Know Your Vape

Is Vaping Bad for You? The Truth About Vaping's Impact

By Know Your Vape · · Updated

Contents

Brief Overview of Vaping

Vaping means inhaling an aerosol made by heating a liquid in an e-cigarette or vape. It has become common among adults who smoke, and also among young people who never smoked. So, is vaping bad for you?

The short answer from health agencies: vaping is not safe, but for adults who smoke and switch completely, it is far less harmful than smoking. For anyone who doesn't smoke, including teens, it adds risk with no benefit. Research on the long-term effects of vaping is still ongoing.

This article covers what vaping is, how common it is, what the evidence says about health effects, and the most common myths.

What is Vaping?

Explanation of Vaping

Vaping means inhaling the aerosol, often called vapor, produced by an electronic device such as an e-cigarette or vape pen. Unlike smoking, there is no burning tobacco: the device heats a liquid, known as e-liquid or vape juice.

E-liquid typically contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavorings and, in most products, nicotine. The FDA notes that e-cigarettes can be a lower-risk alternative for adults who smoke but are not risk-free, and that youth and non-users should not start. Vaping has its own health risks.

Different Types of Vaping Devices

There are several main types of vaping devices:

1. Cig-A-Likes: The earliest generation, designed to look like cigarettes. They are small and simple but have limited battery life and vapor production.

2. Vape Pens: Larger than cig-a-likes, with a battery and a refillable tank and longer battery life.

3. Box Mods: Larger, more powerful devices with options such as variable wattage, temperature control and sub-ohm vaping. They require more knowledge to use safely.

4. Pod Systems: Compact devices that use refillable or replaceable pods. Many use nicotine salt e-liquid.

Type of DeviceCharacteristicsUser Level
Cig-A-LikesSmall, lightweight, easy to useBeginners
Vape PensRefillable tank, longer battery lifeIntermediate
Box ModsPowerful, customizable, requires knowledgeAdvanced
Pod SystemsCompact, convenientAll levels

Adults who smoke and switch usually start with a pod or pen. Whatever you choose, follow the manufacturer's instructions and battery safety rules to limit the negative effects of vaping.

The Rise of Vaping

Vaping grew quickly over the past decade. That growth, especially among young people, is why it draws so much public health attention.

According to the CDC, 4.5% of US adults currently used e-cigarettes in 2021, up from 3.7% in 2020. Among 18 to 24-year-olds who vaped, 61.4% had never smoked cigarettes.

Youth use rose sharply in the late 2010s and has since come down. In 2024, the CDC reports that 1.63 million middle and high school students (5.9%) currently used e-cigarettes. Flavors and easy-to-hide devices have been major draws for young users.

Many adults vape to move away from smoking, but the CDC found that about 29.4% of adults who vaped in 2021 also still smoked cigarettes. Dual use doesn't deliver the health benefit of quitting, which is one of the risks of e-cigarettes.

In the US it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under 21. The long-term effects of vaping are still being studied, which is why research on health effects continues.

Is Vaping Bad for You?

Analysis of the Health Impact of Vaping

The honest answer depends on the comparison. Compared with not using nicotine at all, vaping adds risk. Compared with continuing to smoke, switching completely to vaping reduces exposure to many harmful chemicals.

Most vapes contain nicotine, which the FDA describes as highly addictive. Nicotine raises heart rate and blood pressure, and the CDC warns it can harm the parts of an adolescent's brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control.

Vaping can also irritate the airways. Cough, throat irritation and wheezing are commonly reported, and research on long-term lung effects is ongoing.

"Popcorn lung" is often mentioned, but Cancer Research UK reports there have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung linked to e-cigarettes. The bigger proven danger came from illicit products: the 2019 EVALI outbreak hospitalized 2,807 people and was strongly linked to vitamin E acetate in THC vaping products, mostly from informal sources.

Comparison of Vaping and Traditional Smoking

Both carry health risks, but the size of the risk is very different.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, many of them toxic or cancer-causing. Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

E-cigarette aerosol contains fewer and lower levels of toxicants. The National Academies found conclusive evidence that completely switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes reduces exposure to many toxicants and carcinogens. Long-term effects of vaping are still not fully understood.

Here is a brief comparison:

Traditional SmokingVaping
Toxic chemicalsMore than 7,000 chemicals, many carcinogenicFewer and lower levels, but not zero
NicotinePresentPresent in most products
Lung diseaseCauses COPD, lung cancer and other diseasesAirway irritation reported; long-term effects still being studied
Heart effectsCauses heart disease and strokeNicotine raises heart rate and blood pressure

The best choice for your health is to use neither. For adults who already smoke, switching completely to vaping is less harmful than continuing to smoke, but "less harmful" does not mean "safe." For more detail, see our articles on the long-term effects of vaping.

The Truth about Vaping’s Impact

Here is what the evidence shows about short-term effects, long-term effects and people nearby.

Short-Term Effects of Vaping

Short-term effects include a faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, mouth and throat irritation, dry mouth and cough. Some people also report headaches.

Nicotine poisoning is a real risk with e-liquid, mainly when it is swallowed or spilled on skin, and especially for children. Store e-liquid locked away from children and pets. If someone swallows e-liquid, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away.

Airway irritation can show up as vaping and coughing or vaping and wheezing.

Long-Term Effects of Vaping

When it comes to the long-term effects of vaping, the honest answer is that they are not yet known. Vapes haven't been widely used long enough for decades-long studies.

Researchers are studying possible effects on the lungs, heart and blood vessels, including vaping and lung damage. Nicotine dependence is the clearest long-term effect: the National Academies found substantial evidence that vaping causes symptoms of dependence, though moderate evidence suggests it is less severe than with cigarettes.

For young people, the National Academies found substantial evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of ever using cigarettes. That is one reason youth vaping is a major public health concern.

Impact on Non-Smokers

Secondhand aerosol contains nicotine and other substances, though at much lower levels than secondhand smoke. Cancer Research UK and the NHS say there is no good evidence so far that it harms bystanders, but the NHS still advises not vaping around babies and children.

The bigger impact on non-smokers is starting to vape. Young people who start can develop nicotine dependence; see vaping and addiction. If you don't smoke, don't start vaping.

Myths and Misconceptions about Vaping

Vaping attracts myths in both directions: some make it sound harmless, others make it sound worse than smoking.

Debunking Common Myths

Myth 1: Vaping is harmless. It is not. Nicotine is addictive, and vaping can irritate the airways. Researchers are still studying possible links to lung damage and heart disease.

Myth 2: Vaping doesn’t lead to smoking. For young people, the National Academies found substantial evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of ever trying cigarettes.

Myth 3: E-cigarettes don’t produce any secondhand emissions. E-cigarettes produce aerosol, not smoke and not just water vapor. It can contain nicotine and other substances, though at much lower levels than cigarette smoke.

Clarifying Misconceptions

Misconception 1: Vaping only involves water vapor. The aerosol is mostly propylene glycol and glycerin, and it can carry nicotine and flavoring chemicals.

Misconception 2: All vapes contain nicotine. Most do, but nicotine-free e-liquids exist. They still expose users to heated flavorings and other chemicals.

Misconception 3: Vaping can't help anyone quit smoking. The evidence says otherwise. A Cochrane review found high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes help more people quit than nicotine replacement therapy: about 8 to 10 in 100 quit with e-cigarettes, compared with about 6 in 100 with patches or gum.

Vaping only helps if you stop smoking completely. Many people end up using both, and the CDC notes that no e-cigarette is FDA-approved as a quit-smoking aid. See our guide to vaping and quitting smoking.

Conclusion

Recap and Final Thoughts on the Impact of Vaping

Vaping is not harmless. Most vapes deliver addictive nicotine, they can irritate the airways, and the long-term effects of vaping are still being studied.

At the same time, the evidence is clear that cigarettes are much more dangerous. For adults who smoke, switching completely to vaping reduces exposure to toxicants, and nicotine e-cigarettes help more people quit than nicotine replacement therapy.

The bottom line: if you don't smoke, don't vape. If you smoke, quitting is best, and a complete switch is far better than continuing to smoke. Talk to a doctor or a stop smoking service about the options that suit you.

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