# Vaporizer pens. What do we know about them and their affect on the lungs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vaporizer-pens-what-do-we-know-about-them-and-their-affect-on-the-lungs/696331>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 24, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vaporizer-pens-what-do-we-know-about-them-and-their-affect-on-the-lungs/696331 "2014-08-24T00:05:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vaporizer-pens-what-do-we-know-about-them-and-their-affect-on-the-lungs/696331/41 "2014-08-28T22:33:48Z")

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> [@Turble](#):
>
> Despite the sweetness of vegetable glycerin and the attractive flavors used in eliquid, the stuff tastes very nasty. It only tastes good when vaporized.
> 
> Cases of fatal nicotine ingestion are very rare, more likely to be suicides than accidents, and many of the suicide attempts fail. The stuff tastes too bad to be swallowed accidentally, and even if someone did glug some down it is more likely the person will get sick and throw up most of the juice than that he will die.
> 
> [How much nicotine kills a human? Tracing back the generally accepted lethal dose to dubious self-experiments in the nineteenth century](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00204-013-1127-0/fulltext.html)

My eliquid tastes pretty good, actually. I’ve gotten drops on my fingers while filling a tank and, stupidly, licked them off. Tastes about like it smells.

Really, I’m not making it up that kids will eat cartomizers or drink eliquid. Kids are dumb, and drink far nastier tasting things for fun. [E-Cigarette Poisonings Skyrocket, Mostly in Kids](http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/e-cigarette-poisonings-skyrocket-mostly-kids-n70961)

I’m a strong supporter of ecigs. But I think it’s foolish and dishonest to deny that nicotine liquid needs to be kept out of the reach of children. It makes us look like irresponsible jerks, and gives ammunition to those who would ban them, because we can’t be trusted to keep it safe.

And, yeah, I know the proposed change in the ld50 of nicotine. That’s why I used the new range in my post.

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**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vaporizer-pens-what-do-we-know-about-them-and-their-affect-on-the-lungs/696331/42 "2014-08-29T00:16:27Z")

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I’m not saying it shouldn’t be kept away from kids – just clarifying that the danger level is in the same category as many other common household items and substances.

It is a terrible thing, what the FUDmeisters are trying to do to this stuff.

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