While we’ve touched on this a bit already, we thought we’d take some time to clear up a few common myths associated with vaping. Last week, we discussed e-liquids and toxins, but that’s only part of the story. There are a lot of assumptions made when it comes to the vaping industry, and it’s largely due to politics. They say knowledge is power, and it’s never been more true. Let us enlighten you…

Myth: E-cigarettes aren’t less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.

We’ve seen this before. Because vaporizers are relatively new, it can be difficult to speculate on their long-term health effects, and Americans tend to fear the unknown. Despite the CDC’s claim that there’s no conclusive evidence, continuing independent research repeatedly indicates that any health risks associated with vaping are unlikely to exceed five percent of those associated with tobacco cigarettes. When it comes to cigarettes, much of the harm comes from the combustion of the tobacco, and with water vapes, that combustion is replaced with vapor, allowing smokers to get their nicotine fix in a less toxic way. For example, using water bubbler vaporizers are fun and safe way to smoke up.

Myth: Vaping is a gateway to smoking.

This is a topic frequently discussed among healthcare professionals and institutes, often positively correlating the rise in vape pen use to an increase in smoking, especially within high school students. However, when you look at the facts, an inverse correlation appears. In 2015, the CDC’s National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that while 24 percent of high school students reported using vapes or e-cigarettes, cigarette smoking had dropped to just under 11 percent -- the lowest rating in 24 years. This kind of data is difficult to ignore and completely busts the myth that vapes are a gateway to smoking. Vaporizers can’t be called a gateway while smoking continues to decline.

Myth: The nicotine in e-liquids cause cancer.

Anything and everything causes cancer, it just depends on who you talk to. Whether or not the item in question actually does is another matter. As previously mentioned, the negative effects of smoking are largely related to the carcinogens and tar that are created when tobacco is burned. Since e-liquids don’t burn, the chance of inhaling those toxins is diminished. Additionally, there hasn’t been any evidence to relate nicotine to cancer. Yes, it is habit-forming, but so is caffeine. E-liquids can also range in nicotine potency, up to and including zero-nicotine. Smokers are free to choose the amount of nicotine that they’re vaping, eliminating the need for worry.

Myth: Vapor contains formaldehyde.

In 2015, a peer-reviewed study reported that at very high temperatures, the vapor produced from a water vape can contain harmful amounts of formaldehyde, a carcinogen found in tobacco cigarettes. However, it also acknowledged that when vaping at normal temperatures, formaldehyde was not present. Additionally, this study tested the formaldehyde levels of dry hits, which are something that vapers try to avoid. The claims presented in this study take vaporizers to degree that would either not be achievable by vapers or would be actively avoided, thus debunking its findings.

As more research is available, perceptions of smoking are sure to change. While we wait for the rest of the country to come around, it’s up to vapers to stay educated and know the facts.