E-cigarettes: Some say vaping e-cigarettes is worse than smoking the real thing Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/health/e-cigarettes-some-say-vaping-e-cigarettes-is-worse-than-smoking-the-real-thing#ixzz2b1t857Dh

TAMPA - Touted as a safer alternative to traditional smoking, electronic cigarettes are supposed to give smokers their nicotine fix without the cancer-causing side effects of tobacco. But some have serious concerns that the battery-operated vaping devices may actually pose more dangers to users.

Florida banned smoking in most public places more than eight years ago, but some 40 years after Gwynne Chesher started lighting up. “In 1965, everybody smoked, it was an acceptable thing to do back then."

At her worst, Chesher was puffing a pack a day and eventually, she tried to stop.  "I tried the gum; It gave me a stomach. Tried the patch; it made my heart beat fast and scared me."

So when her son, recently suggested yet something else, Gwynne signed up.

"You just inhale like a cigarette," and began what some call 'vaping.'  “It looks like smoke, but its water vapor."

E-cigarettes are battery operated.  They have the look and feel of a traditional cigarette, without the smell, the smoke and the harmful side effects, say its supporters.  Chesher said, “I was really impressed.”

Then her doctor weighed in.  “He was like 'No way! You can't use those!'”

Dr. Mike Feinstein, a spokesman for the American Lung Association said, “People are inhaling some type of chemical vaporized compound into their lungs without really knowing what's in it."

Last year, The American Lung Association issued its own warning about e-cigarettes. “This is a buyer stay away, a buyer health hazard, potentially."

Doctor Robert Greene treats lung cancer patients at the Palm Beach Cancer Institute and said the product is potentially a health hazard. “There really is no information about whether they're safe or not, and that's part of the problem."

He says with no real data on e-cigarettes, the three-year-old tobacco alternative may actually be more harmful that traditional cigarettes. "The doses of nicotine that you get could conceivably be higher than what you would get in a typical cigarette."

Ray Story said "To make that claim is obviously ludicrous."  Story is an e-cigarette distributor and CEO of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association. “At the end of the day when you look at an e-cigarette, is it addictive? Nicotine is addictive."

Authorities don't necessarily know what's inside of e-cigarettes, but the FDA tested a small sample just a few years ago and found a number of toxic chemicals including diethylene glycol - the same ingredient used in antifreeze.

Story says, “I understand they found all kinds of stuff. At one point in time you may have found whatever you want to find. If it cannot be substantiated by the other side, you have to question their motive."

The findings forced The Food and Drug Administration to issue a nationwide health warning.

Gwynne Chesher says she's decided to wash her hands of anything to do with electronic cigarettes. “I have no problem throwing them in the trash."

According to The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, e-cigarettes contain just five ingredients, all approved by the FDA. Recently, the FDA announced it will begin to regulate e-cigarettes as a tobacco product.

www.tobaccoeliquid.co.uk

Study Finds E-Liquid Contains What it Says it Does

A study published Thursday in Addiction, the journal for the Society for the Study of Addiction, has found that the contents of e-liquid are “close to what is stated on the label.”
The study, “Analysis of refill liquids for electronic cigarettes,” was performed by Jena-Francois Etter of the Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Eva Zäther and Sofie Svensson of the Analytical Development R&D Department of McNeil AB of Helsingbod, Sweden. Researchers analyzed 20 samples of 10 of the most popular brands of e-liquid with gas and liquid chromotography, looking for discrepancies in nicotine content, as well as for the presence of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol.

Their conclusion: nicotine levels were within a few percent of the amount on the label, and they found no ethylene glycol or diethylene glycol in any of the samples. While they did find other impurities, they state that all of them were “below the level where they would be likely to cause harm.”

E-cigarettes: Is a smoking alternative being choked by regulation?

VAPEIQ.CO.UK - TOBACCO E-LIQUIDS

Dozens of countries are introducing legislation restricting the use of electronic cigarettes, but their proponents say they are harmless and their use could in fact save millions of lives. Could they be right?


A group of friends sits around a table in a pub in south London, exchanging stories and putting the world to rights in a cloud of scented vapour.
One of them is 31-year-old Jonny Lavery.
"I had a big problem with death, a really big problem with dying," he says. "I wanted to avoid dying at all costs."
But three years ago, Lavery realised that as a smoker of 15 years, his chance of doing this was diminishing. Roughly half the world's smokers die from their habit. The trouble was Johnny just enjoyed it too much to quit.

Then he found an alternative - the electronic cigarette.

These gizmos contain batteries and "e-liquid" - a solution of propylene glycol or glycerine - containing a nicotine dose. A battery inside the e-cigarette heats up a coil attached to a wick. When the liquid is presented to the hot wick it produces vapour which can be inhaled.

They don't quite match the nicotine hit of a real cigarette, but they come close enough to have won over 1.3 million users in the UK alone (compared to nine million tobacco smokers). In the US, e-cigarette sales could pass $1bn (£650m) this year - up from $600m (£390m) in 2012.


Since there is no smoke, puffing on e-cigarettes is called vaping, not smoking. The group of men and women sitting in the pub call themselves vapers - they meet regularly to vape and to talk about vaping.
A little nerdy, they resemble a gang of home-brewing enthusiasts more than a stop-smoking support group.

They inspect one another's vaporizers - which come in all manner of shapes and sizes - and sniff one another's vapour. "I'm currently vaping toffee popcorn," says Shari Levy, emanating sweetness. "And this one here is coffee. And this one is tutti frutti - that's nice for the summer. Amaretto with a morning coffee is just delicious."

Say What?: Talking Vape

It’s interesting, the vernacular that’s associated with different hobbies and trends. As things become popular, they develop a language of terms, phrases, references and even jokes entirely set within a lifestyle: most of which people on the outside wouldn’t understand if they heard it… and that can be a problem.

One of the most basic and immediate human reactions is to fear the unknown: which means that people unfamiliar with vaping may be put off by the language that surrounds it. Here’s a scenario to give you an idea of what we’re talking about: It’s Friday night, you’re out at the local watering hole with a few of your friends, off in a back corner. While enjoying a tall glass of your favorite drink, you decide to talk PV’s with the group. You’re mid way through telling everyone about how your Vamo is superior to the new Joye eVic, you pull it out and at the next table over, you start to catch some snide glances coming your way. Not only are these people concerned and confused, now they’re starting to wonder why there’s small wisps of vapor coming from the device in your hand…. Let your imagination wander to the possibilities from there.

Some people may become confrontational, others may complain and even more may be a little afraid. Either way, it’s a situation that you don’t want to find yourself in. When people hear language that they’re unfamiliar with, they tend to think that you’re talking about something that they shouldn’t know about. Telling someone “not to prime their MOD too much or the atty won’t wick properly,” tends to paint a picture in people’s minds that’s most likely not on track with what you’re trying to say.
Because vaping is an 18+ hobby, we feel as though it’s only appropriate to reference a parallel one of the best 90′s trends that nearly everyone should remember: slap bracelets. Remember those entirely stupid, yet mesmerizing things? If so, you might also remember that crazed hysteria of parents who thought that their children were on some sort of new drug every time they talked about “snapping.” It’s the same concept with vaping: people don’t know what “wicking” or “atty’s” are, so naturally, they assume the worst.

There’s not a whole lot to be done about the language barrier between vapers and the general public right now. At best, offing up an explanation to someone who asks what you’re talking about is always a courteous thing to do, but in the way of assumptions, there’s nothing you really can do. Remember, eCigs are foreign to a lot of people–but hopefully the time will come when the general public recognizes terms like “Clearo” and “Variable Voltage,” just as easily as general smoking terms.

www.tobaccoeliquid.co.uk

Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco eLiquid Review

Virginia tobacco is a time-honored tobacco blend that can take on many forms, depending on who’s at the helm of the eJuice mixing process. Generally, the concept is the same: a flue-cured base that’s riddled with any number of additives to give it special notes, like honey, cherry or even oak. In the case of Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco from High Caliber E-Juice, the Vaping Press staff was mystified by the name, being able to derive little more from it than the fact that this was indeed a new take on an old blend.

Popping the top off of the bottle and giving it a cursory sniff yields even less information for our talented testers, as the tobacco notes are far and above the most recognizable ingredients, with the mystery additives failing to name themselves by smell. One thing is certain, however: this tobacco has been flue cured to the greatest extent, with extremely dry notes that signal a hearty, southern-style vape waiting to be had.

Once in a clearomizer, we’re ready to hit the go button on Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco. What we’re met with on the draw is exactly what we had hoped for: a distinguished throat hit that’s powerful and fiery. The hit holds true to the trend that many tobacco vapes have become famous for and it’s one that signals a good start to any traditional-style blend. One thing to note about this throat hit is that it’s short, but packs a punch—users who aren’t partial to the throat hit may consider stepping down a nicotine level to mitigate its effects, without losing the bold flavor that follows it.

The flavour of Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco swoops in like wildfire as soon as the initial hit is done registering. It’s a flavor that’s reminiscent of pipe tobacco, with detectable notes of what may potentially be another tobacco additive, like Turkish tobacco. Whatever the mysterious ingredients of Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco may be, they come together in an appealing way that’s impressive to both Vaping Press’ hardcore tobacco lovers and even our non-traditional vapers.

No great tobacco vape is without the cloud of vapor that follows it and Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco isn’t to be excluded from this trend. The juice has great vapor production and when vaped at higher wattages, the vapor is downright impressive.

The long of the short is that Fire Cured Virginia Tobacco is a great take on traditional flue cured tobacco, but doesn’t stray far from the ordinary. If you’re looking for a staple tobacco flavor that’s safe, this is an excellent option for you. If you’re looking for a more refined blend that takes some liberties with the formula and goes above and beyond to peak your interests, you might consider another option.