From exaggerated fears to outright falsehoods, myths about vaping have spread like wildfire through the media and the public in recent years.
Here, we bust some of the biggest myths about vaping - with facts backed by peer-reviewed scientific research.
Myth #1: Vaping is just as harmful as smoking
Reality: Vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking
A recent study by University College London found most smokers wrongly believe that vaping is at least as harmful as smoking.
The primary danger of smoking comes from the combustion of tobacco, which releases over 7,000 chemicals - many of which are toxic and cancer-causing.
In contrast, vapes heat a liquid (usually containing nicotine, flavourings, and propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin) to create a vapour. The levels of harmful substances in vape aerosol are therefore much lower.
The evidence: a review by King’s College London in 2022 revealed vapers are “far less exposed” to toxicants that lead to cancer, lung disease and cardiovascular disease than smokers. It concluded that vaping carries “drastically lower” health risks than smoking.
Myth #2: Vaping causes “popcorn lung”
Reality: There are zero confirmed cases of popcorn lung in vapers
“Popcorn lung” (bronchiolitis obliterans) is a rare lung disease that gained notoriety after workers in popcorn factories were exposed to large quantities of diacetyl, a chemical found in the buttery flavoring.
Some early vape liquids contained very small amounts of diacetyl, which is what led to the idea that vaping can cause popcorn lung.
However, diacetyl was banned in e-liquids under the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in 2016. Meanwhile, cigarettes do still contain diacetyl and at higher levels than was found in e-liquids before the ban.
The Evidence: Far from being a major danger, there are no confirmed cases of popcorn lung caused by vaping. In fact, an umbrella review by the respected Centre of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) found no short or medium-term respiratory impacts from vaping. This held true regardless of a person’s pattern of vaping.
Myth #3: Vaping is a gateway to smoking for teens
Reality: Correlation does not mean causation
While some studies do show a link between vaping and later smoking among adolescents, this does not prove that vaping causes smoking. The more likely explanation is that certain teens are predisposed to risk-taking behaviours - including both vaping and smoking.
The Evidence: A review by the UK Royal College of Physicians concluded there is no strong evidence that vaping leads to smoking in youth. Instead, smoking rates among teens continue to decline even as vaping use rises, suggesting that vaping may divert some from smoking.
Myth #4: Nicotine causes cancer
Reality: Nicotine is not a carcinogen
Nicotine is addictive but it does not cause cancer. Carcinogens come from the burning of tobacco. The combustion that occurs in conventional cigarettes produces thousands of substances, and a percentage of these are carcinogenic.
The evidence: Smoking causes eight million deaths globally per year, while vaping is not fatal or linked to any smoking-related diseases. Sweden has the lowest smoking rate in the world and actively promotes nicotine alternatives.
Compared to the rest of the European Union, it boasts 44 per cent fewer tobacco-related deaths, a 41 per cent lower cancer rate, and 38 per cent fewer deaths attributable to any cancer.
Myth #5: Quitting vaping is as hard as quitting smoking
Reality: Vaping is generally easier to quit than smoking for most users
Many smokers successfully transition to vaping and then eventually stop using nicotine altogether. Because vaping allows users to gradually reduce their nicotine levels, it offers a form of harm reduction that can ease the path to quitting entirely.
The Evidence: A recent study from Vietnam, published in the journal BMC Public Health, found that smokers who previously failed to quit cigarettes were more likely to successfully quit vaping.