In vaping, a liquid is heated until it becomes an aerosol of tiny particles.
Just how safe e-cigarettes or other vaping products are in the long term remains unknown.
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Vaping and Cancer: Is There a Link?
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With vaping, the aerosol particles are inhaled into the lungs.
Whether this can ultimately cause cancer is something that is still being investigated.
Vapes contain many of the same chemicals that cigarettes do.
Substances in vapes known to damage internal organs include benzaldehyde, cadmium, crotonaldehyde, and dimethylnitrosamine.
A Word From Verywell
Quitting smoking, including vaping, is the best decision for your health.
What the Latest Research Says
Some turn to vaping as an alternative to smoking.
While research shows it is less harmful than tobacco, that doesn’t make it safe.
Among other things, there’s a substance known as acrolein that e-cigarettes produce.
Acrolein is used as a weed killer.
When it gets into the lungs, it can causechronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)and possiblyasthma.
It can potentially cause lung cancer.
How Likely Are You to Develop Cancer From Vaping?
More studies and long-term data are needed to assess the cancer risks of vaping.
Does Vaping Increase Your Risk for a Certain throw in of Cancer?
Many developed lung adenocarcinoma and bladder urothelial hyperplasia, which can lead to cancer.
Does It Matter If the Juice Has Nicotine in It?
Are There Certain Ingredients to Avoid?
All vapes are not the same.
You are not breathing in pure water vapor.
Certain ingredients may pose a greater potential hazard than others.
Nicotine
Most vapes contain nicotine.
Nicotine can also lead to mood swings.
But eventually, as this leaves your system, you may become angry, anxious, and agitated.
Nicotine also brings with it the potential for poisoning.
Base Liquids
The base for vaping is not pure water and should not be considered such.
It is a sugar alcohol also used in many products.
Flavors
Vapes come in vanilla, almond, fruit, and more flavors.
When these flavoring agents mix with the vaping juice, they may create chemical by-products called acetals.
Such by-products may be more irritating than the flavoring components they come from.
Does Vaping Affect the Lungs the Same Way as Cigarette Smoking?
You maywonder if vaping is better than smoking.
The fact is that vaping and cigarette smoking work differently.
But exposes you to heated liquid particles instead.
With cigarette smoke, there are higher concentrations of harmful substances in lung tissue.
But it remains unknown whether even small amounts of these substances can lead to disease.
Even small amounts of DNA damage can build up and cause changes in cells that lead to lung cancer.
What About Popcorn Lung?
Popcorn lung causes the air sacs to scar and the airways to thicken and narrow.
The effects are not reversible.
Symptoms of this serious lung condition include shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing.
Using e-cigarettes can cause you to inhale toxic substances that could potentially lead to cancer.
American Cancer Society.What do we know about e-cigarettes.
(Stratton K, Kwan LY, Eaton DL, eds.).
National Academies Press; 2018.
Cancer Institute NSW.Every vape is a hit to your health.
Cancer Research UK.Vaping: what we know and what we don’t about e-cigarettes.
American Lung Association.The impact of e-cigarettes on the lung.
Government of Canada.Risks of vaping.
American Lung Association.What is an e-cigarette?
Yale Medicine.How much do we really know about flavored vaping products?
American Lung Association.Popcorn lung: a dangerous risk of flavored e-cigarettes.
Texas Health and Human Services.How to quit vaping.
