Does vaping increase the spread of viruses?

March 17, 2020 10:42 PM

Walking behind a vaper and noticing the huge cloud of exhaled vape that hung in the air, I wondered whether this could be a vector for disease transmission? I understand that nebulizers are not used sometimes as they can aerosolize particles, so wouldn’t vaping do the same?
posted by stillmoving to Health & Fitness (2 answers total)

This guy thinks so: Coronavirus: Vaping in public places could lead to spread of condition (Herald Scotland, March 16, 2020) A bacteria expert has warned against the dangers of vaping during the coronavirus outbreak - claiming those inhaling the fumes produced by the cigarette substitute is equivalent to “someone spitting in your face”.

Tom McLean, chief scientific advisor to The Nanotera Group, said “respiratory droplets” contained in the haze created by those using e-cigarettes and vaporizers could lead to the Covid-19 strain of the condition being unintentionally spread. [More at the Glasgow Times]
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:59 PM on March 17, 2020 [2 favorites]

Yes and no. The primary components of vape vapor are Propylene glycol and Glycerol (or Vegetable Glycerin as the vapers call it). Both are at least mildly anti-microbial / anti-viral. The droplets that make up the vapor are a bit antiseptic in nature. For what it's worth, the more vapor you see the more VG is in the mixture. (VG forms larger droplets when aerosolized which due to refraction makes the visible clouds that linger. PG makes smaller droplets that quickly dissipate and can be nearly invisible.)
posted by zengargoyle at 11:15 PM on March 17, 2020 [3 favorites]