Is It Possible for Vapers to Overdose on Nicotine?

Many sources will inform you that nicotine is toxic and poisonous. One source stated that it requires 60 mg to kill a grown person. However, should this be a severe concern to vape lovers? Could you puff your way to a nicotine overdose? Or do you need Superman’s lungs and be inhaling high concentrations of nicotine through a smoke machine to have a chance?

From the latest studies investigating nicotine delivery from old and new devices along with the latest information regarding nicotine toxicity, one can make a tentative guess of the overdose chances through vaping.

What is the Toxic Dose?

Numerous books state that the 60 mg dose of nicotine is likely to kill an adult. So, is this true?

Bernd Mayer decided to investigate the source of this claim. He eventually stumbled upon a textbook that had speculative text based on research done in the nineteenth century. This particular experiment involved subjects dosing themselves with 1-4 mg of nicotine and deducing the results. Apart from common symptoms of nicotine poisoning, they also noted unconsciousness and seizures.

However, the issue with this data is that 4 mg of nicotine is similar to smoking two classic cigarettes. If small seizures and unconsciousness were regular, then smoking zones would be filled with smokers. The 60 mg dosage is ignorantly used by individuals opposing the use of e-cigs as cessation gadgets. Bernd approximates the correct lethal dose to be around 500-1000 mg for an adult, matching with a dosage of 6.5-13 mg/kg. With regards to plasma concentration, there is a new estimation of 4 mg/L compared to the old estimate of 0.18 mg/L.

How Much Would You Need to Vape to Overdose?

Keep in mind that nicotine possesses a half-life of about two hours. Within this period, half of the nicotine will metabolize into cotinine. Consequently, for an overdose to occur, one has to consume the toxic quantity within sixty minutes, and even so, some nicotine will still be converted to cotinine. Considering that you will have to be quick about this, you will need to take 6,070 puffs within that duration. Given that an average puff lasts for almost 4 seconds, approaching that target number would be impossible. Remember this is before you begin experiencing the other common side effects like nausea and vomiting.

Should Nicotine Poisoning Still Concern You?

Even though it is rare to hear about vape lovers smoking their way to an overdose, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the possibility of nicotine poisoning. Bear in mind that if one acts foolish and decides to drink the e-liquid, the consequences may be fatal. Also, because nicotine is easily absorbed through the skin, spilling e-liquid on yourself increases the chances of toxicity.

To conclude, it is safe to say that for a reasonable adult, it is unlikely to hear cases of overdose. Make sure that you handle your vape products with caution, especially anything containing nicotine. If you have children or pets around, then you should be careful about how and where you store your products.