Can Vape Juice Flavors Harm Your Health?

vape juice flavor harm health vaping flavors

What Is Vape Juice Flavor? 

The ideal feature of vaping is how it presents itself in a wide variety of incredibly tasting juices. This is attributed to the great flavors. 

Food grade additives are used to add flavor to the liquid. This is because the pure liquid is almost tasteless. 

Over the years, vapers have found e-cigarettes safer to use than tobacco smoking. Most findings have proven them right. An early January publication on the frontiers in the Psychology journal shares the same idea. In the research findings, the health experts cited that indeed vaping is much safer than smoking. However, this does not mean that vaping on itself is safe. 

The Experiment Carried Out On Vape Juice Flavor 

This experiment was drawn from the American Heart Association. Nine different chemical flavors were used on endothelial cells (cells lining the interior surface of lymphatic and blood cells). These cells are typical to those in the human body. The main course was to test the short term effect of the flavors on these cells. 

Results / Findings 

A 90 minute exposure of the cells to all the 9 flavors tested positive. These vaping juice flavours include: 

· diacetyl (butter) 
· acetylpyridine (burnt flavor) 
· vanillin (vanilla) 
· cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon) 
· menthol (mint) 
· eugenol (clove) 
· isoamylacetate (banana) 
· dimethylpyrazine (strawberry) 
· eucalyptol (spicy cooling) 

The conclusion made was that when used to their highest levels, these flavors kill the cells. This, in short, it means that they are toxic and dangerous. It is evident that chemical reactions take place in the vape juice. This results in the creation of an unknown compound. 

The flavor additives are mostly used in the cosmetics and food industry. The users of e-cigarettes expose themselves to harmful chemicals. This leads to short term effects. The long-term effects are yet to be established. 

The Limitations / Shortcomings Of The Experiment 

The concentration levels of the flavors used in the experiment are so high. Under normal circumstances, it would be hard to achieve those levels. However, according to a study by the American Heart Association, the achievement of low levels in the real-life situation is possible. 

The findings are weird as there is no health-related problem in which people complain about a burning air respiratory part. If this were the case, the use of traditional cigarettes could have ended. 

Note: This experiment was only based on the short-term effect of the flavors on cells. These cells are similar to those in the human body. If there are short-term effects, then long term effects should also be documented. Therefore, there is a need for more research on this. 

The research should prove beyond a reasonable doubt that e-cigarettes are harmful to your health. There are limited facts about the toxic chemical levels on the e- cigarettes. The records of previous studies on the long term effects of e-cigarettes on the human body cannot be traced nor retrieved. 

However, these findings are still significant as the short term effects may cause damage to the human system. In addition to this, some of the most popular vape juice flavors were not tested. They include the lemon twist, unicorn milk, and the beetle juice among others. It could be misleading to conclude that they are safe for use. This is due to the fact that every single tested sample of the vape juice flavors showed some level of effect. 

The Current Flavor Situation 

Currently, the approximate number of e-liquid flavors available in the market is 8,000. When mentioned, you may mistake them to some mouthwatering dessert. The names include Glazed Donut, Hawaiian Punch, Caramel Corn Crunch, Sub Zero Watermelon, Rainbow, and Rainbow Candy. The list is long. 

The electronic cigarettes are well designed to suit the needs of the ever-growing number of flavored e-liquids. A good example is a nicotine-rich solution. The vape juice flavors are primarily made by a mixture of nicotine and flavors. It is inhaled after being electronically vaporized by the e-cigarettes. Very little information is known about the vaporized solvent. There is a likelihood of mixing with other unknown elements. 

The flavored e-juices / liquids have undoubtedly led to the rise of fundamental concerns about the use of e-cigarettes. The sweet nature of the flavors mostly appeals to young people. This has drawn the attention of the FDA. This has led to the declaration of vaping a disease. In addition to this, their effect on the human body may be more adverse than imagined. 

It has emerged that apart from the composition of the flavors, there's more to worry about. This concerns the chemical produced by reactive flavors. The vape juice reacts with the flavors to produce unknown harmful chemicals. So, there's a high likelihood of inhaling unknown things. In many cases, the vaping companies indicate incorrect information about vape juice ingredients. So you end up inhaling something totally different. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged the effect posed by a wide range of vape juice flavors. The variety may easily entice and attract and addicted longtime smoker from the traditionally known cigarettes. This factor has seen an overwhelming population of young people prefer using-cigarettes. 

The Regulatory Measures Of Vape Juice Flavor 

Regulating the use of e-liquids has proven the biggest challenge. It has led to conflicting ideas between the Food and Drug Administration and the advocates. Some of the advocacy groups include The American Heart Association and the American Lung Association. 

Despite this, the FDA formulated a plan to discourage the underage use of tobacco. Among the targeted items are flavored cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, vaping devices, and the e-cigarettes. 

The FDA is seeking ways to limit the commercial activities that involve the selling and purchasing of e-cigarettes. The exclusive retailers for this commodity are located around the brick and mortar areas. In other words, these are outlets, smoke shops, and general places that can only be accessed by persons of 18 years and above. 

Vaping And The Ongoing Battle With The FDA

The FDA has put the online sale of e-cigarettes under serious and thorough scrutiny. This is through advocating for a higher age limit for the verification process. Ironically, all these measures are just meant to address the under-age use of e-cigarettes. The larger population of consumers faces the actual health risks associated with the e-juice flavors.

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