Government officials have now completed an investigation of a second vape shop, finding that levels of chemicals of concern are minimal in the ambient air of the vape shop, thus not posing any significant risk to customers.
The evaluation was performed by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). Breathing zone air samples were tested for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and three chemicaals associated with "popcorn lung."
Results showed that all of these chemicals were well within the NIOSH recommended exposure levels. The formaldehyde and acetaldehyde concentrations were similar to those observed in typical U.S. homes. The "popcorn" lung associated-chemicals were not detected in most samples and detected only at very low levels in the remaining samples.
The Rest of the Story
This is now the second study conducted under the extreme conditions inside a vape shop, and like the first study, it finds that there is no evidence of significant exposure to hazardous chemicals among bystanders in this setting.
This study, although conducted under very high exposure conditions in a
small, non-ventilated vape shop with many employees and customers vaping
and clouds of vapor visible, did not document any dangerous levels of
exposure to any hazardous chemical. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde exposure was no different than in many indoor
and outdoor environments at baseline. Chemicals that have been associated with "popcorn lung" were
either not detected or detected at very low concentrations.
This study adds to the evidence that under real-life conditions,
"secondhand vaping" does not appear to pose any significant health
risks.
Despite the claims of many anti-vaping organizations, the documented
health risks of "secondhand vaping" appear to be minimal.
Based on the current scientific evidence, I fail to see the
justification for banning vaping in most public places. There must be reasonable evidence before the
government intervenes to ban a behavior such as smoking or vaping. With
regards to vaping, I just don't see any reasonable evidence at this time
that it poses any significant health hazard to bystanders.
