Seminole Voice: Oviedo couple works to make e-cigs safer

The e-cigarette industry has been growing rapidly over the past few years, with $2.75 billion in revenue last year and expected gains this year.

Groups like the American Lung Association believe e-cigs are still dangerous and their health effects still remain a mystery, but Palm Beach Vapors, an e-cig franchise, is striving to offer healthier alternatives to regular e-cigarettes.

Palm Beach Vapors CEO Chip Paul is introducing a new e-cig juice that does not contain the chemical propylene glycol (or PG). Local entrepreneur Diana Staples and her husband opened the first Palm Beach Vapors in Florida a year and a half ago and, although they were never smokers themselves, looked forward to helping community members quit smoking after seeing loved ones battle illnesses caused by a tobacco habit.

Diana's mother-in-law recently passed away from lung cancer and watching her health decline made Diana even more eager to help other people in the community quit. While some e-cig stores still maintain PG isn't harmful and the EPA hasn't proved its effect yet, CEO Chip Paul wants to be proactive in his product creation so he can provide customers with the safest products possible.

“I love coming to work every day,” Diana said. “I love it when people say, 'I haven't smoked in two weeks. I haven't smoked in three months. And so that's why I do it.”