The FDA says something is safe to eat only if you’re going to swallow it — but e-cigarettes spray chemicals into your lungs, so those chemicals aren’t covered by the same safety rules as food.

Just because a food ingredient is considered safe to eat doesn’t mean it’s safe to breathe in, especially when it’s heated up in a vape pen — the safety rules for eating and breathing are totally different.

Just because a chemical is safe to eat doesn’t mean it’s safe to breathe in — things like flavorings in e-cigarettes can hurt your lungs even if they’re okay in food.

Most college students in the U.S. think the FDA says e-cigarette flavors are safe to breathe in, but the FDA actually said that’s not true—they never said flavorings are safe for vaping.

Food companies can decide for themselves that a new ingredient is safe to put in food, without asking the FDA for approval or telling the public how they made that decision.

Companies can decide on their own that a new food ingredient is safe to eat, without having to show proof to the government or tell the public what data they used to make that call.