Second-hand vape is it harmful or not
                     Second-hand vape: is it harmful or not?
wotofo.com/blogs/vape-guide/second-hand-vape
When vaping initially gained tremendous popularity, it was hyped as a better and 
healthier  solution to cigarette-related problems. Nevertheless, a recent increase in 
sicknesses,  hospitalization reports, and deaths associated with vaping products has 
changed the  conversation.
There are few products that are highly addictive and widely used by youths, causing 
what  is being referred to as the nicotine epidemic. Besides, it’s been established that it’s 
not  only those who actively use these products who face harm but other people in the 
vicinity  as well who we referred to as passive or secondary users. Passive users breathe 
in  secondhand fumes, and this phenomenon is dubbed “secondhand vaping.”
Are you safe to bogart an e-cigarette or sit in the same hall with an e-cigarette 
bogarter?  Well, there are potential dangers of exposing yourself to secondary vapor. 
According to  reports from the Centers for Disease Control, one of the world’s leading 
causes of
evadable diseases and deaths is tobacco consumption. From that evidence, anything 
that  lowers the rate of contracting tobacco-related disease and deaths improves the 
overall  health.
What is secondhand vaping?
Just like bystanders around traditional cigarette smokers can inhale smoke, they will  
breathe in aerosols from vapers around them in the same way. This is what we refer to 
as  secondhand vaping and it contains pollutants although it doesn’t produce as many  
harmful chemicals as ordinary cigarettes. You don’t necessarily need to be in close
1/6
quarters with the smoker to experience the harsh pollutants from the aerosol. According  
to research conducted in 2014, the quality of indoor air is adversely affected when 
people  vape even in a well-ventilated room.
Ultra-minute particles from the vapor can penetrate the lung cells of other people 
around  e-cig users. Another study conducted in 2018 discovered that other than 
nicotine, the  aerosol contains traces of heavy metal, flavoring products, volatile organic 
compounds,  carcinogenic chemicals, et al.
These harmful ingredients contribute to potential health risks posed by passive vapers.
From the studies, it’s true that “smog” emitted by vapes contains poisonous elements 
that  can harm secondhand vapers. Some of the toxins include:
Heavy metals: include tin, lead, and nickel. Mech mods, s ub-ohm tanks, vape  
pens, b ox mod vapes, and all types of vapes use metallic heating elements (coils)  
to vaporize vape flavor. Due to the high temperatures and through wear at tear 
after  repeated use, some traces of these metals get dislodged and escape via the  
aerosol.
Acrolein: glycerin is one of the main ingredients of vape flavor. At high  
temperatures, glycerin forms a compound referred to as acrolein which is  
associated with the irritation of the respiratory tract and delicate lung tissues. 
This  can result in respiratory illnesses like lung and throat cancers.
Formaldehyde: at high temperature, glycerin and propylene glycol (PG) forms 
a  formaldehyde compound that’s actively absorbed in the lungs. In high doses,  
formaldehyde is carcinogenic and causes various types of cancers.
Diacetyl: this is a common flavoring additive in most vape flavors. Besides, 
diacetyl  has been associated with a severe lung infection referred to as 
Obliterative  bronchiolitis (OB) or “popcorn lung” – initially discovered in a popcorn 
factory in  Jasper, Missouri where diacetyl chemical was widely used.
Benzene: classified as a volatile organic compound, the colorless and sweet-  
smelling compound may have severe health effects. For instance, benzene is 
linked  to irritation of the lung.
How does secondhand vaping work?
A proportion of e-cigarette fans have expressed their views on banning cigarette smoking 
 in public places praying this shouldn’t be extended to vapes. They have been acting on  
the belief that e-cigs aren’t harmful but how do you expect them to agree? They are just  
deluded. City dwellers understand how it takes to deal with all sorts of air pollution 
coming  from hooting motor vehicles, firefighter sirens, emissions from cars, 
decomposing  garbage, and factories, and other agents. We are already fed up with 
these nuisances.
We’re suffering from these constituents of pollution, and we don’t expect anything beyond 
 that. Although e-cigs don’t burn, they produce vapor from the vaporized liquid. Vapor 
from  these devices contains hazardous ultra-fine particles and heavy metals that 
adversely  affect the air quality posing health risks to persons around the vapers.
2/6
The amount/concentration of these toxins depends upon various factors like quality of  
vape flavor, type of vaping device, style of vaping, amount of power applied on the 
vape,  number of vapers at a particular period, and their frequency of vaping.
When active (firsthand) vapers exhale, the aerosol ingredients get dislodged on 
surfaces  like door handles, walls, table surfaces, chairs, utensils, et al. bystanders and 
other  people can be easily exposed to these elements when they come into contact 
with the  contaminated surfaces. This phenomenon is referred to as third-hand vaping 
and it’s as  harmful as secondary vaping.
Is secondhand smoking harmful?
To answer this question correctly, you should have in your mind what it takes to have  
healthy lungs. It’s as simple as breathing in “clean” air free from all kinds of pollutants 
and  other particles. E-cigarette aerosols aren’t considered clean air, so it’s clear vapor 
from e-  cigarettes is harmful to your health. That’s why anti-smoking crusaders continue 
to  evangelize the dangers of smoking and educate the public about the facts about 
tobacco  use (vaping included), and encouraging people to advocate for smoke-free 
environments.
Now that governments have gazetted public places and workplaces as smoking-free  
zones, it’s equally important to include vapes and related products under smoke-free 
law.
This will protect innocent bystanders from secondhand vape emissions as the cocktail
isn’t safe for people to inhale. There is evidence that passive vapers exposed to 
aerosols  from active vapers absorb some levels of dangerous pollutants into their 
bodies. Along
with nicotine and ultra-fine particles, these toxins increase the risk of 
developing  cardiovascular diseases.
What are the side effects of secondhand vaping?
Studies have revealed that passive exposure to vaping aerosols poses potential side  
effects to bystanders, especially vulnerable populations like kids, teens, people with pre-  
existing respiratory diseases, and expectant mothers. The rate at which “innocent” 
people  are deliberately or unwittingly exposing themselves to this looming danger is the 
cause of  concern besides the laid-down restrictions regarding consumption of vaping 
products by  municipalities, federal agencies, and global authorities.
Much of this secondhand exposure comes from people we live with, for example, when 
a  man is vaping in the living room, he’s exposing his pregnant wife, toddler, and 
teenage  son to secondhand vapor. They will indeed suffer the consequences of 
secondhand  vaping. Some population is most affected by secondhand vaping as 
described below:
1. Teens
Teens and young adults are reportedly viewed as the leading vaping population; it  
appears like the health of these younger folks is at stake as dangers of vaping are  3/6
concerned. A study conducted in 2018 showed that one-third of high-school and 
middle-
school goers reported having been exposed to vaping, directly or indirectly as 
passive  bystanders.
Other studies have hinted that vaping among young people has turned to be an 
epidemic.  Some well-known firms and personalities have faced criminal charges for 
committing  offenses linked to employing deceptive marketing strategies meant to woo 
minors to their  products.
Teenagers are usually easily influenced by peer pressure compared to their elder  
generation. It’s even hard for them to exit from some social circles that pose danger for  
their health and other social crimes. Some don’t dare to report these wrongdoings for 
fear  of being ridiculed, bullied, or hurt in the worst cases.
2. Infants and kids
Vape aerosols pose a great risk to toddlers and kids because their respiratory 
systems  are in the developing stage. Previous studies have shown exposing toddlers 
to  components of vape aerosol even in their lowest concentration has adverse effects 
on  their brain and lung development.
Also, exposing children to secondhand vaping increases their chances of contracting  
allergic reactions. Food allergies are a typical example. For instance, nuts are 
commonly  used to supplement flavoring in vape flavors. If a kind ingests or comes into 
contact with  vape flavor with such an allergen, they can experience these reactions. For 
this reason,  some governments through their respective Food and Drug authorities are 
restricting a  good number of flavored vaping products.
3. Expectant mothers
Nicotine exposure especially during pregnancy is life-threatening to the fetus, no 
debate  about that. Some of the e ffects of nicotine exposure are stillbirths, preterm 
deliveries,  sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), low birth weight, impaired respiratory 
system  development, and impaired brain development.
4. People with pre-existing ailments
People with pre-existing respiratory diseases are at a deadlier risk of being affected by  
vaping aerosols. Conditions like asthma, pneumonia, and other related ailments might  
aggravate when these victims are exposed to secondhand vaping. For instance, if you  
have a pre-existing asthmatic condition and you happen to be exposed to passive 
vaping,  the ingredients in the aerosol may irritate your lung airways causing an asthma 
attack.
Diacetyl, a common flavoring in vape flavors triggers cilia impairment in lung airways. 
The  function of cilia is to keep the air from passing away by removing mucus and dirt.  
Cilia
impairment is associated with chronic lung diseases like Chronic Obstructive 
Pulmonary  Disease (COPD).
Prohibiting vaping in public places to curb effects of secondhand vaping
4/6
Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared tobacco smoking a potential 
health  risk, most governments across the globe have implemented several policies to 
regulate  tobacco consumption like increasing taxes, legislating smoke-free laws, and 
holding
information campaigns. The majority of countries are covered by regulations 
requiring  airports, public transport, restaurants, bars, hospitals, workplaces, et al., to 
be utterly  smoke-free.
Prohibiting smoking in public places has not only lowered the exposure to secondhand  
smoke among passive bystanders but has also motivated tobacco users to quit 
smoking,  prevented initiation among admirers like adolescents, and lowered the allure 
of smoking.  The tremendous popularity and consumption of vape flavors is a cause of 
alarm,  considering their emissions are harmful to human health. While some 
governments  prohibit the sale and marketing of vaping products to minors, for example, 
New Zealand,  others like the UK and US governments have prohibited the consumption 
of vaping  products in public places.
Vaping in public places fosters various dangers. First, vaping in public places may  
encourage experimentation and ultimately uptake by nonsmokers, especially the 
youths;  cause nicotine dependence, and introduce you to consuming combustible 
tobacco.
Secondly, it might create a perception of normalizing smoking and undermine the 
efforts  established to cast the behavior as an unwelcome habit in public. That said, 
smoke-free  restrictions should be extended to vaping.
Tips for vapers
If you’re disturbed by your vaping behavior and you’re worried it may affect others, 
the  best solution is to quit the whole mess. But it’s not that easy or in any case, it’s 
not
realistic for someone who has already invested in vaping. There are other things that  
you  can do to avoid this nuisance to people around you like:
1. Vaping outside
If you want to vape, do it outside the house, car, restaurant, or anywhere where your  
family, friends, workmates, or bystanders are. Keep the air inside, and all surfaces 
free  from these dangerous contaminants so that you don’t expose others to the 
harmful  aerosol.
2. Avoid vaping around kids, or other vulnerable persons
Toddlers, kids, expectant mothers, and people with pre-existing conditions are at 
very  high risk for adverse impacts from being exposed to vape aerosol.
3. Avoid flavored vape flavors
Some ingredients used to prepare vape flavor such as diacetyl chemicals have 
been  implicated as potential causes of severe lung infections.
5/6
4. Using low-powered vape
Different types of vapes generate varying amounts of vapor and ultimately the amount 
of  aerosol emitted. Low-powered vapes with low-temperature settings produce fewer 
vapor  clouds, less harmful aerosol to the vapers and people around them.
Bottomline
Although exposure to secondhand vaping may appear like no big issue, you shouldn’t  
be  fooled by those sweet aromas. The aerosol from those lovely-looking box mods and 
sub-  ohm tanks contains as many harmful chemicals as those first-hand vapers expose  
themselves to. To be safe from these hazardous chemicals, simply avoid secondhand  
aerosols.
6/6