Both smoking and vaping have side effects and risks. The long-term health effects of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are not yet fully understood, but the science indicates they are not a safe alternative to smoking.

Vaping involves breathing in an aerosol that contains several chemicals, including nicotine and flavoring, through an e-cigarette or other device. Vaping is growing in popularity among teenagers.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA)Trusted Source, many people believe that vaping is safer than smoking, but this is not necessarily the case. Mounting evidence suggests that vaping is dangerous.

Neither smoking nor vaping is beneficial to human health. Based on the available evidence, smoking appears more harmful than vaping. However, this does not mean that vaping is safe.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicalsTrusted Source. Hundreds of these chemicals are toxic, and around 70 cause cancer. The AHATrusted Source notes that while vaping liquids contain fewer contaminants than cigarettes, they are not entirely safe.

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has recently risen to the forefront of medical discussions across the country. A significant increase in e-cigarette use by adolescents has been observed over the last decade. This article discusses the targeting of adolescents by e-cigarette companies. It looks at how teenagers are uniquely affected by nicotine and at risk for progressing to using combustible cigarettes and marijuana. Lastly, it discusses the role of physicians in combating the spread of e-cigarettes.

Every medical student is taught the three basic questions to ask for social history. “Do you drink any alcohol? Do you do any drugs? Do you smoke cigarettes?” While these are three very important questions to help us address potential health hazards with patients, they fail to identify some of the most significant factors in the lives of adolescent patients. Specifically, vaping in adolescents poses a grave risk to patients’ health and is a topic that physicians have to confront.

Over the last 20 years, there has been a decrease in the number of teenagers smoking combustible cigarettes. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey demonstrated a decrease in the number of teens trying combustible cigarettes from 70% in 1991 down to 58.4% in 2003 and even further down to 28.9% in 2017.¹ The decrease is largely a response to exhaustive work done by physicians, advocacy groups and lawmakers. Physicians have worked diligently to improve education on the dangers of smoking and fought to pass new regulations to protect patients. The United States is seeing an explosive rise of adolescents’ vaping and the renormalization of smoking . Recent national surveys demonstrate a drastic increase in e-cigarette use among high schoolers. An article from the New England Journal of Medicine reported a 10% increase in adolescents using e-cigarettes between 2017 and 2018 alone, which is approximately 1.3 million teenagers.

Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices that use an electric pulse to heat and aerosolize a flavored liquid that typically contains nicotine. They were first introduced to the U.S. in 2007, and they were advertised by the tobacco companies as an adjunct method to help patients quit smoking. This claim never had evidence to support it, as studies comparing the use of electronic cigarettes, placebos, and nicotine patches demonstrated no significant differences in abstinence rates.³ But because e-cigarettes were seen as a treatment option, they were not subjected to the same regulations as combustible cigarettes. It wasn’t until 2016 that the Congress passed the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act, giving the FDA the authority to regulate e-cigarette packaging.¹

In recent years, e-cigarettes have become a very popular stop smoking aid in the UK.

Also known as vapes or e-cigs, they’re far less harmful than cigarettes, and can help you quit smoking for good.

They are not recommended for non-smokers and cannot be sold to people under 18 years old.

What are e-cigarettes and how do they work?

An e-cigarette is a device that allows you to inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke.

E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements in tobacco smoke.

They work by heating a liquid (called an e-liquid) that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and flavourings.

Using an e-cigarette is known as vaping.

Will vaping help me stop smoking?

Many thousands of people in the UK have already stopped smoking with the help of an e-cigarette. There’s evidence that they can be effective.

A 2021 review found people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking, as well as having expert face-to-face support, can be up to twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum.

Using an e-cigarette can help you manage your nicotine cravings. To get the best out of it, make sure you’re using it as much as you need to and with the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid.

You will not get the full benefit from vaping unless you stop smoking cigarettes completely.

Getting expert help from your local Stop Smoking Service gives you the best chance of quitting smoking for good.

How do I choose the right e-cigarette for me?

There are different types of e-cigarette, including vape pens, vape bars, pod devices, mods, and cigalikes. They can be rechargeable or disposable.

It’s also important to choose the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid, which will depend on how much you smoke. You can get advice on models and e-liquids from a specialist vape shop.

Find out more about e-cigarettes, e-liquids and vaping to quit smoking on the Better Health website.

10 Things You Need to Know About the Vaping Epidemic

In the past decade, vaping has grown significantly as an alternative option to smoking traditional cigarettes. Much of this is done in the mindset that vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes, is safer. For this reason, vaping has become popular not only with people who wish to quit smoking traditionally, but also with a younger generation that previously had no interest in smoking cigarettes. Vaping also has the bonus that it does not produce the same stigmatized odor as cigarettes, and it comes in a range of additional flavors that appeal to a much wider audience. 

There is still plenty of research to be done on vaping and medical professionals are quick to admit that there is much they do not know about vaping products or their chemical makeup.  Normal tobacco cigarettes have had roughly 7,000 different chemicals identified within them, most of which are toxic. E-cigarettes on the other hand, remain much of a mystery as to what compounds they contain. As a result, users today are growing dependent on e-cigarettes without knowing all the information about what they are putting into their bodies and the health risks associated with it. Yet, despite this, the myth remains that e-cigarettes are safe, although research has been steadily showing the opposite to be true.  

1. E-Cigarettes Contain Nicotine

2. Vapes Contain Other Harmful Chemicals

3. E-cigarettes are not Safe Just Because They are a Water Vapor

4. Young Adults are More Likely to Vape

5. Vaping is Addictive

6. Vaping Could be a Gateway Drug

7. Vaping Causes Heart and Lung Issues

8. E-cigarettes are not Effective for Quitting Smoking

9. Vaping can have Fatal Outcomes

10. Drug Addiction can be Perpetuated Through Vaping