Recent research has led to some misleading headlines, some of which claim that vaping can cause cancer. This isn’t true. There isn’t any evidence that suggests vaping causes cancer. However, there is some evidence that suggests vaping may increase your overall risk for cancer.
What are the negative health effects of vaping?
The short-term side effects of using nicotine vapes are usually:
- Lingering aftertaste
- Light-headedness
- Sweating
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
Is vaping better than smoking?
Some smokers use e-cigarettes to try to kick the habit, but new research shows mixing smoking and vaping is no better for your heart health than just smoking. Among 24,000 men and women, smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes didn't reduce the risk of heart ...
What are the risks of vaping?
This part of the brain is critical for motivation and processing rewards. The reason that the way vaping affects the brain is so notable is that this region has been linked to anxiety and depression. It has also been linked to addictive behavior.
Can I get lung cancer from vaping?
While numerous negative health effects of e-cigarettes have already been reported, the long-term effects of vaping, including risk of lung cancer, are still being studied. A Word From Verywell E-cigarettes may seem harmless and can be perceived as "cool," but the conditions a person can develop from using them over time are serious.
How does smoking affect your lungs?
What is the base of vape juice?
What type of cells are affected by vape juice?
What is the FDA's regulation for vaping?
Is strawberry vape juice toxic?
Is vaping a cancer?
How long does it take for lung cancer to appear?
See 4 more
About this website
Vaping and Cancer: A Myth Trap or a Scientific Fact?
While some experts claim that vaping is far safer than smoking, research links vaping to some long-term effects that are similar to tobacco smoking. At the same time, studies show that some chemicals that e-cigs contain, such as diacetyl, may cause popcorn lung, which poses risks of developing a condition that mimics pulmonary cancer.
Does Vaping Cause Lung Cancer? - WebMD
SOURCES: American Lung Association: "COPD," "Popcorn Lung: A Dangerous Risk of Flavored E-Cigarettes." Cleveland Clinic: "Cigarettes, Cigars and Vaping: Which Habit Puts You Most at Risk?"
Does Vaping Cause Lung Cancer? Research and Facts - Healthline
Lung cancer isn’t the only concern that experts have about vaping. In the short term, the aerosol produced by a vaping device can irritate your eyes, mouth, and nose, and might even make you ...
What does evali stand for?
EVALI, which stands for e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, causes a variety of respiratory symptoms and damage to lung tissue. EVALI cases were responsible for about 2,800 hospitalizations in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the numbers peaked in 2019 and have been on the decline since.
How does nicotine affect the brain?
Then it spreads throughout their body. But it also affects their brain, creating a wash of dopamine over their brain’s reward circuits.
What causes scarring in the lungs?
Another concern is bronchiolitis obliterans, which is a serious and irreversible condition that causes scarring in the tiny airways in your lungs. People with this condition often need to take corticosteroids or use an inhaler with medicine that can dilate those scarred airways.
How many attempts to quit vaping?
A 2016 study estimated that the average person needs 8 to 10 attempts before they can fully quit smoking cigarettes.
Do vaping devices contain nicotine?
Vaping devices don’t produce all the same chemicals that regular cigarettes do. But they do contain nicotine. And a 2018 report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine called the amount of nicotine that adult e-cigarette users take in “comparable” to the amount of nicotine they would take in from a regular cigarette.
What are the risks of vaping?
When you vape, you may be exposed to certain volatile organic compounds like crylamide, benzene, and propylene oxide, which can pose health risks to you. Although 2020 research notes that the levels are lower than the toxic VOCs produced by regular cigarettes.
Is vaping harmful to your lungs?
In fact, the e-cigarette or vaping liquid contains nicotine and other chemicals that can be potentially toxic to your lungs. And based on the knowledge that exists about those chemicals, it’s possible that exposure to them via vaping might also increase a user’s risk of lung cancer.
What Is a Vape Pen?
Vape pens are electronic devices used to heat a liquid, which creates a vapor that can be inhaled.
Vaping and Lung Cancer
Cigarettes have been available in the U.S. since the 1800s, but it wasn't until 1956 that the relationship between smoking and lung cancer was discovered. Since then, a significant body of research has found that there is a conclusive link between smoking and lung cancer .
Possible Benefits
One 2013 study found that the level of toxic chemicals in vape pens was lower than traditional cigarettes. 2 Some people use vape pens as an alternative to cigarettes, but no e-cigarettes have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a safe or effective tool to quit smoking. 6
Risks
There are substantial risks associated with using vape pens. Vape pens contain many toxic chemicals that are harmful to the human body, which can lead to disease. 6
When to Talk to Your Doctor
If you or someone you love uses e-cigarettes, talk to your healthcare provider. They can provide resources, support, and information to help quit smoking.
Summary
E-cigarettes contain toxic and addictive chemicals. While numerous negative health effects of e-cigarettes have already been reported, the long-term effects of vaping, including risk of lung cancer, are still being studied.
A Word From Verywell
E-cigarettes may seem harmless and can be perceived as "cool," but the conditions a person can develop from using them over time are serious. Though the long-term risks of e-cigarette use are still being researched, proceed with caution. Vaping is risky for adults and never safe for young people.
What is a vape?
Vapes are the devices used to inhale the vapor in vaping. These devices run on batteries or are rechargeable and have cartridges or a place to hold the liquid. Some vapes look like cigarettes, but some look like flash drives, pens, and other everyday items.
How does vaping work?
It uses devices that create vapor through a heating element that the user inhales to mimic the sensation of traditional smoking. Vaping has steadily grown in popularity in recent years as the healthier substitute to the traditional way of burning tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs.
Why do vapes explode?
Faulty batteries in vapes cause fires and explosions that result in injuries. Most accidents happen when the device’s being charged, but others also come about when the device is being used. Such as the story of a 17-year old boy who ended up with broken teeth and displaced jaw when his e-cigarette exploded while he was on the bus.
What is aerosol product?
An aerosol product is produced when the liquid is heated. This vapor often contains flavors and other chemicals, and even metals such as tin and lead. The vapor goes through the device and into a mouthpiece so the user can inhale it.
Why is nicotine addictive?
It becomes addictive because nicotine releases dopamine — a neurotransmitter that has something to do with human reward and motivation. Over time, those who let nicotine in their system will be dependent on this chemical messenger and will undergo withdrawal symptoms like anxiety or depression when they stop letting nicotine into their bodies.
Can you inhale vapes?
Bystanders can also unintentionally inhale the vapor in vapes and be at risk of the same diseases the user faces. Although vapes are considered the better option, the Food and Drug Administration or FDA still hasn’t labeled them as an aid to help anyone who wants to quit smoking.
What is the leading cause of early death and many diseases?
A leading cause of early death and many diseases are cigarette smoking. As an answer, a Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik developed the first device that will become the preferred substitute of many worldwide – vapes. Over the years, adults and youth – both of middle and high school age – have turned to use e-cigarettes.
What are e-cigarettes called?
E-cigarettes, sometimes called vapes, run on batteries and heat up nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. They turn them into a vapor you can breathe in. Many chemicals that can cause cancer are in this vapor. That includes formaldehyde, heavy metals, and particles that can get stuck in the deepest parts of your lungs.
Does diacetyl irritate the throat?
The vapors also can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, and throat. Diacetyl scars the tiny air sacs in your lungs. That makes your airways thick and narrow. After the link between diacetyl and lung disease was found, many popcorn companies took the chemical out of their products.
Can popcorn lung be treated?
These are choices that often appeal to kids, teenagers, and young adults. There's no cure for popcorn lung, but some medications can help keep it from getting worse. These include certain kinds of antibiotics, steroids to calm inflammation in your lungs, and drugs to slow down your immune system. Next Article.
Can e-cigarettes cause inflammation?
Also, some chemicals such as diacetyl, formaldehyde, and acrolein in e-cigarettes can irritate the airways in your lungs. This can cause problems. Studies have found that flavorings like cinnamon can also cause inflammation of lung cells. But more research is needed to understand the long-term health risks of vaping.
Can e-cigarettes cause coughing?
The way the chemical is breathed in with e-cigarettes is a lot like the way the workers at the microwave popcorn plants inhaled it. The chemical can cause a dry cough that won't go away. It also causes shortness of breath, wheezing, headache, fever, aches, and other health problems.
Do e-cigarettes have more formaldehyde?
The levels are usually lower in e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes. But some studies show that high-voltage e-cigarettes have more formaldehyde and other toxins than standard e-cigarettes.
Is vaping safe?
And you can understand why – there are a lot of mixed messages out there when it comes to e-cigarettes, with many headlines proclaiming that vaping is just as bad or worse than smoking.
Do e-cigarettes help people to stop smoking?
There’s growing evidence from around the world that e-cigarettes can help people stop smoking. In England, a study that looked at e-cigarette use and smoking cessation across the population estimated that e-cigarettes helped an additional 18,000 people in England in 2015 to quit for the long term.
Does vaping in young people lead to smoking?
Another question which often makes the headlines is around youth vaping and whether e-cigarettes are causing people to start smoking – the so-called ‘gateway effect’.
What are long term studies?
Large, long-term studies examining topics such as harms, youth use, use patterns over time, use of flavours and effectiveness in smoking cessation are needed. And to get the answers we need about the effects of different regulations, these studies need to be conducted across the world.
Why are e-cigarettes so popular?
The big selling point for e-cigarettes is they’re a way to help people stop smoking and reduce harm from the biggest cause of cancer in the world, tobacco.
How many deaths are linked to vaping?
In 2019, the US saw an outbreak of several thousand cases of respiratory illness and nearly 70 deaths linked to the use of vaping products. But again, headlines can be misleading, as these cases were due to contaminants in illegal products and not linked to regular vaping.
What do we know about e-cigarettes?
E-cigarettes: what we know and what we don’t. It’s been a decade since e-cigarettes first gained popularity in the UK. Since then, the types of devices available and the number of people using them has risen sharply. And as the popularity levels of e-cigarettes grew, so did the debate around them. The big selling point for e-cigarettes is they’re ...
How does smoking affect your lungs?
Smoking cigarettes and vaping affect the lungs differently. More research is necessary to truly understand their unique effects, though. Cigarettes contain chemicals that irritate and damage tissue in your airways and lungs. The tar in cigarette smoke can also build up in the lungs.
What is the base of vape juice?
The base is a flavorless suspension that constitutes most of the liquid in vape juice. Most manufacturers use a combination of propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG), which is also referred to as glycerin or glycerol. Both of these substances are classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.
What type of cells are affected by vape juice?
For example, one 2018 study examined the effects of common vape juice-flavoring chemicals on monocytes, a type of white blood cell.
What is the FDA's regulation for vaping?
Vaping devices and liquids are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Labeling requirements include a warning if the product contains nicotine.
Is strawberry vape juice toxic?
O-vanillin (vanilla flavor) and pentanedione (honey flavor) also had significant toxic cellular effects. One 2016 study found that certain vape juice flavors were more toxic to lung cells. Among the flavors tested, strawberry was the most toxic. Coffee- and menthol-flavored e-juices also had toxic effects.
Is vaping a cancer?
There are no documented cancer diagnoses directly linked to vaping or e-cigarette use. However, this remains a difficult question to answer for a few reasons. Not only is vaping a relatively recent phenomenon, people who vape tend to be on the younger side. According to one 2018 study. Trusted Source.
How long does it take for lung cancer to appear?
It can take decades before long-term effects appear. For example, most lung cancer diagnoses occur after the age of 65.
