Warnings issued by big tobacco and big pharma about the dangers of propylene glycol are not grounded in scientific reality or backed by scientific research. After a study in mice at the University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital in 1942, it was thought that propylene glycol when inhaled might cause such diseases as pneumonia and other illnesses affecting the respiratory system. To determine long term effects followup studies on money and other animals were conducted. This larger study produced results that showed no ill effects from propylene glycol in the lungs.
In a newly discovered zeal to protect the health of hte public, tobacco companies and the FDA shout “danger” when discussing propylene glycol. It’s an interesting strategy as PG has been proven safe and accepted by the FDA for years. The warnings ignore the elephant in the room. E-cigarettes are safer than tobacco. Almost anything you inhale is safer than smoking tobacco.
In e-cigarettes propylene glycol is used to dilute the nicotine and provide a solution that can be vaporized and deliver nicotine to the e-smoker. PG is a commonly used food additive and is the substance used in fog machines. It also appears on the label of ingredients of many of the food products we routinely buy.
The warnings of the dangers of PG do not come from researchers, doctors or scientific journals. Online sites issuing warnings are full of anecdotal (and seemingly imaginary) stories and are blogs often devoted to conspiracy theories. Several comments contain the statement that “propylene glycol is antifreeze”. Well, no, it isn’t. That would be ethylene glycol. Natural healing sites and anti-smoking groups are also quick to talk about potential danger of the use of PG.
A fantastic amount of information can be found online but it’s important to know who you are listening when accepting information as fact. Baby wipes contain PG and it’s difficult to imagine the FDA making claims that a product freely allowed for use on infants is now unsafe for adults. The PG delivered to the user by the best electronic cigarettes is minimal. Some e-liquid suppliers use glycerol as a base for their nicotine solution rather than propylene glycol.
Consumers are smart to closely examine ingredients in the products they eat or inhale. We have all become more educated about food additives that may cause problems even as they add healthy color. We know to check for a variety of terms when looking for low sugar product as sucrose, fructose and various “syrups” are alternate names for sugar.
The saccharin scare thirty years ago is a valuable example of the folly of acting on incomplete information and drawing incorrect conclusions. The FDA banned saccharine which was a very popular sweetener used as an additive in many packaged foods and. The FDA stated saccharin had caused cancer in mice and panic ensued. Companies lost a lot of money in changing the ingredients in their products and the public tossed out boxes of Sweet and Low which was a popular saccharin product.
To induce cancer in mice who ingested saccharin researchers had provided extremely high doses of the ingredient. The scientific “proof” offered by the FDA was rejected by the scientific community. The affected mice were given a daily dose of saccharin that could only be ingested by a human drinking 400 cans of diet cola a day for many months. Saccharin is totally available to the marketplace today.
Propylene glycol is a necessary ingredient for delivery of e-cig vapor. There is no evidence ths PG causes any danger to electronic smokers despite the efforts of tobacco companies worried about the competition.
Mary Kay Rivers has become a true expert on all facets of electronic cigarettes. Her publications about the less harmful electronic cigarettes for COPD patients and about the best electronic cigarette are very famous.