Several studies have shown that we are beginning to understand a lot about the potential effects of second-hand vapor. It is important to remember that scientifically you cannot ethically test humans for second-hand exposure; nor is there a way to determine long term effects, since e-cigarettes only hit the market back in 2007. You can, however, analyze the vapor that is emitted in an attempt to determine the potential health effects that may exist.

The overwhelming consensus is that second-hand vapor is not only safer, but some believe that it is even, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent. Varying studies have come up with different benchmarks to analyze vapor, but still most continue to confirm that the aerosol emitted in the action of vaping is not particularly harmful.

A small but disturbing study published last summer found that vaping indoors--even in a well-ventilated room--releases ultrafine particles and potentially carcinogenic hydrocarbons into the air. “Our data confirm that e-cigarettes are not emission-free,” the authors wrote. Still, studies of exhaled vapor find that such emissions turn up at concentrations so low they may not pose much of a health risk to bystanders (or vapers).

The Food and Drug Administration, which may be called upon to regulate e-cigarettes, remains cagey: “More data is needed to determine the constituents in e-cigarette aerosols and the potential risks of secondhand exposure.” But Igor Burstyn, an occupational health expert at Drexel University, argues they’re being overcautious. “It’s propaganda mixed with willful ignorance,” he says. “There are thousands of measurements from devices on the market.” His 2014 e-cigarette data review concluded that contaminants “pose no apparent concern” to bystanders.

This we can say for certain: You’re better off breathing in vapor than secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, 60 of them known carcinogens, says toxicologist Maciej Goniewicz. “In vapor, we find just a few of these, at much lower levels.”Most studies you find will agree, that there is a general benign quality with e-cigarette aerosol, or vapor, especially in the secondhand sense. A January 2014 study, published in BMC Central confirmed these beliefs when examining the idea of second-hand exposure in the workplace and beyond. In their findings, they share that, “There was no evidence of potential for exposures of e-cigarette users to contaminants that are associated with risk to health at a level that would warrant attention.” In fact, they predicted that secondhand exposures would be less than 1% of the threshold limit value that is placed on workplace air quality. While this study sees little harm in vapor, they still advise that more research should be done on first-hand exposure. The researchers conclude by reaffirming the safety of second-hand vapor emission, “Current state of knowledge about the chemistry of liquids and aerosols associated with electronic cigarettes indicates that there is no evidence that vaping produces inhalable exposures to contaminants of the aerosol that would warrant health concerns.”

Later in 2014, another study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health more specially looked at the phenolic and carbonyl compounds that are found in e-cigarette vapor. Both of these chemical compounds can cause health problems in users who are overexposed to them. However, they do not seem to be a concern for second-hand exposure, finding that, “exhaled e-cigarette aerosol does not increase bystander exposure for phenolics and carbonyls above the levels observed in exhaled breaths of air.”

Another study published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research looked specifically at the effects of secondhand e-cigarette vapor and their findings also suggest that secondhand vapor really shouldn’t be an issue. They actually criticize the idea of outdoor e-cigarette bans stating: “There is a large body of evidence suggesting that e-cigarettes are relatively harmless to the people who use them, making claims about the dangers of second-hand exposure even more spurious — especially in well-ventilated outdoor spaces where people can easily move away from someone using the product.”

Tags:VAPING  E-CIGARETTES  SECONDHAND VAPING  SMOKING HEALTH