Are electronic cigarettes harmless?

Recently, electronic cigarettes have been attracting so much attention that they are selling out one after another, probably due to the increasing number of smokers with fewer places to smoke, higher cigarette prices, and narrower shoulders.

However, there are many people who are concerned about the health hazards of secondhand smoke, such as nicotine, tar, and formaldehyde, to the smoker and those around him or her. Many people are concerned about the health hazards of secondhand smoke. 

This article will therefore explain whether e-cigarettes are harmful to health. First, please understand that there are two types of e-cigarettes: "e-cigarettes containing nicotine," such as Icos, and "vapes," which are vaporized liquid and inhale water vapor, and that the health-related issues differ for each type.

Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes such as iQOS and glo are not "e-cigarettes".

Strictly speaking, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes such as iQOS, glo, and Plum Tech are not electronic cigarettes.

In Japan, the term "e-cigarette" refers to a "vape," which is a vaporized liquid of various flavors that is heated and inhaled without the use of nicotine.

In contrast, iQOS and glo are tobacco cigarettes in which tobacco leaves are processed into a paste that is heated to produce vapor that is inhaled.

What is an electronic cigarette vape?

A vape is a type of electronic cigarette that is generally heated and smoked with a liquid called liquid, which is mainly made from vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, and flavoring.

Vape liquids made in Japan do not contain nicotine or tar like cigarettes, so they are not harmful to the body.

One of the features of the liquid is that there is quite a wide variety of flavors to choose from. The amount of smoke emitted by a vape is not much different from that of a regular cigarette, but the component of the smoke is water vapor, so there is no health hazard due to secondhand smoke. At the same time, the smell of tobacco is less likely to stick to clothes, furniture, etc.

The main difference between a vape and a cigarette is the presence or absence of nicotine.

The main difference between Icos and electronic cigarettes (Vape) is that Icos and other e-cigarettes allow the ingestion of nicotine.

For smokers, a cigarette is an item to ingest nicotine, so it can be said that iQOS and glo provide more satisfaction from smoking than other e-cigarettes.

In addition to nicotine, vape features a wide variety of flavors, such as fruit and menthol, making it suitable for smoking cessation in terms of distracting from the loneliness of the mouth.

Is iQOS harmless to health?

The reliability of iQOS as a product was itself questioned at the end of May 2017, when overseas news spread throughout Japan via the Internet that iQOS was found by the vape manufacturer to have higher concentrations of some carcinogenic substances compared to paper cigarettes.

Although iQOS is an electronic cigarette that provides nicotine, it produces almost no secondhand smoke, which non-smokers dislike. Although the vapor looks like smoke, it has the advantage of not bothering people around it because the harmful substances contained in the secondhand smoke of regular cigarettes are reduced by more than 90%.

In addition, the smoke contains only nicotine without inhaling the tar produced during combustion, which is the cause of the health problems associated with cigarettes. The paper used to wrap the tobacco leaf is not burned, but only heated, which reduces the harm to the smoker as well as secondhand smoke to non-smokers.

How safe is the liquid?

In conclusion, vape liquids sold in Japan are safe.

However, there are people who complain of health problems even with gum, cosmetics, toothpaste, etc., so it is important to understand that we cannot clearly state that they are perfectly safe.

In Japan, the use of nicotine in e-cigarette liquids is prohibited by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.

However, because it is possible to import nicotine-containing liquids from overseas via the Internet, there are users who smoke disposable e-cigarettes with nicotine-containing liquids even in Japan. Naturally, nicotine-containing liquids are considered dangerous because nicotine poses various health hazards.

Regarding the safety of nicotine-free liquids, the main ingredients of e-cigarette liquids are propylene glycol (PG), glycerin, and flavoring.

Propylene glycol is an organic compound used as a moisturizer and emulsifier, and is considered low in toxicity if not taken orally in large quantities and in low doses, as evidenced by its presence in foods such as noodles and alcoholic beverages and in pharmaceuticals.

Glycerin is a type of alcohol used as a food additive, sweetener, preservative, thickening stabilizer, cough syrup, toothpaste, medicine, and cosmetics.

The website of the manufacturer of glycerin states that "no specific hazards have been identified.