I quit

On a   c o m m e r c i a l job . You must be thinking I will be quitting my job or quit smoking as I just talked about it on my last post . Well it is kind of related in a way . It is about e- cigarette . I got invited to do a commercial shoot for the newly set up company in e- cigarette in KL . The company took sometimes to explain the business model and really would love to have me as their spokes person for their brand of vapor cigarettes. These has been so very popular lately , that everyone seems to be switching from tobacco cigarette to e-cigarette without any down time or experiencing bad withdrawal symptoms . 

So let's talk about e-ciggie , before I tell you about my shoot . What actually is e-ciggie and is it good or bad for your health ? The main ingredients are volatile oil , propylene glycol , nitrosamines, antifreeze , chemical flavorings and nicotine.  The device usually uses battery (some rechargeable ) , heating coil / component , space ( to put oil or liquid ) and lastly the mouth piece . 

Volatile oil 

Mainly essential oil just like eucalyptus oil , been around for ages for aromatherapy and household use . But generally they are use topically or inhale ( air borne ) as a air refreshener but not known how it reacts in our mucosal lining / membrane when come in contact long term .  

Propylene glycol 

Well known as 'rubbing alcohol' , was widely use as disinfectant for medical devices or as a surface disinfectant . Generally not poisonous but not known if it is harmful when inhale long term

Nitrosamines and antifreeze 

They were told to be carcinogenic ( meaning they can cause cancer ) but many thing cause cancer in our daily lives. Artificial coloring in our food and cakes contains nitrosamines and antifreeze . Hair dye with ammonia causes cancer too  . BBQ grill meat causes cancer too , but did people stop having Korean bulgogi or American steak ? So go figure . 

Nicotine 

Same as tobacco ciggie and all nicotine replacement therapy in the pharmacy . Highly addictive which is the main problem and why people can't seems to quit . But the long term exposure of nicotine whitout tar and chemical additives is not known to cause cancer except for raising heart beat and constricted arteries . 

So after all the breakdown of the ingredient you should be able to figure out whether it is a good device to help to quit . The question here is are you going to quit ? Or just looking for something healthier than tar filled tobacco cigarette ? Because there is a huge difference in the two . 

Give you an example , I have a really close doctor friend and he had been on nicotine gums since we first met in university , and he is still chewing nicotine gums till today , about 10 years we've known each other . The point here is he wasn't chewing nicotine gums for quitting . You get the idea now ? 

So if you are thinking to quit of course e-ciggie is great . And if you ask why is it not marketed officially as a quit smoking device ? Well because pharmaceutical companies does not want them to eat out a big chunk of their revenue ( big OHHH ) . But if you are looking for healthier alternative but still wants the nicotine for life then e-ciggie is controversial , the long term exposure of the lung and mucous membranes of the above chemicals are not proven to be 100 % safe . On top of that the manufacture of the liquid refills may vary drastically from brand to brand . I am sure you have heard of melamine milk powder manufactured from China but those from New Zealand are absolutely fine . Same goes for e-ciggie . 

So back to the commercial shoot . I ask them during several meetings on the breakdown ingredient of the liquid refill of their brands but they kept brushing me off by saying it is confidential and not allowed to be disclosed. But I did make a little market research myself and found out the manufacturing plant could be in China. That's how it is a money making industry and with high profit margin , the liquid probably cost RMB 1c . That's not the point , I figure out this is not ethical to my line of work , so despite them paying me well and I may be the next face on the magazine cover ( show smug face and day dreaming ) for the job , I QUIT .