Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about the FDA's decision to classify Advanced Personal Vaporizers as tobacco products. For Anti-Vapers this is a huge victory. It's a nod to the fact they were right all along: an e-cigarette is nothing more than a cigarette in disguise. For Vapers and their supporters this is a huge step in the wrong direction. To them, it is nothing more than a slap in the face that could lead some vapers back to smoking. The Anti-Vapers may be winning the fight, but are they right? Is Vapor Tobacco?

What Is Tobacco?

Tobacco is an American nightshade plant with nicotine rich leaves. The leaves are cured by drying and fermentation before being processed into cigarettes. Tobacco's nicotine can be ingested in two ways: inhalation or absorption. To inhale nicotine, tobacco is set on fire and the smoke inhaled. To absorb nicotine, tobacco is put in the mouth and nicotine enters the bloodstream through mucosal membranes.

What is Vapor?

Vapor is the result of heating eLiquid in an APV. Essentially, vapor is eLiquid. eLiquid is a mixture of nicotine, food grade flavorings, propylene glycol, and/or food grade vegetable glycerin. These products are sold in the US without restriction. Vapor is ingested by inhaling the aerosol produced during the process of heating eLiquid.

What is in Tobacco Smoke?

We all know smoking is bad, but why is it bad? What exactly is in tobacco smoke that makes it such a danger to those who light up and those around them? Cigarette smoke contains 4000 chemicals. 43 of those chemicals are carcinogens and over 400 are toxins. Not only is nicotine addictive, but cigarettes contain tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia, cyanide, arsenic and a slew of other poisons. These poisons aren't isolated to the person smoking. Second-hand smoke is a proven danger to all those exposed.

What is in Vapor?

Studies report vapor fumes contain VOCs, carbonyls, PAHs, nicotine, TSNAs, and glycols. Are these chemicals bad for you? Inhaling any chemical could be bad for you. Vapers do not claim vapor is healthy - only that vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking. Are vapers correct? Is vaping a healthier alternative to smoking?

The amount of chemicals found in vape clouds are much smaller than those found in cigarette smoke. Not only is the amount of chemicals smaller, but the levels are much lower too. You're likely inhaling these chemicals in a vape free environment any way. Aerosol air fresheners, cleaners, and scented dryer sheets produce VOCs too. PAHs are released while cooking steak on the grill. As for TSNAs found in vapor, they are so low studies have said "they are virtually undetectable." The FDA and EPA deemed glycols safe long ago. What are we left with? carbonyls? Only eLiquid heated with Ni200 coils produces carbonyl. Formaldehyde is the same - it is only found in vapor when a mod is hitting over 5V. The nicotine found in vapor clouds is 10x less than that found in traditional smoke. After doing a little research, it seems clear the risks are much lower.

Does Nicotine Make Vapor a Tobacco Product?

If vapor studies mostly agree vapor is a safer choice than smoking, why has the FDA classified it as tobacco? What was their justification for this classification? Both products contain nicotine. Is the presence of nicotine enough to label something as a tobacco product? Cauliflower, eggplant, potatoes, and green tomatoes all contain nicotine. If the presence of nicotine is enough to cause regulation, when will we see restrictions placed on french fries?

According to the FDA, their decision was partly based on statistics showing the rise of tobacco use among children. Yet, 48 states already placed age restrictions on the sales of vapor products. The FDA had no need to step in and do this for us. As far as cutting out the use of tobacco among children, isn't that a parents job?

The classification of vape as a tobacco product will not stop teens from smoking. It will curb the growth of the industry and many will lose their jobs. Potentially, less adults will seek healthier alternatives to smoking. So, who is the FDA looking out for here? Could this be another ploy by our government to generate money by placing unnecessary restrictions on taxpaying citizens? I'll let you make your own mind up about that.

Join the Fight

Yes, the damage is already done. However, I am a firm believer it is never too late to make a change. I urge Pro-Vapers to contact local politicians, find out who supports vaping rights, and rock the vote. Join one of the many vaping advocacy groups out there: the CASAA, SFATA, or the AVA. Sign petitions. Buy from vape shops and companies, like Carolina E-Cigs, who are fighting for your right to have an easily accessible smoking alternative. Do something. Vapor is not tobacco. The chemical make up is different, the health risks are different. Don't let the FDA strip you of your rights.

Information in this post came from several sources including: FDA, EPA, E-Cigarette Research, Medical Discovery News, MedPage Today, NY Daily News, Cancer.org, Treat Tobacco, and several others.