Is Vaping Worse Than Smoking?

For adults who already smoke, the FDA says e-cigarettes can generally be a lower-risk alternative, but that their use is not risk-free, because they deliver harmful chemicals and contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. CDC says e-cigarette aerosol generally contains fewer harmful chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from cigarettes.

CDC describes e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, as battery-operated devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, and says they typically contain nicotine. It lists heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead, tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, volatile organic compounds, and flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease, among what the aerosol can contain. CDC adds that some flavorings used in e-cigarettes may be safe to eat but not to inhale, because the lungs process substances differently than the gut.

Switching completely is the point. The FDA says adults who switch completely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may reduce exposure to many harmful chemicals present in cigarettes, but must switch completely to get the full health benefit, and that long periods of using both can result in harms similar to, or in addition to, the harms from smoking cigarettes alone. CDC says there is currently no e-cigarette approved by the FDA to help people quit smoking, and the FDA says further high-quality research on both short- and long-term health outcomes is needed.