Are E-cigs safer than tobacco cigs?

I know this is a weird place for this. But we have some smart mofos in the hallucinatory section. A few days ago, I bought a blue cig pack. it comes with a cig pack looking thing, an e-cig, and cartridges with flavored nicotine. I haven't smoked a tobacco cig in 2 days now. I'm a little on edge, and still crave a real cig sometimes... but it's not bad, and I can get used to it. Then, it might be easier to quit the E-cigs! I just want to know if it really is really safer... supposed to have 0 carcinogens.

It is safer, but it is still not "safe." Obviously it lacks the nasty combustion by products like polyaromatic hydrocarbons (literally tar) that are carcinogenic and other products that exist in tobacco smoke. A recent study found they still cause irritation to the lungs and the nicotine itself is bad for your lungs by virtue of causing vasoconstriction and interfering with oxygen exchange.
So we know it's safer but have no idea how much safer. But I would bet it's a pretty good amount. Obviously given up nicotine completely is the best thing for your health, but this is still probably a pretty big step in the right direction.
And this is a perfectly acceptable section. It is the section for the discussion of drugs other than marijuana. Nicotine is definitely a drug and even more certainly not marijuana.

Skuxx said:

I just want to know if it really is really safer... supposed to have 0 carcinogens.

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Still contains nicotine. Nicotine is cancerous. Lung cells get cancer from it. Sure, you cut down on a shitload of other possible bad things, but the major element, the nicotine, the chemical we KNOW directly triggers certain reactions in cells which become cancer, that you are pumping into yourself.

I say this as a smoker who rolls 20-30 smokes a day. Hmm Bally Shag Light (yellow can) and flavored (FU Obama, making my papers illegal for a while) papers. Click. Drag. Ahhh.

Nicotine isn't particularly carcinogenic, especially when compared with the combustion products like the PAHs.

MrEDuck said:

Nicotine isn't particularly carcinogenic, especially when compared with the combustion products like the PAHs.

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What? Not your area, I see.

https://www.google.com/search?q=direct+causation+of+lung+cancer+via+nicotine

I'll argue with you after you've read a bit.

I'll wait.

Well I looked at the first and third links. The first was a paper from Scitable that was about a genetic factor massively increasing risk. The third was about nicotine speeding tumor growth, but not directly causing it. In fact the second sentence of the article was "Tobacco smoke contains agents that cause cancer. But nicotine itself isn't one of them. Instead, nicotine promotes the growth of existing cancer cells."
Nicotine does many other nasty things to the body even in chronic low doses, and at higher doses it's an extremely potent poison.

There are some other carcinogenic properties in the leaf itself beyond the nicotine (which I am given to believe is only slightly carcinogenic by itself) - while they may or may not have the properties of the elements of combustion - we can see that those who chew get cancer of the mouth and throat as well.


(and of course there is cigar smoke - which is never inhaled and has fewer chemicals... but is no wiser than any other form of use) It is, however, more enjoyable than any other method.

I'm aware nicotine is still bad. I didn't really know the extent of it until doing a little reading just now.... I always thought nicotine was fairly harmless, and it was all the other bs, and smoke killing me....I've been smoking for 9 years, so I do think this is a big step that I've made. I don't really enjoy these e-cigs as much, so I i've already cut down on nicotine consumption (the cartridges say how much nicotine is in them, and you can look up how much your brand of cigs usually contain). The first few days I was an asshole, but now it's reversed and I'm happy/energetic. Hoping to stay on this path!

I know what my new years resolution will be this year. I refuse to be a decade cig smoker. Thanks for all the info. I recommend them also, if anybody is smoking like a pack + a day.

TGIF cheers!

MrEDuck said:

Well I looked at the first and third links.

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It's going to take a lot more than 2 links to really be sure. There is 50 years of misinformation and buried studies. I gave the starting point, but I've no longer got access to the full papers (I used to have a back door, legally, to all lexis nexus legal and medical databases) so I can't provide the level of detail I'd like. Oh well, I'm not here to argue (much).

But I suggest you do a LOT more reading. Research has shown how nicotine directly triggers cancer in lung cell, it can show up via the blood stream, just the nicotine, and cause the cancer. But there is a HUGE amount of misinformation. You cannot prove a negative, at least not this type, so that can have study after study showing what they don't find, and pretend that is all of it, and bury the ones with the links. Follow the source of the money for studies before you judge their value. I spent a couple of days with the lead tech researcher for the FL tobacco lawsuit at an Oracle conference. She worked for the state of FL. She was hot. Anyway, this shit kills, it kills directly via cancer and other methods, and there was (and still is) a huge amount of money to be made with it. So whatever they can bury or misdirect, they will.

I can say that I'm not a licensed professional, but e-cigs taste better than regular cigarettes! (Currently smoking a signature flavor from ECigExpress called Premium Tobacco!)

testtime said:

Still contains nicotine. Nicotine is cancerous. Lung cells get cancer from it. Sure, you cut down on a shitload of other possible bad things, but the major element, the nicotine, the chemical we KNOW directly triggers certain reactions in cells which become cancer, that you are pumping into yourself.

I say this as a smoker who rolls 20-30 smokes a day. Hmm Bally Shag Light (yellow can) and flavored (FU Obama, making my papers illegal for a while) papers. Click. Drag. Ahhh.

Click to expand...

Have you ever tried the Peter Stokkebye rolling tobaccos? I like them better than Bally Shag, super smooth and tasty.

Oh yeah, I still recommend these as an update. I smoked a few tobacco cigs when I drank one night. But not besides that. I only hit the blue a few times a day now... and only one puff each time. After the first few days without tobacco (which was hard)... it got easier to taper back. I think it's because I don't really like smoking the blues. they taste alright... but it's not the same feeling in my lungs as tobacco. not as enjoyable as a marlboro menthol. but I've cut back so much.... i'll probably be able to quit soon. then I'll give these things away if anyone is interested.

Used to smoke over a pack a day. I'd wake up multiple times in the night, and need to smoke a cig to get back to sleep. that's pretty bad. I wake up and need to smoke a bowl still... working on that

I'm starting to think I'm not really addicted to nicotine.. i was addicted to tobacco in general. maybe some of the additives... maybe the menthol... but I never really crave these blues. I smoke them for god knows what reason now. it's a mental thing.