Knowledge Shot: Vaping versus smoking: what are the risks

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are handheld devices that recreate the feeling of smoking regular cigarettes but are widely believed to be a much safer form of tobacco.

That’s partly why there’s been a spike in e-cigarette use, or vaping, over the past few years, especially in pre-teens and teenagers.

So what are the differences between vaping and smoking, and how safe is vaping? Let’s start with cigarette smoking, which remains the leading cause of preventable deaths - killing nearly half a million people a year in the United States alone, with nearly a tenth of those deaths among non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Cigarettes are usually composed of tobacco, paper, a filter, and additives. These additives can be any number of hundreds of things like sugars which improve the taste of the cigarette, ammonia which enhances the effects felt by nicotine, and menthol which can ease the throat irritation caused by smoking.

When the cigarette burns, it produces smoke, which is then inhaled to deliver the nicotine to the lungs. Burning produces thousands of toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and carbon monoxide which damage the inner lining of arteries which increases the risk of cancers, heart attacks, and stroke.

In general, it’s thought that nicotine is responsible for the addictive qualities of cigarette smoke, while the toxins are responsible for the negative health consequences of smoking.

This is where e-cigarettes come in. These devices have a mouthpiece, a heating element, a power source, and a reservoir filled with a liquid called e-liquid which contains nicotine and other chemicals.

Some of them, like the popular JUUL device, are designed to look like a USB thumb drive to be more discrete. These devices work by heating the e-liquid to create an aerosol, called vapor, that can be inhaled and delivers a similar dose of nicotine as cigarette smoke.

Because there’s no combustion, there are 10 to 100 times lower levels of toxic chemicals in e-cigarette vapor compared to cigarette smoke.

The vapor does contain potential hazards substances, though, like ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems whether the particles are made from toxic chemicals or not; flavorings such as diacetyl which has been linked to lung disease; volatile organic compounds which can cause tissue damage and irritation; cancer causing chemicals like formaldehyde; and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead which can cause organ damage and memory loss.

One worrying trend, however, is the rise of vaping among young people. In 2018 the numbers have spiked with roughly 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle schools students using e-cigarettes in the past month.

This translates to 3.6 million students that are at risk for developing nicotine dependence and addiction, which can lead to the use of regular tobacco products like cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipes, and cigars to feed that addiction.

Furthermore, there’s growing evidence that nicotine addiction can harm brain development, particularly in the first 3 decades of life.

There are other risks with vaping as well. For example, nicotine can damage a developing baby’s heart and lungs, so it’s recommended for pregnant women to quit all forms of tobacco products including e-cigarettes.

In addition nicotine is toxic in high doses, and people can get poisoned by swallowing the e-liquid, or absorbing it through their skin or eyes.

Finally, defective e-cigarette batteries have caused fires and explosions while getting charged. That said, because e-cigarettes have lower levels of toxic chemicals than cigarettes, the American Cancer Society and the CDC support current adult smokers who want to completely replace regular cigarettes with e-cigarettes.

Complete replacement of smoking is key, though, because there’s no safe level of smoking. On the other hand, because of the recent spike in young people using e-cigarettes the FDA is currently proposing stricter regulations around them.

One proposal, is to ban the sale of e-liquids with flavorings like vanilla, bubblegum, or watermelon which appeal to young people.

All right, as a quick recap … e-cigarettes are generally considered a safer way to get nicotine than smoking regular cigarettes, because they contain lower levels of toxic chemicals.

This is especially true for current, non-pregnant adult smokers who are willing to completely replace smoking with vaping.

E-cigarette use is particularly problematic for young people, though, because they may become addicted to nicotine by using e-cigarettes, and that can harm their maturing brain.

No tobacco product is safe, so if you’ve never smoked or used other tobacco products or e-cigarettes, don’t start. Thanks for watching!

If you’d like to watch one of our more in-depth videos on this topic, check out our video on Tobacco Dependence, on Osmosis.org!