By the time you’re reading this, you’re already familiar with nicotine vaping products (NVPs) or vapes – with the way they’re sold almost anywhere (and the news talking about them), you know they’re touted as the ‘healthier’ substitute for cigarettes.
There is some truth to vapes being much more favourable than cigarettes. Unlike cigarettes, vapes do not produce any smoke, which is the primary cause of health problems in cigarettes as it contains aldehydes, cadmium, and arsenic – chemicals dangerous to the body.
Even so, there are a few caveats as to why secondhand vape could have possible harms. Let’s explore them further in this post.
The Difference Between Smoke and Vapour
First, let’s differentiate between smoke and vapour to eliminate any smoke and mirrors about the whole subject.
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When something burns, it emits smoke. While some chemicals found in smoke depend on the material being burned or combusted, cigarette smoke leaves contain and/or produce (when burned) formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone, and carcinogens known to cause cancer in humans.
You can be sure that when you inhale smoke, you increase the risk of contracting various lung, stomach, skin, and other lethal diseases – including cancer.
People who inhale secondhand smoke are no exception to this, so tell off anyone smoking indoors to go into the designated smoking area.
On the other hand, vapour is created by ‘heating’ a liquid – not ‘burning’ it. Whenever liquids evaporate or boil from heating, they turn into a ‘vapour’.
So, is aerosolizing the liquid that produces secondhand vape dangerous?
More About Vapes: What’s in the E-Liquid?
To answer this question, let’s look at what makes up the liquid used in NVPs – also called e-liquids.
These liquids are prefilled with a liquid that contains propylene glycol, glycerol, flavours and nicotine. These are turned into vapour by a device, which heats up the liquid and allows you to inhale the aerosol.
E-liquids aren’t harmful if they’re specially-formulated and tested in a clean, sanitised facility, and are manufactured to pharmaceutical standards.
But e-liquids, and NVPs in general, aren’t always made equal. This factor can potentially make secondhand vape dangerous.
How Harmful is Secondhand Vape?
The logic of safety when it comes to NVPs is, “if there’s no smoke, there’s no danger.” While vapes might not cause the same harms as ciggie smoke, their manufacturing quality and intent for use plays a larger role in the safety of secondhand vape.
Vapes aren’t made equally. Some are manufactured to maximise profit and get you addicted to their products, while the superior ones are sold in pharmacies as second-line smoking cessation products.
Let’s take a look at each of them below.
Illegal NVPs
These are the NVPs you’ve already seen displayed in corner shops and your local tobacconists. They have colourful packaging and aim to entice onlookers with their vast variety of flavours, smooth sensation with every hit, and trendy designs.
However, these are products made purely for profit. They are manufactured for as little as $1 and sold with a 3,500% markup in local shops. Moreover, their attractive packaging and flavours are meant to have buyers addicted to the product – especially teens and even young children as young as five years old.
Unfortunately, these products from foreign manufacturers have questionable practices. Their ingredients and compounds are not identified. Reports have found that they can contain as high as 357mg of nicotine, foreign saliva, and nickel and lead – all dangerous elements masked by their fruity flavours.
The bottom line is, illegal NVPs were never meant for smoking cessation, so their secondhand vape can potentially bring harm to its users.
Pharmacy NVPs
Pharmacy NVPs only use the highest manufacturing standards and quality in their products made solely for smoking cessation. Their similarity with illegal NVPs ends in the way they look and are operated – everything else is a very different story.
NVPs you can purchase from pharmacies have cartridges with specially-formulated and tested nicotine-containing liquid. Every ingredient and compound contained in these products is identified (or characterized), including the compounds produced once the device aerosolises the liquid, to ensure they’re suitable for you to use during your smoking cessation journey.
Furthermore, medical NVP companies that supply pharmacies are situated inside the country and adhere to GMP and ISO standards. These products are also locally insured, just like all other medicines, giving you a peace of mind that you cannot get with illegal products.
Going back to our earlier question, the harm level of secondhand vape for both types of NVPs is likely negligible. However, this doesn’t mean you can use the device anywhere in front of non-smokers or non-vapers.
To minimise the possible harms secondhand vapour can cause to anyone else (and surely the most polite thing to do) is to head to a designated smoking area to use your NVP.
How Long Does Vape Stay in the Air?
In general, vapour and smoke can stay in the air far longer in spaces with poor ventilation compared to ones that are effectively aerated. On average, vapour can stay between a few minutes to an hour, depending on where you’re using it.
For instance, vaping inside a closed car, which has less ventilation than a room full of open doorways and windows, will cause vapour to stay around longer. There’s also a chance that any e-liquid ingredients may land on dashboards, seats, and other surfaces.
On the other hand, vaping in a designated smoking and vaping area dissipates within seconds.
This means that if you’re going to use NVPs, stay near windows and doors or do it outside enclosed spaces for everyone’s safety.
Does Vaping in the House Affect Others?
Smoking in the house definitely affects other people who live with you. Almost every room in the house can trap vapour for an hour or sometimes more, especially if it lacks proper ventilation.
Again, while vapour from NVPs is far less dangerous than cigarettes, it can cause residue to rest on surfaces. Moreover, it isn’t comfortable (nor polite) for any non-smoker or vaper (especially children) to walk inside a vapour-filled room that just exited your respiratory system.
Preventative Steps for Passive Vaping
The guidelines for passive vaping in any space is similar to smoking. Here are some of them:
- Only smoke in designated smoking areas, especially in public spots where there are many people.
- When you use your vape, be sure to be right next to a window or door, and keep any door linked to any other room that heads indoors closed.
- Open your windows when using NVPs inside your vehicle.
- Don’t use NVPs when you’re riding with non-smoking or vaping passengers. Also don’t use your NVPs while in public transportation (as you can be fined or worse).
- Never use your NVPs around older adults or in hospitals
How to Use NVPs Safely
If you’re a motivated smoker looking to use the most responsible NVP options available, here’s a short guide to help you get started.
Go Through First-Line Solutions First
Some motivated smokers can handle cold turkey just fine and see success within a few tries, but oftentimes, smokers have strong withdrawals that can draw them back to lighting a stick.
That’s where nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products come in. These are readily available and stocked at your local pharmacy.
NRT products are the most trusted quitting option available for motivated smokers. They might not imitate cigarettes, but they contain a small dose of nicotine that may be enough to alleviate your withdrawals. These come in the form of patches and gums for easy and convenient nicotine delivery.
While NRTs can be effective, they don’t work for everyone. If these haven’t done the trick for you, you may now be eligible for a nicotine prescription to use nicotine vaping products (NVPs).
Chat to a GP
As mentioned, NRT products have worked for many successful ex-smokers. But, you might have ingrained behaviours and triggers that only something that mimics a cigarette can successfully address, such as the hand-to-mouth motion, and needing something to use while having a drink with friends.
That is where NVPs become very handy in helping you fight the urge to consume tobacco.
You need a nicotine prescription before you can purchase NVPs, so you’ll need to consult with a GP to help you on your smoking cessation journey.
And, if your GP deems it necessary, they can write you a nicotine prescription for NVPs.
You can chat to your usual GP more about this.
Visit Your Local Pharmacy
Once you have your nicotine prescription, you can pop down to your local pharmacy. Over 2,200 pharmacies across Australia hold these products in-store, but any pharmacy can order these in for you if they don’t currently stock them.
Both your pharmacist and GP can advise you on how best to use the product, such as the initial setup, and the number of puffs to take when you feel withdrawals.
Summary
When it comes to the safety of secondhand vape, prevention is always the best path to take. Studies may have yet to prove the safety of secondhand vapour inhalation, but it doesn’t mean you can use it just around non-smokers and vapers and especially indoors and around young children and older adults.
The only person to benefit from your pharmacy NVP is you during your smoking cessation journey. If you’d like to get started on using it to stop smoking, we can help.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to friendly Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including via the use of prescribed nicotine vaping products, if eligible.