Millions of people in the UK have made the switch from smoking to vaping, with vape shops becoming a regular addition to high streets and shopping centres in towns all across the country.
One of the many reasons that people prefer vaping over smoking, is that they can do it indoors in their own homes and feel that it will not leave a nasty smell, stain or smog, like the ones associated with smoking traditional cigarettes indoors would have.
But how does vaping indoors affect the air quality in your home?
What Are E-Cigarettes?
E-cigarettes are electronic devices used as an alternative nicotine delivery system to smoking traditional cigarettes. They work by heating e-liquids to create a vapour, which the user can inhale in the same way they would a cigarette.
These e liquids are made up of a mix of nicotine, vegetable glycerine (VG), propylene glycol (PG) and flavourings, although some people choose to use e-liquids that contain no nicotine. These liquids, although available in traditional tobacco flavours, are also available in a wide variety of different flavours, from fruity, to menthol, to dessert type flavours.
Because e-cigarettes do not burn any materials, and do not contain any of the harmful additives and carcinogens that cigarettes do such as tar and carbon monoxide, they have been proven to be at least 95% safer to use and are helping many people worldwide pursue a healthier lifestyle through their use as a stop smoking aid.
What Is Their Effect on Air Quality?
A recent study conducted by Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, and Fontem Ventures, has found that the air quality of a room where a person is vaping returns to normal within seconds of the person exhaling, while the smoke from a cigarette can take up to 45 minutes to dissipate.
The study, entitled ‘Characterization of the Spatial and Temporal Dispersion Differences Between Exhaled E-Cigarette Mist and Cigarette Smoke’, has found that e-cigarettes have less of an affect on the surrounding air quality even than burning scented candles, and supports previous evidence that vaping in your home does not present a risk of ‘second hand vaping’ to members of your family who are non-vapers.
While even in the worse conditions, a completely unventilated room, vapour from an e-cigarette evaporated in less than a minute, allowing the air quality to return to normal, cigarette smoke took 30 minutes to completely dissipate in a well-ventilated room.
This evidence can help those who vape indoors, whether it be at home or in the workplace, rest easy in the knowledge that they are not negatively affecting the surrounding air quality for any other people with whom they share the space.
That being said, in the interest of other people we recommend that you ensure any people with whom you are sharing a room, such as an office or break room, are happy for you to vape in their presence, and that you have the expressed permission of the owner of the space.
Many indoor public places such as shopping centres and indoor attractions do not allow vaping inside the premises, we ask that you always respect the wishes of these such places and only use e-cigarettes in areas where they are permitted.
If you are looking to make the switch from smoking to vaping, pop in to one of our 30+ UK vape shops and speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable members of staff for advice and help on selecting an e-cigarette and e-liquid to suit you. Alternatively, our full range is available on our online vape shop.
Sources:
https://academic.oup.com/ntr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ntr/nty121/5040053
Millions of people in the UK have made the switch from smoking to vaping, with vape shops becoming a regular addition to high streets and shopping centres in towns all across the country.
One of the many reasons that people prefer vaping over smoking, is that they can do it indoors in their own homes and feel that it will not leave a nasty smell, stain or smog, like the ones associated with smoking traditional cigarettes indoors would have.
