Vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, are often recommended for people who are trying to quit smoking. However, research shows that, in recent years, the number of people who vape in the UK has reached record highs – including many who have never smoked before. Action on Smoking and Health estimates that around 5.6 million British adults currently vape – the equivalent of around 11% of the population.
Because vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, there’s a lot of conflicting information and things we don’t yet understand. However, while we do know that it’s far less harmful than smoking cigarettes, vaping is not risk-free and isn’t recommended for anyone other than those attempting to quit smoking.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at vaping and see what research has to say about its potential impacts on health.
What is vaping?
Vaping involves inhaling a mist that’s created by an e-cigarette or other device. It’s similar to smoking a cigarette but, instead of burning tobacco, vapes work by heating an e-liquid to turn it into vapour.
Despite the name, this isn’t water vapour, but an aerosol that contains small particles of nicotine, flavourings, vegetable glycerine, and propylene glycol. The amount of nicotine and other substances contained in a vape varies between devices. There are both rechargeable and disposable vapes available.
Is vaping less harmful than smoking?
While not without its own risks, vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes. In fact, according to Public Health England, it’s 95% safer.
Cigarettes contain thousands of chemicals – including tobacco and carbon monoxide – many of which are poisonous to humans and known to cause lung disease, heart disease, and at least 16 different types of cancer. So, quitting smoking is one of the very best things you can do for your health.
Vapes don’t contain most of the harmful chemicals that are found in cigarettes, which means vapers are exposed to far less toxins. In 2022, having reviewed the international evidence, the UK government concluded that “in the short and medium-term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking.”
That said, while vaping is safer than smoking, it’s still not completely risk-free and, as a result, is only recommended for those who are trying to quit smoking. As stated by Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, “The key points about vaping can be easily summarised. If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”
What are the downsides and potential health risks of vaping?
Although vaping is considered safer than smoking, research has highlighted some potential health risks. We’ll explore some of these below.
Note: Vaping hasn’t been around long enough for experts to fully understand what kind of long-term damage it may cause, so there may be other risks that we aren’t yet aware of. Further research is needed to understand its impact on health.
1. Some vapes may contain harmful substances
Although all e-cigarettes are legally required to be registered with the Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency, the agency has no method of investigating unregistered products or verifying the claims made by vape manufacturers.
As a result, research has found that some vapes contain a number of potentially harmful substances.
To uncover the true contents of popular types of vapes, the Inter Scientific laboratory analysed a selection of vapes that had been confiscated from school pupils. They found that many of the vapes contained harmful levels of heavy metals which far exceed the UK Tobacco and Related Products Regulations’ safe exposure levels. For example, many of the vapes contained 9.6 times more lead, 6.6 times more chromium, and 2.4 times more lead than levels that are considered safe.
This is, of course, worrying and could have significant health implications. According to the World Health Organisation, high levels of lead exposure can impact brain and nervous system function; particularly brain development in children.
Other research has found that some vaping devices contain other harmful ingredients, including THC, which is the compound in cannabis that causes a ‘high’, and chemicals known to cause cancer and lung disease, such as acrolein and diacetyl.
2. Vaping may impact lung health
There’s evidence that the particles inhaled during vaping, including nicotine and metal, can damage lung health.
Research suggests that people who vape may be at greater risk of developing respiratory disease than people who’ve never smoked. This may be due to lung damage, a weakened immune system, and higher levels of free radicals (unstable molecules that cause cell damage) in the body.
Another study found that vaping products containing nicotine may cause lung inflammation and tissue damage, both of which are linked with a higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is an umbrella term for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing problems. Another study found that people who vaped had proteins in their airways that are known to contribute to COPD.
Several chemicals found in some vapes, including acrolein, have also been linked to lung cancer. For example, in this study, acrolein was noted as a potential contributor to gene mutations associated with lung cancer. These mutations can cause normal cells to become cancerous and encourage the development of tumours.
There’s also evidence that vaping-related issues may exacerbate existing asthma symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness.
However, experts believe it could be years before we completely understand the link between vaping, COPD, lung cancer, and general lung health, as conditions can take decades to develop.
3. Vaping may affect heart health
Nicotine is the main agent in regular cigarettes and vapes.
Research has found that nicotine raises blood pressure and heart rate, and spikes adrenaline – all of which increase the risk of having a heart attack. Other studies have linked vaping with increased inflammation, oxidative stress, and unstable blood pressure, which are known contributors of heart disease.
It’s also been noted that people who both vape and smoke may have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
As with other areas of health, experts are also keen to emphasise that there are currently many unknowns around how vaping may affect long-term heart health.
4. Vaping may negatively impact oral health
Just like every other area of the body, our teeth and gums thrive on a delicately balanced system which can be affected by the introduction of harmful chemicals.
While it’s true that vapes contain far less harmful chemicals than tobacco, they still include ingredients that are recognised as damaging to oral health. Examples include glycerin and propylene glycol (contained in vape liquids) which form a thick, sticky substance that changes the bacterial makeup of your mouth. Nicotine has also been found to affect blood flow to the gums, which can impact gum healing.
According to Bupa, over time these effects can lead to symptoms including dry mouth, oral sores, bad breath, excess mouth bacteria, and an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
5. Vaping may be just as addictive as smoking
Both vapes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine, which studies have found may be as addictive as cocaine and heroin.
Plus, if you use extra-strength vapes, you may get even more nicotine than you would from regular cigarettes. This study found that nicotine-containing vapes may be more addictive than standard cigarettes. Researchers of the study also noted that many participants had a higher nicotine dependence on vapes than cigarettes.
6. Vaping can cause unpleasant side effects and withdrawal symptoms
According to Cancer Research UK, vaping can cause a range of side effects including headaches, coughing, feeling sick, and throat and mouth irritation. It’s common for side effects to reduce over time with continued use, however, experts are currently unsure what the long-term effects could be.
Just like smoking, those who vape can also experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms if they stop. Nicotine is highly addictive and your body and brain become used to it over time. This can make quitting difficult as it’s common to experience symptoms like irritability, insomnia, cravings, and trouble concentrating.
7. Vaping may not be the best tool for quitting smoking
Despite being promoted as a useful tool for those wanting to quit smoking, there’s evidence to suggest that vaping may not help as much as expected.
This study found that people who use vapes and traditional cigarettes are unlikely to switch to vapes completely. It also found that people tend to stick with traditional cigarettes more than vapes.
Other studies suggest that most people who use vapes with the intention of quitting smoking continue to use both vapes and traditional cigarettes – known as dual use. For example, in this study, 93% of vape users in the United States, 83% in France, and 60% in the UK continued to smoke traditional cigarettes.
For more information on alternative methods to help you quit smoking, head over to the NHS stop smoking services.
Research shows that more and more young people are vaping
Statistics show that overall nicotine use in England has risen significantly since disposable vapes started becoming popular – with the largest increases being seen amongst young people. According to government research, the number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years.
Some manufacturers have been criticised for creating vapes with fruity flavours and colourful packaging which are more likely to appeal to young people. Take this research conducted by the UK government into why vapes are appealing to younger generations, which found that 48% of children were drawn in by packaging, and 45% by product flavours.
Experts are also interested in the role that social media may play in the promotion of vapes among children. For example, one research report which analysed vaping videos on TikTok found that 63% of 808 videos on the platform portrayed vaping positively.
With this in mind, it’s likely that some young people may feel encouraged to start vaping even if they’ve never smoked before. This study found that the number of young people vaping who had never smoked before increased from 2% to 9% between 2021 and 2023.
In line with these findings, 40 countries worldwide have completely banned vapes, while others have introduced regulations around flavours, marketing, packaging to make them less appealing and available to young people.
The UK government is launching new measures to tackle youth vaping, including banning the sale and supply of disposable vapes and introducing legislation to regulate the display, flavours, and packaging of vapes. This includes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was first announced in the King’s speech in November 2023. You can read more about the government’s plans here.
Final thoughts…
There’s still plenty we don’t know about vaping and the effects that it may have on health. However, while further research is needed, health experts are confident that vaping is only to be recommended to those who are trying to quit smoking.
For further reading, head over to the general health section of our website. Here, you’ll find information on everything from oral hygiene to important health checks.
What are your thoughts on vaping? Do you have anything else that you’d like to add? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
