Can Vaping Cause Lung Cancer? What We Know So Far

Vaping, or the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), has been marketed as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes and even a tool for smoking cessation. But with increasing usage, especially among younger people, concerns about the long-term health effects of vaping have intensified. While the long-term impact is still under investigation, recent research provides insights into the potential health risks of vaping, answers to whether vaping can cause lung cancer or other harmful effects on the lungs, and how vaping compares to traditional smoking.

Does Vaping Damage the Lungs?

Currently, there is an ongoing debate over whether vaping causes harm to the lungs. While some studies suggest that vaping can potentially impact lung health, the extent of the damage may not be as severe as that caused by smoking cigarettes.

“Vaping involves inhaling vaporized e-liquids that may contain harmful chemicals, including nicotine, propylene glycol and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead,” says Dr. Andrew Stevens, board-certified pulmonologist and intensivist at Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists. “These ingredients can be harmful to lung tissue.”

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that certain flavorings, like diacetyl, have been linked to serious lung diseases. While these flavorings may be safe when ingested, inhaling them can be detrimental to lung health. The lungs process substances differently from the gut, making flavorings in e-cigarettes potentially harmful when inhaled.

The Link Between Vaping and Lung Cancer

While research on the connection between vaping and lung cancer is still in its early stages, the presence of toxic substances in e-cigarettes is a cause for concern. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many of the chemicals found in e-cigarettes are the same as those found in traditional cigarettes, although typically at lower levels.

Further, aerosol from e-cigarettes or acrolein, a herbicide primarily used as a weedkiller, may lead to lung injury or other conditions, including asthma or lung cancer.

Studies have also suggested that exposure to nicotine in any form can increase the risk of tumor development. However, it may take many years before the full impact of vaping on lung cancer rates is understood.

Other Health Concerns Related to Vaping

A significant body of research has already identified several adverse health risks associated with vaping in addition to potential cancer risks, including:

• E-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI): In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a serious lung disease linked to vaping, known as EVALI, which can cause chest pain.
• Popcorn lung: Some flavored e-liquids contain diacetyl, a chemical linked to popcorn lung, a condition that causes scarring in the small airways of the lungs. Symptoms of popcorn lung can include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

While there are fewer studies linking vaping to lung cancer, the damage it may cause to lung tissue, combined with the presence of cancer-causing chemicals, raises concerns about its potential to contribute to cancer development over time.

Is Vaping Worse Than Cigarettes?

The question of whether vaping is worse than smoking cigarettes is complex. Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, including over 70 known carcinogens. E-cigarettes generally contain fewer toxic substances than traditional cigarettes, but this doesn’t mean they are risk-free.

Read More: The Top 5 Reasons to Quit Smoking

Here are a few things to consider when comparing vaping and smoking cigarettes:

• Nicotine addiction: Both smoking and vaping can lead to nicotine addiction. Nicotine itself is harmful, particularly to developing brains, and can contribute to long-term health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Harmful chemicals: While e-cigarettes contain fewer cancer-causing chemicals than traditional cigarettes, they still expose users to toxic substances that could contribute to lung cancer and other diseases.
• Unknown long-term impacts: One of the major challenges in comparing vaping to smoking is that vaping is a relatively new phenomenon. While the long-term health effects of smoking are well-documented, vaping has not been around long enough for researchers to fully understand its long-term health effects, especially in terms of cancer risk.

“Vaping is even scarier than smoking because we don’t have historical data,” Dr. Stevens says. “We know it’s dangerous, but we don’t know exactly what long-term effects it causes.”

The Role of Harmful Chemicals in Vaping

Vaping devices heat a liquid containing harmful chemicals, commonly called e-liquid or vape juice. When this liquid is vaporized and inhaled, users are exposed to:

• Nicotine: The addictive substance that is also found in cigarettes.
• Volatile organic compounds: Some of which are toxic and can irritate the lungs and other parts of the body.
• Formaldehyde and acrolein: Both chemicals are known to cause damage to lung tissue and are considered cancer-causing chemicals.
• Flavoring agents: Some of these, such as diacetyl, have been linked to lung damage and diseases like popcorn lung.

Read More: Breathing Easy

Need to Quit Smoking? Vaping isn’t the Answer

One of the reasons people turn to e-cigarettes is to quit smoking, with the hope that vaping is a safer alternative. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA caution against this approach. Although some smokers have successfully transitioned away from cigarettes using e-cigarettes, the potential for addiction to vaping and the long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes remain serious concerns.

The FDA has not approved e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. Instead, it recommends tried-and-tested methods like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Some may find success with behavioral counseling for those looking to quit smoking.

“Don’t start vaping because you think it’s a healthier version of smoking,” Dr. Stevens says. “Your provider can help you find creative solutions to stop smoking for good.”

Long-Term Health Risks of Vaping and Smoking Cigarettes

Both vaping and smoking carry significant health risks, though smoking is more extensively studied in terms of its long-term impact. Many of the health risks of smoking cigarettes and vaping are the same, including the development of the following conditions:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Smoking causes long-term damage to the airways and the lungs, resulting in diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Heart disease: Smoking significantly raises the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Lung damage: Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for nearly 90% of all lung cancer deaths. Vaping can also cause serious lung injuries like EVALI and popcorn lung.

The Bottom Line: Vaping Isn’t Healthy

While there is still no definitive answer to whether vaping directly causes lung cancer, the presence of harmful chemicals in e-cigarettes raises significant concerns. Vaping exposes users to toxic substances that can damage lung tissue, cause inflammation and potentially lead to cancer in the long run. Additionally, vaping is not a safe alternative to smoking, and its long-term health effects are still largely unknown.

“Research shows that vaping can cause lung inflammation, injury and long-term damage,” Dr. Stevens says. “Vaping may contain fewer cancer-causing chemicals than smoking, but it still carries serious health risks, particularly for lung health.”

Finally, if you’re looking to quit smoking, the best approach remains traditional smoking cessation methods, including nicotine replacement therapies and counseling, rather than switching to vaping.

Looking to break free from a nicotine addiction? Talk to your primary care provider about smoking cessation programs that may be right for you. Need help finding a primary care provider? Search our online provider directory.