Thanks to its ease of use and its many flavors, the electronic cigarette is a product very popular with the French. In addition, it is a very effective tool for smokers looking to quit, especially as it also helps to combat passive smoking. And if most studies confirm that these products are much less dangerous than conventional cigarettes for our health, some work on e-liquids pinpoints certain flavors that would be far from harmless. Check out these flavors to avoid or limit for safe vaping.
What do the e-liquids in our electronic cigarettes contain?
All e-liquids contain propylene glycol (PG) and/or vegetable glycerin (VG). These clear, colorless and odorless liquids serve as the base for each e-liquid. To this is sometimes added nicotine (for smokers who wish to replace their tobacco consumption) as well as additives (to improve the flavor, the mouthfeel or the quality of the vapor), artificial sweeteners or coloring agents food. And finally, of course, we find a wide variety of flavors which bring a pleasant flavor to the user.
However, it is precisely these aromas that were pinpointed in a study published in the journal Pharmacology & Therapeutics in August 2021. Indeed, as the researchers explain: “ at least 65 flavors in e-liquids for electronic cigarettes have caused toxicity in the respiratory tract, cardiovascular and circulatory systems, bones and skin « . According to various studies, however, some perfumes are more harmful than others.
What are the most harmful flavors for vaping?
The cinnamon-vanilla flavor
According to scientists from the University of Medicine of Rochester (USA), cinnamaldehyde [ou cannelle] and vanillin [vanille] are part of most toxic flavoring chemicals on white blood cells which work for our immune defences. Other work published in 2019 in the National Library of Medicine suggests that the aroma of cinnamon can » disrupt the immune defense system in the lungs and exacerbate the risk of getting respiratory disease « . Indeed, vaping this aroma would have a very harmful effect on the elimination of mucus and the clogging of the lungs. It should also be noted that under the effect of the heat of an e-cig, vanillin turns into benzoic acid and benzenetwo known carcinogens.
Mint flavor
In their work published in April 2023 in the journal Respiratory Research, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh (United States) explain that people who vape menthol take shallower breaths and have a lower lung function than users of non-menthol products. Moreover, according to their analyses, the mint aroma » produces more toxic microparticles and would additionally be « associated with poor lung function « .
The popcorn flavor
To obtain the characteristic buttery and creamy sapidity of the taste of popcorn, one generally uses diacetyl. However, when heated and inhaled, this chemical component can become harmful to health. In any case, this is the conclusion of a study published in 2017 in the National Library of Medicine where scientists from the Commonwealth University of Virginia (United States) evoke the case of “popcorn lung” (or bronchiolitis obliterans ) in North American factories where cookies and popcorn are made. Furthermore, inhaling the popcorn scent can potentially lead to malformations in the fetusespecially in the face and cleft palate.
