Call to Investigate Passive Vaping
EU-funded investigation to look at second-hand vape emissions.
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by Dave Cross
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Doctor Farsalinos was considering this in 2014, when he was commenting on a 2009 study. The researchers stated: “Our results show that non-smokers passively exposed to e-cigarettes absorb nicotine,” but Farsalinos questioned whether it would lead to dependence or cause them harm. The answers were the same, ‘no’.
The level of cotinine detected in the saliva of passive vapers is approximately 1200 times lower than active smokers. “Such levels are not only harmless,” said the doctor, “but have absolutely no biological effect, even according to the strictest regulatory definitions.”
The question for some researchers appears to be ‘is there any of it there’ rather than ‘does it do any harm’. This was certainly the case in the study we reported in May, where there was a claim that not only did second-hand vape pose a risk but there was a third-hand vape to worry about too.
Such research elects to ignore findings to the contrary because they pose an inconvenience. Admittedly, coming from a company linked to Big Tobacco doesn’t make this “Indoor Vaping ‘Unlikely’ To Pose A Health Risk To Bystanders” pill any easier to swallow.
So, to air quality.
On one hand you have the likes of this study, from university departments with ties to the pharmaceutical industry, laying claim that indoor air quality is compromised through ecig use – but only going so far as to say: “pollutants COULD be of health concern for users and second-hand smokers.”
On the other hand, and in a similar scaled study, a researcher concluded: “fears over nanoparticles in the United States are incredibly overblown. The particles from e-cigarettes are mainly liquid droplets constituted of water. These particles evaporate very fast and disappear 10-15 seconds after the puff, transferring to the gaseous phase.”
But it is this “overblown” fear that is embraced by many. Tobias Schripp, a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany told the Washington Post: “It is a common misunderstanding that the exhaled vapour is ‘just water vapour,’ ” adding that he found nicotine and propylene glycol in vape. This remains the only genuine concern to date for vapers who may have family members who are PG intolerant; even then it is a very small issue.
Esteve Fernández, running the EU-funded TackSHS project, buys into that aspect. Rather than consider the actual risk to health (as mentioned by Farsalinos), Fernández says: “They do produce tobacco-specific nitrosamines which are carcinogenic. We know that the aerosols from e-cigarettes contain nicotine that can be assimilated by bystanders exposed passively to the aerosol and also benzene and other compounds present in the aerosol.”
It’s almost as though the EU will receive the conclusions it is paying for in order to support the Tobacco Products Directive.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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