Being on a terrace surrounded by the scent of cotton candy or apple pie instead of cigarette smoke can also be unpleasant. It seems harmless compared to second-hand smoke from a regular cigarette, but is it? What does second-hand vaping actually do to your health?
Vaping is prohibited in all places where smoking is prohibited. In addition, a flavor ban has been in effect since the beginning of this year. So you can no longer vape with apple pie, cotton candy, or cherry flavor, although people still find ways to get it from abroad.
In order to discourage not only smoking but also vaping as much as possible, some municipalities are striving for smoke-free terraces. Not only with regard to the regular cigarette, but also vapes.
But while it has long been clear with cigarette smoke that second-hand smoke increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, less is known about the consequences of vaping, says pulmonologist Wanda de Kanter. Vaping does seem less harmful than a cigarette. “It just keeps smoldering and smoking, while with a vape that only happens when you take a puff.”
The RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) conducted research into the health risks of e-cigarettes for bystanders. Vapes contain harmful substances such as propylene glycol, nicotine and nitrosamines. How harmful this is to you as a bystander depends not only on the composition of the liquid used and how often it is inhaled and exhaled, but also on the ventilation and the space in which it is being vaped.
Second-hand vaping can lead to irritated airways
In addition, the long-term effects of these substances are not yet known, the Longfonds (Lung Foundation) tells NU.nl. But suppose you are in the car with someone who is vaping, you can assume that the risks will be greater than in an open space. “Although it will always be less harmful than second-hand smoke from a regular cigarette,” says De Kanter.
Second-hand vaping can cause irritation to the airways and increased blood pressure, says Károly Illy, director of the Longfonds and board member of the Smoke-free Generation. And by smoking – and therefore also by vaping – you tempt others. Because seeing smoking, makes you smoke. Illy finds it worrying that many young people are not aware of the serious health risks of vaping.
De Kanter is also concerned about this: “Vaping may be the better option if you used to smoke a pack a day. But for young people and young children, vaping is often the stepping stone to smoking cigarettes.”
Precisely because there is still so much uncertainty, it is important to be careful, says De Kanter. She points to a study for which all the vapes confiscated from a secondary school in Liverpool were analyzed. “It turned out that there was much more nicotine in those vapes than initially thought.”