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| eGo Epower 2800 with 6ml Cartotank |
The other night, I was at a get together with my friends. We were all discussing our summer vacations- who went where, sights that were seen, food devoured, etc. - when my friend Zach whipped out a peculiar little gadget from his pocket. My eyes were fixated on the machine and with out hesitation I asked, "WHAT IS THAT?" He chuckled and told me that it was his new vaporizer that he got while he was in michigan. Basically, it is an e-cigarette that vaporizes "eLiquid" which is made from VEGETABLE GLYCERINE and natural or artificial flavorings. (also, eLiquids can be purchased with nicotine for the ecigarette effect) I was very intrigued by this device and its technology so I took a drag from it. The flavor was Strawberry Ice and in that moment, I knew I needed one of these portable almost-hookahs. As much as I was enamored by the vape, I needed to do some research on the health and safety of using an e-cigarette before I purchased one.
The main ingredient of eLiquid is the vegetable glycerine or glycerol. Glycerol is a ordorless, sweet tasting, syrupy liquid that is an organic compound and until 1948 was only obtained as a biproduct of soapmaking with vegetable fats. Glycerol is the main component to all lipids known as triglycerides. It is used in thousands of different products ranging from pharmaceutical to automotive and is of very low toxicity. Because glycerol has a very low freezing point, negative 38 degrees fahrenheit, it has been used as an antifreeze agent. That being said, glycerol is used often in food as a thickening or sweetening agent and is considered a carbohydrate by the Food and Drug Administration. It can be used as a supplement for sugar (which is especially important for my friend Zach because he is Diabetic) and can be used to orally to eliminate halitosis. For human consumption, the Food and Drug Administration labels glycerol as a "sugar alcohol." Many personal care products contain glycerol as a lubricant because it has moistening properties and it does not irritate the skin. Pharmaceutical companies use glycerol as a bonding agent in pills and tablets as well.
After some quick research, I now feel as though eLiquid is safe to vaporize and consume. I have never intentionally consumed nicotine so it was important for me to find a sales person who makes nic-free liquids. Zach pointed out www.mister-e-liquid.com to me and if anyone is interested in vaporizing, I would highly suggest this site.
sources:
http://www.mister-e-liquid.com/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/236029/glycerol
http://www.morethanalive.com/Vegetable-Glycerin
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-vegetable-glycerin.htm
An interesting way to approach the idea of a natural history observation! It makes sense of the way we live today where everything is made up of "substances" mixed together in different ways as ingredients, not a "pure" organism in the traditional sense. That said, you can purify a substance like glycerin and mix it in different ways and do research on its natural history as if it were its own organism! Odd.
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