What is Propylene Glycol?

Propylene Glycol is an organic chemical compound. It has a number of industrial uses, but also has the distinction of being rated by the FDA as a food additive that is “generally recognized as safe.”

It is used to help maintain moisture when used in cosmetics, medicines and food. It is also a common component to food colors and artificial flavors. It can exist in a vapor-form when heated and has very little environmental impact. It usually breaks down in a matter of hours in the atmosphere and within a few-days-to-two-weeks in soil.

It is also a leading base component of many industrial products like antifreeze and de-icing solutions that are labeled Non-Toxic.

Is It Safe?

All of these attributes make Propylene Glycol the perfect base ingredient for electronic cigarettes. The most recent and reliable data shows that it is safe for consumption, is derived from organic materials and is very bio-friendly. Even better, laboratory tests have yet to show any correlation between Propylene Glycol and cancer.

It gets clear passing marks from organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Department of Health and Human Services.

When used in e-cigs, Propylene Glycol is a clearly better alternative to cigarette smoke, eliminating more than 400 known toxins and carcinogens from the smoking experience.

Propylene Glycol is one of just a small list of ingredients found in e-cigs, the only others being water, flavoring and nicotine. Propylene Glycol is the additive that dilutes, vaporizes and atomizes the other ingredients.

Because it is useful as a binding and transporting agent, it is the perfect method for delivering the remaining ingredients and does so in balanced amounts. This allows each draw to taste the same and have the same strength every time.

Another important role of Propylene Glycol in e-cigs is its water-retention capability. When combined with its low temperature requirements for atomization, it has been the long-standing base ingredient for a number of atomized medications, including those used to treat Asthma.

Not only can Propylene Glycol not be linked to causing Asthma, like conventional cigarette smoke, it has a 50-plus year track record of helping to treat it. In short, electronic cigarettes are a drastically better alternative to smoking, and that can be attributed in large part to Propylene Glycol.