Warnings issued by big tobacco and big pharma about the dangers of propylene glycol are not grounded in scientific reality or backed by scientific research. After a study in mice at the University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital in 1942, it was thought that propylene glycol when inhaled might cause such diseases as pneumonia and other illnesses affecting the respiratory system. To determine long term effects followup studies on money and other animals were conducted. This larger study produced results that showed no ill effects from propylene glycol in the lungs.
In a newly discovered zeal to protect the health of hte public, tobacco companies and the FDA shout “danger” when discussing propylene glycol. It’s an interesting strategy as PG has been proven safe and accepted by the FDA for years. The warnings ignore the elephant in the room. E-cigarettes are safer than tobacco. Almost anything you inhale is safer than smoking tobacco.
Propylene glycol in e-cigarettes dilutes the nicotine in a solution that can be deliver to the smoker as a vapor. PG is commonly used as a food additive and is an ingredient in many products we buy. Propylene glycol is the substance that produces the fog generated by fog machines.
The warnings of the dangers of PG do not come from researchers, doctors or scientific journals. Online sites issuing warnings are full of anecdotal (and seemingly imaginary) stories and are blogs often devoted to conspiracy theories. Several comments contain the statement that “propylene glycol is antifreeze”. Well, no, it isn’t. That would be ethylene glycol. Natural healing sites and anti-smoking groups are also quick to talk about potential danger of the use of PG.
A fantastic amount of information can be found online but it’s important to know who you are listening when accepting information as fact. Baby wipes contain PG and it’s difficult to imagine the FDA making claims that a product freely allowed for use on infants is now unsafe for adults. The PG delivered to the user by the best electronic cigarettes is minimal. Some e-liquid suppliers use glycerol as a base for their nicotine solution rather than propylene glycol.
Consumers are more conscious of food additives and harmful ingredients in the foods they eat than every before. Looking at the ingredients on products you buy is a smart thing to do. We know to look carefully at labels when buying products low in sugar. Ingredients such as sucrose and fructose and various types of “syrup” may be listed and each of those ingredients is sugar.
Thirty years ago the FDA announced a ban on saccharin and any products containing saccharin. The public was in a panic and threw out their boxes of sweet and low while manufacturers hustled to change the recipes of their food products. Only later was the public told the truth.
The mice who contracted cancer from saccharin were given a daily dosage that when converted to human quantities would require a person to drink the equivalent of 400 cans of diet soda each day for months. Saccharin is freely available in stores today.
The delivery of vapor for e-cig users relies on the use of propylene glycol. The tobacco companies continue to spread false information about PG even though there is no scientific data to prove their claims
Mary Kay Rivers is an acclaimed expert on all aspects of electronic cigarettes. Her publications about steam producing electronic cigarettes used by COPD patients and about the best electronic cigarette are very famous.
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