Is there are risks from the added Benzoic Acid?Benzoic Acid is a common additive to foods, drinks, medicines and other products as a flavor enhancer and a natural preservative and it considered to be safe when used in small quantities. Benzoic acid is found in many plants. Significant amounts have been found in some fruits—especially berries—as well as in yogurt, certain spices, and honey.
When heated to high temperature, Benzoic Acid can turn into Benzene, which is considered a carcinogenic substance, but it is a matter of quantity (and the amount of heat). In the air we breath, we are exposed to benzene from a variety of sources, including gasoline at gas stations, car exhausts, emissions from industries that burn coal or oil, emissions from other industrial processes, and cigarette smoke. A study was recently published in the journal PLoS One, titled: “Benzene formation in e-cigarettes”. The study was performed based on the finding of high levels of benzoic acid in a popular e-liquid (about 45 mg/mL or 4.5%). The study found NON-DETECTED levels of benzene, despite the use of 5 seconds puff duration (very high heat). Then the researchers made an e-liquid with a very high quantity of Benzoic Acid (several times higher from a commercial e-liquid) and heated it to a very high temperature (5 second puff) and could measure 0.16 μg/g of Benzene. The average human breath around 20 μg of Benzene a day, which is equal to vaping more than a 100ml of this liquid the