You are using a nice oil vape pen but you are tired of vaping the same kind of flavours and want to try something new. Your friends suggest vaping coconut oil or olive oil and say you will also save some dollar. You are considering it, but have your doubts so you start doing research and search the following:
Can I vape olive oil?
The answer is no. By vaping oil and inhaling the oil vapor or the droplets can lead to lipid pneumonia.
What is Lipid pneumonia?
It is described by Wikipedia as the following:
“It is a specific form of lung inflammation (pneumonia) that develops when lipids enter the bronchial tree. The disorder is sometimes called cholesterol pneumonia in cases where that lipid is a factor.”
Causes
Sources of such lipids could be either exogenous or endogenous.
Exogenous: from outside the body. For example, inhaled nose drops with an oil base or accidental inhalation of cosmetic oil. Amiodarone is an anti-arrhythmic known to cause this condition. Oil pulling has also been shown to be a cause. Fire breather’s pneumonia from the inhalation of hydrocarbon fuel is a specific variant. At risk, populations include the elderly, developmentally delayed, or persons with gastroesophageal reflux. Switching to water-soluble alternatives may be helpful in some situations.
Endogenous: from the body itself, for example, when an airway is obstructed, it is often the case that distal to the obstruction, lipid-laden macrophages, and giant cells fill the lumen of the disconnected airspace.
No real oil will mix with water for an e-liquid to be used for vaping. E-liquid is water soluble meaning it can easily leave your lungs by the motile cilia or be safely absorbed by your body.
While oil clogs the motile cilia one of the main reasons of lipid pneumonia.
To see what will happen to your lungs you can do a little experiment:
- Take a bowl and fill it with clean water
- Now drip a drop of VG into it, you can do the same with flavour and PG
- All these substances are water-soluble so you will see they mix into the water.
Now do the same with the olive oil:
- Get a bowl and fill it up with clean water
- Next drip a drop of oil into the water
- You will see that the oil floats on top of the water and does not mix with it.
- When you mix it, it will look like it is mixing with the water at first but after a while of standing the oil will move to the top and float on the water again.
So, you can only imagine what this will do to your lungs when you inhale the oil.
So, whether you want to try vaping olive oil or coconut oil remember they are oils and what they use in e-liquid is glycerine. Please do not listen to friends who are telling you to try it, put your health first, and vape the e-liquids that was meant for vaping with a suitable oil vape pen.