nicotine gum and return to smoking. We don’t blame the gum, we blame the person’s lack of consistent resolve.
MYTH: E-cigarette vapor exposes other people to dangerous chemicals through second-hand inhalation:
Again, there are no “dangerous chemicals” in e-cigarette vapor. Studies of E-cigarette vapor, fumes, etc. have shown that the amounts of chemicals present in exhaled and side-stream vapors themselves are so low, they are hardly even measurable.
Additionally, vaporized glycerine/glycol is slightly heavier than tobacco smoke, and therefore does not remain airborne nearly as long as does the product of tobacco combustion. The vapor also dissipates much faster than smoke. So, with all of these facts, the threat of any e-cigarette vapor affecting anything around anyone who is actively vaping, even in an enclosed, crowded place, is nil.
MYTH-E-cigarettes are even more expensive than regular, tobacco cigs:
This is simply untrue. The economic reality is that e-cigarettes are less costly on user basis over time. Government agencies have only become interested in the regulation of e-cigarettes since the industry became a multi-billion dollar pile of potential tax revenue. Also, there are those who are simply opposed to e-cigarettes because of the material they’ve read/heard from all of the previously mentioned groups.
MYTH-E-cigarettes are a “gateway” to traditional, tobacco cigarette smoking:
Here is another statement that is actually the exact opposite of the truth. E-cigarettes are no more a gateway to tobacco use than Naloxone is to heroine. E-cigarettes are a “gateway” to healthy living without tobacco dependency, not a “gateway” to the exact addiction that people are attempting to escape with the help of E-cigarette technology. The term “gateway” gets thrown around a lot these days without any real attention being paid to what it actually means.
If you have an interest in E-cigarettes, either on your behalf or on behalf of a loved one, please take the time to consider that all of the frightening headlines floating around the Internet and news media concerning E-cigs might be just that… frightening words aimed at striking fear into the hearts of the unsuspecting. So do your research and be skeptical of news stories in general until you take the time to look into the subject yourself in order to make an informed decision, not one based on panic and dramatic presentation.