The first e-cigarette was created as an alternative to smoking, promising a nicotine delivery method which was just as efficient as smoking – but with much fewer health risks. According to Public Health England (PHE), vaping is currently 95% less harmful than smoking. While the process of smoking involves the release of over 5,000 chemicals and tar, vaping delivers a dose of nicotine in a completely different way and most e-liquids use only 5 main components: PG (propylene glycol), VG (vegetable glycerin), water, flavoring and nicotine.
We are all well aware of the dangers of nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance linked to heart problems, lung diseases, immune system deficiencies and more.
So what if you get rid of the nicotine altogether? Does this mean that zero nicotine vaping absolutely risk-free?
Not exactly. The truth is, we still know very little about the long-term effects of vaping on health. And while no side-effects or associated health risks have yet been revealed, we still can't say with certainty that it is 100% risk-free.
Some vapers have reported allergic reactions when using PG-based e-liquids. The symptoms of the allergy may include a sore throat, skin rash, frequent sneezing, etc. It is generally recommended that those experiencing these symptoms switch to a VG-based e-liquid that has not been linked to any allergies.
It is also important to note that some of the above symptoms may be connected to nicotine withdrawal for smokers. This, if you have been smoking for quite a while and have then switched to a nicotine-free e-liquid, the allergy-like symptoms you are experiencing may your body's reaction to the lack of nicotine.
In the end, the question on whether nicotine-free vaping is also risk-free remains open. What we can say for sure is that it comes with substantially fewer risks than smoking and, if you remove nicotine from the equation, things will only get better.
Is vaping bad for your health?
As with most of these types of questions, it depends on what you compare it to.
We know for sure that vaping comes with fewer health risks than smoking — in fact, according to Public Health England (PHE), it’s a whole 95% less health risky. Why? It’s all about the difference in the way smoking and vaping deliver nicotine to your system.
Traditional cigarettes burn tobacco, which results in the release of over 5,000 chemicals, some of which have been directly linked to several cancers as well as heart and lung diseases. With iQ Vape devices, you get to avoid most of that. The five main components in e-liquids are propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, water, flavourings and nicotine (note that you can also choose nicotine-free e-liquids). While we don’t know for sure if and what other chemicals are released in as this mixture is heated, experts are unanimous in the verdict that it exposes you to significantly fewer health risks compared to smoking.
