Have you ever wondered what’s inside the friend by your side you keep sucking and blowing? A heart, probably. You should text him. But have you also cared to wonder what’s going on inside that little vape of yours? Well, we may just have the answers for you.
VICE Australia sent three popular vapes over to Celine Kelso at the School of Chemistry and Molecular BioScience at The University of Wollongong. It was all in a bid to see what makes that vice of yours tick and also investigate why they can be so addictive to people who use them.
And who better to talk about vices than VICE? (Sorry, I had to. Puns are my vice.)
The three vapes sent over to the Gong were the IGet XXL (Kiwi Ice flavour), the IGet King (Passionfruit, Pineapple and Cranberry Ice flavour) and a Gunnpod (Wildberry flavour).
Here’s a summary of the findings that were handed back from the lab:
A Bad Vegetable
Per VICE, every vape sent to the lab contained Vegetable Glycerine and Propylene Glycol.
“The ratios of each can vary depending on the manufacturer,” said Dr Kelso.
“The percentage of each will affect the amount of vapour that is created or aerosol that’s created when vaping.
“So, if you have a lot of Vegetable Glycerin, you will get a big cloud. If you have less of the Vegetable Glycerin, you’ll have a little cloud.”
There hasn’t been much research into whether or not the inhalation of these substances can negatively impact your body. Some studies conclude that they can be pretty rough on your lungs, but we’re still in the early days.
Forbidden Flavour
“In terms of the flavouring used in there, it’s common flavouring,” said Dr Kelso.
“So you’d find it in typical lozenges, candy and in other kinds of commonly consumed compounds.
“But those are meant to be ingested — eating them. There’s very little data in terms of the adverse effects of those compounds when they’re inhaled.”
Per VICE, long-term exposure to vape flavours that are banned can be harmful. Some flavour compounds produce aldehydes during the process of huffing and puffing them, which are by all means more toxic than your ex who looks like Waluigi.
So yeah, maybe don’t suckle on that Roast Chicken E-Liquid your cousin gave you. Don’t even get me started on the Tuna vapes.
Nicoteenage Nightmare
According to VICE, one full Gunnpod vape is estimated to have the nicotine equivalent of 30 whole cigarettes at 305.123mg of nicotine.
For reference, your average cigarette contains around 8-20mgs.
“However, when smoking a cigarette, not every mg of nicotine is inhaled as it burns,” said Dr Kelso.
“The average quantity of nicotine inhaled is about 1.1-1.8 mg of nicotine per cigarette.
“This means that for a pack of 20 cigarettes, you’ll likely inhale 22 to 36 mg of nicotine.”
Despite the nicotine levels being way higher, Kelso still claims that a cigarette is more harmful than a vape.
“It’s well known that there are a lot of other things, other than the flavour and the nicotine, that you’re inhaling when you smoke a cigarette,” she said.
“So vaping is bad but it’s less harmful than an actual combustible cigarette.”
Well, there you have it, folks. The inner machinations of a vape.
This article is not intended to encourage or promote the use of vaping or other tobacco products like cigarettes. The consumption of tobacco is harmful to your health and can cause lung cancer.
