Is Vaping a lot more safe than cigarettes?

[Isitanybetter]

I'm ignorant about this, but is vaping definitely much more safe than cigarette smoking? Are there any good recent studies?

I remember the "popcorn lung" side effect was debunked as not to do with vaping a few years ago, and it seemed like it was nowhere near as damaging as cigarettes. Is this still a general consensus?

Oh my it really stinks. Gives me a headache

Current research indicates that vaping is likely safer than smoking. It's delivering the same nicotine hit but without all the nasty tar etc that gets delivered into your lungs with tobacco.

I mean, ideally don't do either, but vaping has been shown to be an effective way to help people stop smoking altogether.

The environmental impact of vapers, especially single use devices is another matter, of course. Single use e-cigs are probably the single most wasteful, environmentally damaging consumer product ever created.

I don't like the smell as it tends to be so sweet and reminds me of body spray, but I'm all for vaping if it's comparatively safer and happy to ignore the smell!

@tabulahrasa

With my ADHD I cannot remember to recharge them. That's why I use disposables 😁

😳 I don’t remember to charge them... I have more than one so one is always plugged in 🤣

I just swap it over when it runs out of charge.

The ones I have are like £7.99 and the pods are way cheaper than disposable vapes , so it’s lots cheaper over time anyway.

Actually it is 40mg nicotine - they have 20mg nicotine per ml and a tank contains 2ml so each one has 40mg nicotine. In the EU at least where this is regulated. Other countries have much higher levels of nicotine allowable and much bigger tank sizes. Of course if you buy an unregulated cheap product you will also be potentially exposed to much higher levels of nicotine.

Yes, much safer - so be supportive of your friends who have moved on from cigarettes, and definitely consider switching yourself if you smoke

Lots of posters have expressed concern that vapes are more addictive than cigarettes and that vapers take in much more nicotine.

This is not true, at least not in terms of nicotine uptake and nicotine addiction although it's possible there are behavioural aspects that make vaping more difficult to quit.

It's not possible to say that any particular vape is equivalent to a certain number of fags because the pharmacokinetics are completely different.

NOTHING delivers the same kind of hard, fast, nicotine hit to the brain as a lit cigarette. That's what makes them so addictive. Nicotine absorption from vapes, even high strength disposables, is much gentler.

It's true that vapers tend to vape more often but it's generally just 2 or 3 puffs at a time. If I vaped like I used to smoke I would be sick and I would burn my coil.

This fairly recent study measures blood nicotine levels in smokers and vapers as they smoke or vape. The difference is clear.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6657878/

@KarenMaddox ate you going to wean yourself off vaping?

I'm not sure. I've been vaping for 10 years now and have never had a cough related to it, I don't get out of breath during exercise either and feel quite healthy in myself

But I do get a dry mouth time to time and I HATE that it's never out of my hand, its alot more addictive than smoking as it is continuous with no real 'end' like the end of a cigarette. But it doesn't stink like cigarettes do and they don't leave a smell on clothes/fabrics so I highly doubt they are more unhealthy than cigarettes but they are no doubt doing some sort of damage.

I tried nicorette gum for a few weeks and found they also dried my mouth out and gave me mouth ulcers.

I would LOVE to be rid of this vape though but it's hard to give it up, I would say even harder than giving up cigarettes but it's the lesser of two evils in my opinion x

They are an unknown quantity at the moment. It's worth remembering that the dangers of tobacco smoking were unknown/covered up for many years. Of course, science has advanced since then so claims that vaping is not as bad for you as smoking are made with good foundation, but until vaping has been around for longer no one can say with certainty that there won't be long term health detriments.

Vapes have been around since 2003.

If vaping was as bad as cigarettes don't you think the tobacco companies would have found this out and highlighted it straight away. They'd be singing it from the rooftops as it's cost them billions.

Tbh, I'm not sure what can trump lung cancer, so if I was a choice between cigarettes and vaping, I'd choose vaping every time

@barkymcbark what about neither.

The issue we have at the moment is that many people (including youngsters) are vaping when they would never have smoked

Well of course neither would be the best option

20 years is nowhere near long enough to determine long-term health effects.

Very depressing read. Encouraging a heavy smoker to go back to cigarettes and off the vape 😥
Also I agree with PP, vapes do not smell a tenth of what cigarettes do. There are 10 worse smells I can distinguish before a vape, stop being so dramatic. Also it can't cause you to cough like a drama queen, there is literally negligible amounts of nicotine released and that's the heavier dose nicotine vapes. You can also get 0mg nicotine so effects on bystanders are minimal. Remind yourself of that when you're standing at a bus stop breathing in traffic fumes

Never understand why anyone would trust the judgement of a bunch of strangers to clarify scientist research. Opinions are not facts, surely a 10 minute date with the NHS, Google etc will provide you with better answers

Public Health England estimate about 5% as harmful as smoking.

Here’s the deal with vaping vs. cigarettes. I think vaping can be seen as a safer option compared to smoking ciggies. Vape stuff doesn’t have all those nasty chemicals like tar and carbon monoxide, which are the real troublemakers in cigs. But it’s not like vaping is risk-free either. Some studies say it might still mess with your lungs, especially if you go overboard with it. Plus, there's still lots we don't know about the long-term effects. So, if you’re thinking about switching, it’s worth checking out a decent Vape Shop and maybe talking to someone who knows their stuff.

From what I've read recently, vaping is generally considered less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes, but it's not without its own risks. As for "popcorn lung," that was mostly linked to a chemical called diacetyl found in some e-liquids, but most reputable brands have stopped using it. So, the risk is pretty low nowadays.
My cousin switched to vaping a couple of years ago. He used to smoke like a chimney and was always out of breath. After switching, he's noticed a significant improvement in his lung capacity and overall health. He swears by fenixth8, says their products are top-notch and have helped him cut down his nicotine intake gradually.

My view, which is not based on science, is that your lungs are delicate organs to remove oxygen from the air. They have to deal with enough crap in the air they take in, from car fumes, cooking fumes, artificial air fresheners et al, that to add to that deliberately either through smoking or vaping is not worth the risk. We have had one of our parents have a hellish last 20 years of his life, ruined by smoking, we have another friend who, in his mid 70s, has just been diagnosed with a lung disease that severely restricts him even walking from one room to the next, my brother died from a lung cancer, the lungs are too vital for life to risk on pumping sweet flavoured steam into them. Vaping may not be as dangerous as smoking, but I wouldn't take the risk.

Except many of the tobacco companies develop and sell vapes.
https://tobaccotactics.org/article/e-cigarettes/