Is Vaping a lot more safe than cigarettes?

Vaping 10 years and I've never had a cough. The smell cigarettes leave in a room/on clothes tells me they are a lot worse than vaping. Vaping doesn't leave any smell on clothes at all.

Vaping is helping so many ex smokers stay off cigarettes and I can't imagine a doctor encouraging someone to stop vaping and go back to smoking. NHS website states vaping is a nicotine replacement and a lot safer than smoking so I won't be listening to a friend of a friend stating their doctor thinks smoking is safer than vaping.

Cigarettes have a considerably larger amount of ingredients than vapes do as well. There is no way they are completely harmless of course but I can't see inhaling vapour being more dangerous than smoke.

So those of you who think vaping is safe, is it a problem that many children are vaping who would never have smoked?

I don't think people are claiming that vaping is literally safe, like drinking water. But it is far, far better than smoking.

As for the anecdotes about smoker's cough getting worse when making the switch - that happens when you quit smoking too. So depressing that people have encouraged their loved ones to start smoking again rather than recognising that the increased coughing is part of the body starting to recover.

Cancer Research still advocate that vaping is safer then smoking for people who are using them to stop smoking!

So for me, aged 45 who has smoked for 20 years then it is much better than smoking!

I have no smokers cough, I don't get an horrific cough when I have a cold anymore, my lung capacity is better, I can run & exercise.

Nicotine doesn't cause cancer either

Does nicotine cause cancer?
Nicotine is the chemical that makes cigarettes addictive. But it is not responsible for the harmful effects of smoking, and nicotine does not cause cancer. People have safely used nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to stop smoking for many years. Nicotine replacement therapy is prescribed by doctors or is available from pharmacies.

I'm not killing anyone by passive vaping & I don't stink so for me it's loads better!

For a 14 year old who was never going to smoke, I don't think it's a good thing to take up & there should definitely be more restrictions on selling or banning disposable bales!

It's one of the most successful ways of stopping people smoking! 🤷‍♀️

Well yes he would be, because vapes don't contain bronchodilators unlike cigarettes. The cigarettes were opening up his damaged lungs. Would have been far better to get him an inhaler to be honest.

Literally just after I commented about Pearl clutching and "won't someone please think of the children" you commented this.

If children were not vaping, they would be smoking. I'd rather nobody got addicted to nicotine, but vaping is great harm reduction. I think online retailers should insist on ID verification.

It causes different issues, but anyone thinking regularly inhaling any type of chemicals into your lungs is 'safe' is kidding themselves. We may not know about ithr issues yet, but for many years tobacco was promoted as healthy....

I don't vape and only smoked socially in my late teens and 20's.
But I do suffer from migraine and some vape flavours are actually triggers for these- same as perfumes & air freshers!
Never had any problems with tobacco.

So to me, it's more harmful. The chemicals used aren't safe. We just don't know how harmful they are because it hasn't been round long enough!

So those of you who think vaping is safe, is it a problem that many children are vaping who would never have smoked?

I am not convinced it's safer, more that there isn't enough long term data so it seems safer.

My Dad was significantly more unwell vaping and in the the end we encouraged him to smoke again as he developed an horrendous cough, was gasping for breath and was getting heart pain vaping, and well he's never going to give up one of the other. That's all gone away now he is smoking again. I mean smoking is going to kill him eventually but it seemed like vaping was going to do it quicker

Pharm chemist professor friend says unflavoured vapes are undoubtedly way better than smoking. No tar great too. BUT it’s highly probable that some flavourings, or combinations of flavourings (if you use one today and another tomorrow) will be carcinogenic. This is based on a pharm chemistry understanding of flavouring compounds.

i am inclined to believe him…

Yes, this is pretty much what a Dr said to me. No tar and other nasties in vaping.

What is this oil you speak of? I've never seen oil in any vape I'm afraid.

I'm a RN and NCSCT qualified smoking cessation advisor. Some of the comments on this thread are ridiculous, reeks of pearl clutching and classism, "won't somebody think of the children?!?" Yet I'm sure they've inhaled propyl glycerine many times in their lives 😁

If I asked you to inhale some proplylene glycol, with fragrance and known addictive chemicals I'm pretty sure you would say er is that a good idea?
Which is exactly what vaping is.

There is NO WAY vaping can be good for your lungs.

I think smoking an actual cigarette is probably safer and at least we know exactly what it does to your body.

Epidemiologist here. This is such a depressing thread to read. Vaping is so much safer than smoking. Sad to see the message hadn’t got through.

Vaping used to be breathing in water vapour, but now it is sucking flavoured oil directly into the lungs. I don't know about studies directly comparing it to smoking, I think it's still early days, but the ramifications especially to young people of having oil deposits built up in their lungs I predict are going to be pretty horrific.

Also noone can guarantee what is in the majority of vapes out there as they are unregulated and so many knock off types floating about. It could contain literally anything. Either way it could be better than cigarettes but could never be described as good as its still chemicals at the end of the day

It's not been around long enough for a full scientific study of good v bad but it can't be good as you are ingesting chemicals.
Think of it this way, many years ago before they knew cigarettes were cancerous children would smoke, no advertising restrictions and doctors would walk into a ward or a house and wave the smoke around as it was 'medicinal' and tell people smoking was healthy, now we obviously know that is not the case.
I think it's only a matter of time before we see the side effects this will have on peoples bodies and it definitely won't be good

Millions of the cheap disposable vapes and fluids being imported are not tested and we have no idea what is in them.

It will take 20-30 years to know the extent of the dangers.

Vapers are basically guinea pigs.

There's been plenty of studies and lots of data and they've pinpointed the exact ingredients that cause vape lung. Of course it's just as bad if not worse. Anything you burn and inhale is going to be carcinogenic.

Might be safer than smoking, might not. Even if it's safer, that doesn't mean safe though.

They will be, because cigarettes contain bronchodilators Eg medicine to widen your airway making you more addicted to nicotine. That's why people vape more frequently, the amount of nicotine absorbed is vastly reduced due to the lack of bronchodilators

Hot wet chemicals? What? Vape mist is not hot or wet. It's exactly the same chemicals as smoke machines in night clubs.

The vapour in vapes is exactly the same as in smoke machines, which have been well trialled.

Popcorn lung is very rare and falls under devil folk and moral panic mentality.

Here's the nhs guidance around vaping:

www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/#is-vaping-harmful

@Coyoacan Thats really interesting, do you have any info on the toxins involved ?