While electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) usually come with nicotine-packed e-juices, nicotine-free e-cigarette flavors are also available. Nicotine-free e-liquids offer a different vaping experience to consumers. Some people even believe that their risk of addiction to vaping is also lower.
As of today, researchers are still unsure of the long-term health effects related to vaping products. Federal health investigators have been researching an outbreak of a serious lung disease that was linked to e-cigarettes. Some vape manufacturing companies have also claimed that their products are 100% safe. In contrast, the data from available research suggests that vaping nicotine-free e-juices could be equally harmful to the body as nicotine e-juices. Here is everything you need to know about the side effects of vaping nicotine-free e-juices.
What Are E-liquids
Also called e-juices, e-liquids refer to the solutions that are heated by vaping devices to produce an aerosol for vaping. Depending on the kind of e-liquid they use, vaping side effects may differ from person to person. The chemical components of e-juices also vary over a wide range between the various brands. But for the most part, a typical e-liquid contains ingredients like water and propylene glycol, in addition to glycerin. The enjoyable world of vaping has tons of delicious e cigarette flavors that many users cannot just resist.
Vape manufacturing companies usually introduce different additives (flavors) into their products. Since the vaping industry is largely unregulated, researchers fear that the ingredients for e-juices may contain chemicals that aren’t safe.
Side Effects of Nicotine-free E-cigarette Flavors
The use of nicotine-free vapes may help prevent dependence as well as other negative side effects related to nicotine. However, that does not mean vaping without nicotine is 100% safe. The following side effects may also occur even if you vape nicotine-free e-cigarettes.
- Lung throat irritation
It has been known that vaping e-liquids can be irritating to the lungs and throat. Professional vapers refer to this effect as the “throat hit.” When you inhale the e-cigarette vapor, you may experience this burning sensation in your lungs and throat.
- Inflammation
In 2018, one research study showed that flavoring ingredients in vapes can also cause damaging effects to lung cells. The e-liquid used in this study was nicotine-free. Chronic lung inflammation can cause irreversible scarring to the lungs. As researchers continue to study the risks involved in e-cigarette flavors, emerging evidence suggests that they are potentially harmful to the vital organs in the body.
Smoking Cigarette vs Vaping Nicotine-Free E-cigarette Flavors
The CDC has estimated that about 480,000 people die in the United States every year as a result of cigarette smoking. This nearly accounts for 20% of all deaths in America every year. Comparatively, the risks of smoking are likely greater than that of vaping nicotine-free e-cigarettes. Scientists and researchers will need to carry out extensive studies of vaping before concrete conclusions can be drawn.
The bottom line is that although some consumers claim that vaping is a safer alternative to smoking, negative and harmful side effects are still there, even in the absence of nicotine.
