E-cigs, vape pens, mods — vaping goes by many names. And when electronic cigarettes hit the US market in 2007, many people embraced vaping as a way to quit smoking cigarettes. But is one safer than the other?
Within 7 years, electronic cigarettes had become the most popular tobacco product. Teens especially took to e-cigarettes. By 2020, 13% (3.6 million) of high school and middle school students in the US reported currently using e-cigarettes. That's compared to 4.5% of US adults.
Even though some people started vaping in order to quit smoking, not all physicians agree that vaping is safe for helping current smokers quit. Many encourage people to try other ways to approach and cope with smoking cessation, such as nicotine patches and gums, exercise and support groups.
How Does Vaping Compare to Smoking Cigarettes and Cigars?
Vaping comes with its own unique set of dangers, from battery fires and explosions to lung infections and cancer-causing chemicals in aerosols.
Here’s what makes the cloud of aerosol from e-cigarettes so dangerous:
- Cancer-causing chemicals
- Diacetyl, which is linked to lung disease
- Heavy metals, such as tin, nickel and lead
- Nicotine
- Ultrafine particles, which are linked to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and respiratory disease.
- Volatile organic compounds
"Both e-cigarettes and cigarettes contain nicotine," says Chad Thomas, MPH, PMP, Community Health Coordinator, Chester County Hospital. "Yet, because vaping can be done indoors, people risk taking puffs more frequently. This causes them to ingest a greater amount of addictive nicotine than if they were taking breaks to smoke outside."
This doesn't mean people should switch back to combustible cigarettes, but they should be aware of the potential increase in nicotine ingestion.
The highly addictive nicotine — found both in e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes — is toxic to developing fetuses. It also harms brain development and raises heart rate and blood pressure.
On top of that, combustible cigarettes carry significantly more toxins than e-cigarettes. They contain some 7,000 chemicals, some of those include:
- Arsenic, which is typically used to preserve wood and is linked with bladder, liver, lung and skin cancers
- Benzene, which is involved in manufacture of other chemicals and can cause leukemia
- Cadmium, which is found in batteries and is associated with lung, kidney, and prostate ancers
- Formaldehyde, which is often used in resins and other chemicals and causes leukemia and other cancers
- Polonium-210, which is radioactive and cancer-causing
- Tar, which is a combination of several chemicals that leaves a sticky residue on fingernails, teeth, and lungs
Cigars contain nicotine and other chemicals, too. Yet, they might carry less risk simply because cigar smokers tend to smoke in a less frequent, more celebratory fashion. They typically don’t smoke cigars every day, multiple-times-a-day.
Still, cigar smoke contains toxic chemicals, and researchers have linked smoking cigars with cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pancreas, larynx and lungs. It causes tooth loss and gum disease, and may also lead to heart and vascular conditions, such as coronary artery disease and aortic aneurysm. And of course, cigar smokers still run the risk of nicotine addiction, which can lead to smoking cigarettes as well.
The Bottom Line About Smoking
According to Thomas, if you've never tried smoking, don’t start — with e-cigarettes, cigarettes or cigars. "All have their own set of dangers that aren't worth the risk."
As more people recognize these dangers, widespread smoking cessation is on its way to being a success story. About 11% of the US population reported smoking cigarettes in 2021 compared to 21% in 2005.
The drop is thanks to a variety of measures, such as laws banning cigarettes in media and advertisements, public indoor spaces outlawing smoking, and tobacco companies being required to label their products as dangerous.
If you currently smoke, look for support and approaches to help you give up the habit, including your Chester County Hospital Primary Care Provider. They can discuss ways to quit and whether or not you should schedule a low-dose CT lung screening to catch any potential cancer as early as possible.
Chester County Hospital Can Help You Kick the Habit
If you have questions about the dangers of vaping, cigarettes, or cigars — or you need support quitting — talk to your Chester County Hospital Primary Care Provider or sign up for one of our virtual six-week smoking cessation programs.