Additives in Cigarettes

A lot of you have probably already seen this list. I had not before today when I went researching the chemical makeup of diketones. I just thought it was interesting and put things into perspective when it comes to flavorings. Some of the things on the list really surprised me and made me glad I’m not a smoker anymore. It is crazy to think about what I may have inhaled all those years. :smile:

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I would just like to add that a very complex juice could contain 100, or more, different flavor molecules, many of them on this list. Take a look at TFA’s Banana Cream Component list.

COMPONENT CAS Description
Ethyl Vanillin 121-32-4 >= 10% sweet, creamy, vanilla, smooth and caramellic
Vanillin 121-33-5 >= 10% vanilla, vanillin, sweet, creamy, spicy, phenolic and milky
Ethyl Maltol 4940-11-8 >= 10% sweet, burnt cotton sugar candy like, with jammy, strawberry notes
Cyclotene/Corylone 765-70-8 >= 1% and < 10% sweet, maple, bready, caramellic with nutty nuances
Veratraldehyde 120-14-9 >= 1% and < 10% sweet creamy vanilla-like
Guaethol 94-86-0 < 1% sweet vanilla-like, with a creamy anisic note
Coumarin <3,4-dihydro-> 119-84-6 < .5% sweet, creamy, vanilla, coconut and milky
Acetoin 513-86-0 < .5% sweet buttery creamy dairy milky fatty

Now lets look at TFA Pie Crust because what is Banana Cream Pie without pie crust…

COMPONENT CAS Description
Propylene Glycol 57-55-6 >= 10% no taste
Ethyl Vanillin 121-32-4 >= 10% sweet, creamy, vanilla, smooth and caramellic
Cyclotene 765-70-8 >= 10% sweet, maple, bready, caramellic with nutty nuances
Vanillin 121-33-5 >= 1% and < 10% vanilla, vanillin, sweet, creamy, spicy, phenolic and milky
Isopentyl alcohol 123-51-3 >= 1% and < 10% fusel, fermented, fruity, banana, etherial and cognac
Maltol 118-71-8 >= 1% and < 10% sweet, cotton candy, caramellic, with jammy fruity and berry notes
Furfural 98-01-1 >= 1% and < 10% brown, sweet, woody, bready, nutty, caramellic with a burnt astringent nuance
Pineapple ketone 3658-77-3 >= 1% and < 10% sweet caramellic cooked meaty and fruity nuances
furfuryl alcohol 98-00-0 < 1% burnt, sweet, caramellic, brown
Acetoin 513-86-0 < .5% sweet buttery creamy dairy milky fatty

We are already looking at a dozen, give or take or couple, flavoring molecules with just two flavorings. Add in Ripe Banana and some sweetener like Cotton Candy you have quite a few more chemicals than you might have thought. This wouldnt be a complex recipe by any stretch.

I just want people to be informed on their choice. Before i even jumped into vaping i started researching what the flavorings were comprised of. I still jumped in with both feet because either way you look at it we have taken out the combustion element. Vaping isnt safe but it is a serious harm reduction replacement for smoking simply because of the lack of combustion.

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That’s a good point and something I’ve often thought about. A flavored e-liquid isn’t just 3 or 4 ingredients. Also from what I can tell, companies don’t have to list something on the MSDS if it is less than 1% or if it a “trade secret.” You’re right that being informed is important, and believing it is safe is silly. It is about harm reduction and pros vs cons. Sure, maybe technically I shouldn’t vape, but I’d rather vape than smoke so I’ve made that choice. But, it is good to be informed about the choices I make. :smile:

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And if we consider the current research showing that incredibly low exhaled contaminants i think we all made the right choice. Compare the containment levels from 2nd hand smoke to exhaled vape to big city air and you will quickly realize vaping cant be too bad.

One comparison i would like to see is a chemical breakdown of an all natural flavoring vs some of the artificial stuff we use.

I only bring all this up because one of the people that follow me on twitter is always talking about how it is perfectly safe, he has a ton of followers. Education is the key to informed decisions. I do believe vaping is safer than taking a shower or constantly being exposed to big city air.

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I don’t know the numbers, but I would definitely be interested in seeing the breakdown of the air in a big city as well as what is inhaled from a shower, a cigarette, and a vaporizer.

Also, I’ve read several articles (on the internet, so take it fwiw) about the differences in natural and artificial flavoring, and I think I prefer the artificial stuff. I feel like there is more regulation that goes into creating an artificial flavor than a natural one and there are some natural flavors I could live without knowing I have consumed. From what I understand, the basic chemicals are the same, they are just derived from different sources.

It really irks me when people go on and on about how safe vaping is because “It’s only three ingredients! It’s water vapor!” In their zeal to defend it to the critics and the naysayers, they make claims that are not true and wind up making us and vaping look worse. Now, not only are we doing something “bad,” but we are lying about it too. I may get chewed out for saying this, but I also kind of think people should be allowed to ban vaping in their establishments if they want to. At least until we have some solid evidence that what is exhaled IS perfectly safe for other people to inhale. That being said, people fart in public and I’m not sure inhaling methane is so great. Maybe we should make a new law that you must go outside to fart. :stuck_out_tongue:

There are definitely a lot of things that need to be considered and worked out now that vaping is mainstream. Like anything, the more people do it, the more other people pay attention to it. Back when this was new and there were only a handful of people and companies it wasn’t such a big deal. Now everyone wants to know and wants a piece of the pie. I am glad that I don’t have to be the one to make these decisions or enforce them. I’m doing good just to be responsible for myself and my kid…LoL.

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Isn’t horrible who these companies and big government are poisoning people for money , while they now want to come after us because their losing profits and taxes.

All I can say is that I run every morning and when I get on main road the traffic fumes choke my lungs and is hard to breath. This never happens when I vape. Personally I don’t think smoking is any worse than being on a traffic busy street, it’s probably just as bad. Off course no one talks about that because it’s invisible unlike cig. smoke or ecig vapor.

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